I need help with refinishing our stairs (pips)

[Deleted]

I like the idea of a carpet runner, especially with small children. Wood steps are notoriously slippery. Admittedly I know nothing about installing a carpet runner and whether that could effect the wood permanently underneath.

[thatgirl2478]

If you like the idea of wood stairs, talk to a flooring re-finisher. They can get some pretty amazing stains out. You can paint the stairs a dark brown, but I'm not sure it would look right with the natural wood trim.

I'm not a huge fan of runners since you still have to get a vacuum on them every so often - which is a pain.

We had 2 sets of stairs growing up - the front ones without carpet & the back ones with. I fell down the back stairs more than the front stairs...

[VeryViolet]

I think sanding and then staining would probably look the best but would definitely be the most labor intensive. I think the sanding should get rid of the stains but I would ask someone smarter about DIY stuff than me before putting all of that effort in. A runner would also look nice and definitely be less work. Also, I love the look of the painted riser and stained step but if the rest of your trim is original it might look out of place.

[sergey]

I would sand them down and see what you end up with; I'd imagine the stains will come off and you probably have a lot of depth to work with. I also think you can paint the risers without painting the trim if you want to go with that look.

[emjacobs]

I would sand all of the surfaces, stain the risers and baluster to match the beautiful trim you already have, stain the treads and the hand rail several shades darker. This would give you some contrast and visual appeal without paint or having to change the trim.

I hate carpet runners on stairs, I think they look old and don't ever look clean after the first while of being installed.

[nomad100]

Jul 5, 2013 9:43:26 GMT -5 emjacobs said:

I would sand all of the surfaces, stain the risers and baluster to match the beautiful trim you already have, stain the treads and the hand rail several shades darker. This would give you some contrast and visual appeal without paint or having to change the trim.

I hate carpet runners on stairs, I think they look old and don't ever look clean after the first while of being installed.

I like this idea. 

And I am not a fan of a runner on stairs either.  They are such a pain to vacuum.