Staircase Renovation Before and After

Our staircase isn’t just how we get from one floor to another — you can see it from almost every room in the house. And for a long time, it drove me crazy. I did not want carpeted stairs and the banister was dated in an early nineties way. A full renovation would’ve meant living in construction chaos longer than I was willing to tolerate — and I had very specific opinions about how these stairs should look. So I went the DIY route, and with a little creativity (and patience), these stairs ended up looking completely different without a full renovation price tag.

Staircase Renovation Before and After

Carpeted staircase leading upward with white railing — Carpeted stairs stuck in the ’90s

A well-lit stairway with wooden steps leading to an upper floor, featuring white walls and a black railing. — Carpeted stairs stuck in the ’90s

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Essential Power Tools For DIY

Essential Measuring Tools for DIY

How Much Did It Cost to Go from Carpet to Wood Stairs?

If you’re trying to figure out how much this actually costs, here’s what I spent doing it myself.

This wasn’t a full staircase rebuild. I kept the existing structure and focused on removing the carpet and refinishing everything.

Here’s a rough breakdown:

Wood treads and risers: $400 (half price because of a Facebook marketplace steal)
Paint, stain, and supplies: $100
Tools and extras: $100

Total cost: around $600

If I had hired this out, it would have easily been a few thousand dollars. Most staircase renovations fall somewhere between $2,000 and $8,000 depending on materials and labor, but doing it yourself brings that cost way down.

For me, the biggest trade-off was time. It’s a lot of prep and detail work, but the savings were worth it.

Step 1:

Remove the Carpet From The Stair Treads

Staircase Renovation Before and After — Self explanatory and very satisfying

One day I stopped vacuuming the carpeted stairs and ripped off the carpet, thinking the plywood beneath would be better. It was, and we lived with it for weeks. Life and decision making got in the way.

Step 2:

Choose Your Stair Tread

We had to decide which type of stair tread we wanted and these were our options.

Option 1:

Spend $600+ on 16 oak stair treads, cut our own risers, but have to remove the existing construction lumber treads to adjust the step height.

Smooth wooden plank with a light finish, showing natural grain patterns.

Option 2:

Buy a retrofit stair tread for about $700, and hope our boys don’t snap the front edge off when they are running up the stairs.

Close-up view of a wooden shelf with a smooth, rounded edge, showcasing its natural wood grain.

Step 3:

Update Newel Posts

Replacing the newel post would’ve required rebuilding the entire railing system. Removing the newel post would’ve turned into a much bigger project, requiring us to take out and replace the balusters and railing too.

Instead of replacing the newel posts and banister, this is where we got creative. We decided to give them a new look by wrapping them in MDF and adding trim details. It was amazing how much of a difference this one change made to the overall look of our stairs.

This definitely saved us money, but also shortened the project by weeks.

How to Wrap Newel Posts in MDF

The most challenging step in the process is finding the angle to cut the MDF where it meets the base of the railing. We used a combination of tools to get the measurement exact in order to cut the MDF accurately. We used a contour gauge (for the profile), angle finder (for the incline measurement) and protractor (to trace the angle).

The contour gauge was pressed against one side to get the profile.

Then we cut it out on a piece of MDF (leaving extra material to cut to the width)

Additional MDF and trim were added at the bottom to give more dimension. Be sure to use plenty of wood filler and sand thoroughly at this stage.

Close-up of a wooden stair railing post with white trim accents, situated beside a staircase.

A close-up view of a staircase with white railings and wooden steps.

MDF needs to be primed, otherwise it soaks up all your paint

Step 4:

Install New Stair Treads

We found a steal on Facebook Marketplace. This sweet couple was selling 14 oak stair treads for $150. We ended up without question going with option 1. A few treads had been cut already, so we needed to purchase 5 extra. They look amazing, and I’m glad we went with solid wood.

A partially renovated staircase with exposed wooden steps, tools including drills and a measuring tape scattered on the stairs, and wires visible on the floor. — Adding Risers

Wooden stairs with freshly installed treads, partially unfinished and showing some wear, next to a trash can — Installing the Stair Treads

A view of a staircase with wooden steps and white railings, leading to the upper floor. — Almost Done

Wooden stairs with a light finish, featuring tape on each step, leading upwards. — Finished!

The new treads not only look good, it is so much easier to clean and disinfect. But honestly anything is better than carpet. A quick broom sweep or mop, instead of shortening or adjusting your vacuum and praying that the dirt/debris/dust mites/pet dander/lead/mold spores/pesticides/fecal matter is actually being removed. Is it just me that worries every cough is a result of the carpet you would love to replace?

Step 5:

Paint and Finishing Touches

We used an oil-based enamel paint in black and white on the balusters and newel posts. You get a durable finish, that is easily cleaned with a Clorox wipe or magic eraser. And the high gloss finish made it look way more expensive than it actually was.

The paint job is going to be reflective of your prep, unfortunately high gloss paint shows every single imperfection.

We ended up painting a satin sheen over the high gloss on the newel posts because of this. It covered very nicely with only one coat. But if you are confident in your cuts go for the high gloss.

Staircase Renovation Before and After

A staircase with wooden steps and white walls, featuring a modern design and natural light.

Overall, renovating our stairs was a great experience and gave our home a fresh new look. If you’re considering a similar project, I would highly recommend it. I would also highly recommend coming up with a plan before you start ripping up carpet. It just takes a little creativity, inspiration pictures, and some DIY skills.

Still more to come…

Close-up view of wooden staircase steps with a clean white railing. — Read our post below to add a quick alternative to caulk

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