Stair Floor Covering

Q: I want to replace carpet floor covering on two different sets of stairs and am confused about what would be the best choice other than more carpet.
One staircase has hardwood flooring underneath the carpet, and the second staircase has plywood stairs underneath the carpet.
I have considered paint, marmoleum, cork, placing hardwood over the plywood stairs & refinishing the existing hardwood on the other set of stairs; and bamboo. Anything is preferable to carpeting due to the maintenance of cleaning.
However, if you know of a low-maintenance carpet brand (anti-bacterial, dirt resistant, etc.) I will gladly consider!
Thank you.
Pamela D.
A: When it comes to stairs there are several choices you can make. I personally am a big proponent of hard surface flooring. This being said, I understand your wish to avoid carpet.
Let’s tackle the stairs with existing wood first. I would have someone take a look at these stairs to ensure they can be properly refinished before pushing too far into your project. If they can, you will want them sanded, sealed and finished with at least 2 coats of a good finish like Glitsa’s Infinity II or Bona’s Traffic. You can also look into staining these stairs during the refinish process to get a color you desire.
Should you need to replace these stairs, then you can pick out any flooring type you prefer that has accessories for stairs such as hardwood or bamboo. I don’t know of any cork floors with matching nosing for stairs, so you will most likely want to avoid looking into cork.
For your other set of stairs, I would look into a new wood or bamboo floor. The benefit of bamboo is that it is very easy to obtain solid treads and risers, making the install both easy and clean looking. The downside to bamboo is the lack of color choices you will get. Hardwood on the other hand gives you a myriad of choices and looks great when installed.
When it comes to stairs, I highly suggest contacting a professional installer as they can be difficult and you want them to look great. For the DIY folks, make sure you take your time with stair install, measure carefully and cut even more carefully. Install tread, then the riser above the tread, starting from the bottom of your stairs and moving to the top. Afterward install your stringers (also called skirt boards). This will allow you to cover all of your cuts and make the stairs look great.