Stair tread and risers

Mar 22, 2015 24 Replies

My carpetted stairs, both to basement and upstairs, have the standard nosing. The original carpetting on the upstairs stairway was "waterfalled" but the basement stairs and replacement carpet on the upper stairs is "nosed". It looks different, but no difference in climbing the stairs.

Strange that in North America a nose is REQUIRED on closed riser stairs under 11 inches (depth of tred) and in Australia, for instance, the nose is NOT ALLOWED.

I have a high quality laminate on the stairs from the lower level. I have some pre-finished wood in the family room. These are the two most heavily traveled places in the house. Both look as good as the day they were put down. The wood about 10 years, the laminate at least 25 years. Much superior than the typical poly finish we'd use.

How about the face matching the lower floor, and the cap matching the upper floor all the way up?

I like that idea. I'll have to envision or get those colors and see how I like them in that setting.

Yep, that's definitely they way I want to go and as Bob suggested, perhaps the maple on risers and Mahogany on tread or even vice versa.

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