"Particle board?!?! You can't cover Particle Board!!!"
They said it couldn't be done. They said I was "crazy". But, I attempted the impossible anyway!!! Just look at those ugly stairs. And right next to the beautiful new banister...
It was definitely a shot in the dark. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I knew my fall back plan could be to just re-carpet the stairs until a better option was available.
Step 1: Remove all tacks and sand legitimate rough spots. Then smooth over a thin layer of wood filler and wait for it to dry.
Step 2: Sand down the step
Step 3: I used a product called DeckOver from Behr- a very thick paint used to restore old decking and concrete surfaces. This product will fill gaps up to 1/4" deep. With 2 solid coats, the stair tread was sufficiently covered and had a nice finish.
I did use 3 coats of a clear coat as well to gloss it up a bit!
Step 4: Now that all the stairs are covered, I used a beadboard panel (20$ Home Depot) to cover all 13 risers. With a little Gorilla glue and a few brad nails, the finished look was amazing!
The finished product is amazing. You will need to fill the brad nail hole and cover any gaps as necessary (I'm not a perfect cutter). Once I paint the banister, install beadboard and some pops of color, my otherwise drab foyer will be a marvelous entryway for me, my family, and guests to enjoy!
beautiful and inspiring!!!
ReplyDeleteWOW! I have to show this to my husband as we were just talking about how to redo our stairs since we want to pull out the carpeting! These look great!
ReplyDeleteHow are your stairs holding up?
ReplyDeleteHow are your stairs holding up?
ReplyDeleteHow are your stairs holding up?
ReplyDeleteHey Candi, they are holding up well. I have two dogs and they've managed to scratch through the clear coat and paint. Long term, I could easily cover it with a runner and still have the desired effect of wood stairs. This is sooo much better than the carpeted stairs, though!
ReplyDeleteWell done! They said it couldn't be done -- most of the time, I ask, why NOT? :) Thanks especially for coming back to let us know how well the stairs are holding up to wear. Do you think there might be a different clear coat that would resist dog nails and grit better on a wear surface? Have you looked into it at all?
ReplyDeleteAre the stairs slippery?
ReplyDeleteAfter three years, I've not done anything to the stairs at all. I can see the marks from the dogs' nails, but it's not something so visible that a guest would see and comment on it, if that makes sense. It could easily be touched up and clear coated again. I assume that, as with anything, wear and tear is just gonna happen. And, no the stairs are no more slippery than a set of regular wood stairs.
ReplyDeleteThose look great! Could you confirm that your stairs are made from particle board as opposed to OSB? Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteThis is particle board. I hope that helps! I am sorry it took me a while to get back to you!
DeleteHello- I am a new home owner and our stairs is covered with carpet. I pulled a corner up to see what is underneath, but I can not tell what type of wood it is. How can I tell what type of wood my stairs are?
ReplyDeleteThis is very inspiring! I have zero DIY skill but I still think that following your lead I may be able to attempt this! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhat is the color on the stair tread? You did an amazing job.
ReplyDeleteSo glad I saw your Pin! We just did this to our basement stairs. We are renovating our basement. There was ugly, dirty carpet on the stairs and when we pulled it up, there was particle board. I sanded it down and got decking paint in a chocolate color and a clear polyurethane as a top coat. Looks great! Thank you so much for the idea!! LOVE IT!
ReplyDeleteOMG! I wonder if this deck over will be great to redo kitchen cabinets? After all they are too particle board. ummmmm!
ReplyDeleteI am going to do this!!!. I love how they came out and the bead board is the perfect finishing touch.
ReplyDeleteMy son and his 2 cats use the stairs everyday, how could I do this with them stepping in the deckover paint? How long does it take for the deckover to dry? Maybe I could 1/2 of the stair at a time. What color deckover did you use? I like your idea, the carpet on my stairs is so old and never looks clean anymore.
ReplyDeleteHi JB, I don't know about the drytimes, it would say on the can. But you could paint every other stair, so your son is still able to access the stairs. I have cats myself and I would suggest blocking off the stairs for them until they are dry, and able to use for that brief time. Once dry do the rest of the stairs you skipped, might be at different times or day. Cats are curious and don't know what you're working on and mine would likely try to use my stairs. I hope that helps.
Delete*oops, NOT stepping in the deckover
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ReplyDeleteGlad to see someone else doing DIY on old carpeted steps. We took up our carpet and the builder had not put the side boards in to fill the space between the step and wall. So we are now removing and centering some of the steps so we can get the side boards in. Now I am trying to figure out the angles that need to be cut on those side boards to make them fit in at the top and bottom. But we will carry on. I love how your steps turned out.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to redo my stairs too. I found your post on Pinterest. The Behr website says not to use this on plywood. Would you happen to know why that is?
ReplyDeleteSomeone used slats off of old wooden blinds?
ReplyDeleteTo get the look of bead board
DeleteI copied your method! It is so much better and cleaner than the nasty industrial grey carpet that came with the house. I don't know if I would keep this forever, it is hard to get "perfect" even with the steps. I am not sure what a realtor's oppinion would be for resale value. But is an economical project and a huge improvement as a stop-gap until I can completely redo my steps!
ReplyDeleteI have an idea to do nearly the same. Glad you shared what you layered over the particle board before staining & clear coat. I was thinking of using porch paint or concrete stain
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