Change laminate wood stairs to receive carpet

[dchou4u]

My staircase has Mohawk 3/8" laminate wood plank, and I like to remove the laminate wood and prep the surface to receive carpet.

Here are some pictures of my staircase:

The complex thing about this is that the balusters and newels are resting directly on the laminate wood treads. So if I remove the treads, the height will be a little different.

The treads are about 11.5" and the riser are about 5.5".

Do I need to replace the plywood under the laminate surface? If the plywood is missing the toe, can I glue and screw in a 1/2 round to create the toe for the treads?

Will a general contractor be able to redo the stairs for me, or do I need to hire a stairs specalist?

Thanks

[hallerb]

ask a carpet installer, it can probably go right over the laminate

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I was never so happy as to get rid of my stairs carpet and ut in laminate instead. Had I known, we could have just traded.

Picture don't always tell the whole story, but they look to be in good condition. It looks as though the laminate was done properly.

Probably not, unless it is glued in place and it leave bit divots when you take it off.

Should work.

A good carpenter can probably handle what you want. The big question is the type of installation of the carpet. If it is a runner up the center and the edges exposed, you have to refinish the stairs to look good. If it is a wrap around, that is not so important. Have you talked to the carpet installer? They nail a strip to the riser for the carpet to grab onto. If he can nail it in place, you may be able to go over the laminate. It is tough stuff to nail so it may have to be drilled and then the strip screwed in place. Takes more time, but less than tearing up the whole stairway.

[clintonG]

Make your life easy. Find the best carpet retailer in your region and have them sew a runner for you.

My staircase has Mohawk 3/8" laminate wood plank, and I like to remove