Paint the plywood surface to enhance the beauty of the steps and change the appearance of the area. Three Ways to Finish the Edges of Plywood. Painting plywood is actually similar to Hello, for the question around finishing carpet at the top of the stairs, they mentioned in their “how to” and showed a photo of how they left the carpet at the top of the stairs, the last step, folded down on the riser and used a sharp blade to cut the carpet on the top riser. Kim Blakesley is a home remodeling business owner, former art/business teacher and school principal. It is generally pre-sanded (so that very little has to be done) and it has the most beautiful grain -especially my favorite, PureBond!The only real drawback is how to finish the edges. What is the best way to replace with hardwoods? I’m in love already! Plus I could paint it before attaching! Sand the entire plywood surface with 100-grit sandpaper. It’s also a wood that is not easily stained. We have used a water based lacquer elsewhere on some white oak flooring but…, Loose or Creaking Boards & Tight or Popping Boards, recommendation to hire an experienced pro. What can I do to fix this? Medium density fiberboard or MDF is an inexpensive product that is composed of wood fiber that is subjected to pressure and heat as a means of creating sections of wood that can be used in a Apply a line of 1 1/2-inch painter's tape on any walls or trim so it abuts the plywood stair treads to prevent accidental paint stains. A simple way to make your old carpet, vinyl or plywood stairs look beautiful. We have plain old builder's plywood under the carpet. Press the end of the putty knife against the surface and pull it across the indentation. Is this a hardwood plywood like oak or just construction grade plywood. The stairs are original, just the ready-for-carpet variety made from spruce framing lumber and plywood. Learn how to rip up that carpet on your stairs and reveal (or create) the beautiful hardwood that's been hiding underneath. Q: I pulled up my carpet on the steps in my split foyer, and I found what looks like plywood. How to Finish Maple. Unlike a finish, which is meant to protect the wood, a stain won’t do that. Plywood stair treads can be found in basements, garages, outbuildings and some porches. It is available in the woodworking or paint section of home improvement centers. I tried to sand, stain, and poly it but I cannot get a smooth finish all over. How to redo stairs for cheap - Give your outdated staircase a gorgeous new look! Painting Your Stairs: Prep Work 1. In Part 1 of this Stairs Makeover series, we shared the reasons we chose to cover our steps with hardwood stair treads – and we outlined some other choices you may want to consider to upgrade your own steps. Learn how to paint stairs with this tutorial and find out how our staircase renovation has held up over the last 5 years. They were painted brown by the previous owner, since the basement was not finished at that time: The first step (no pun) is to Whether you want to paint plywood to make an original piece of art or you need to paint a plywood floor, you can do it successfully with just a little know how. Instead, a stain works by darkening the wood or adding pigments to the natural grain. It wasn’t The stairs are original, just the ready-for-carpet variety made from spruce framing lumber and plywood. Having a similar issue over here trying to decide what to do with our stairs. A simple way to update an entrance is by giving the stairs and banister a fresh lick of paint. Nov 8, 2015 - Explore paul's board "Staircase finishing" on Pinterest. Finish the Stairs. … ", How to Paint and Finish Construction Plywood, How to Remove Spray Paint Form Vinyl Flooring, How to Remove a Peel and Stick Tile Adhesive From Plywood. Since the top stair was flush with the concrete at the top of the stairs, we did take out the top step. I say we just have to replace the risers and glue and…. Is there a textured finish I can apply to cut down on being too slippery? ! Sand entire staircase. We ripped up the carpet and pulled up the existing pine boards. Staining Stairs Process. I decided to give the stairs a bit of interest, snaze them up a bit, rather then just going with a solid color. Remodeling stairs with NuStair is a straight forward and simple process that can usually be completed in about one day. Finally apply a stain and polyurethane finish. Allow the water-based sealer to dry 24 hours before use. Remove carpet and pad using pliers and the claw on the back of Repeat the process on each step. Paint the surface of the plywood stairs, both the tread and the riser, with a coat of all-in-one paint and primer. Next Up. Sand the surface of the wood putty until it is smooth and flush with the surface of the plywood stair treads. That made painting the stair treads an even easier decision. The most important part of how to refinish stairs that were carpeted is as always cleaning the stairs thoroughly before applying any product. Blakesley's education, fine arts, remodeling, green living, and arts and crafts articles have appeared on numerous websites, including DeWalt Tools, as well as in "Farm Journal" and "Pro Farmer. We did a DIY staircase remodel by painting our stairs. Load the putty knife and hold the loaded end at a 45-degree angle to the step. Apply paint around the four edges of each tread and riser then paint the center. Also to know is, what kind of wood is used for stair treads? You could “finish” them…with the intent of replacing in the future with a real wood stair….but if you go to sell your house…the buyer will consider a plywood stair as subfloor material….and unfinished. Remove the painter's tape after the water-based sealer is dry. Smooth plywood is made with a more natural-looking wood veneer, disguising what the plywood really is, namely a … If you pulled up the carpet or tiles and discovered a tread that's water-damaged or weak, you can replace it with a new tread that's cut from a sheet of 3/4-inch plywood. Find out about the costs, labor, and pros and cons of different ways you can finish your basement stairs. To me, the most important little tool is the tack cloth because even after vacuuming and cleaning the stairs I still got a huge amount of lint on the cloth. Also, use a cloth that is lint-free or else you risk leaving fibers which can get caught in the finish. See more ideas about stairs skirting, diy stairs, stairs. And guess how long it took! Also, I would like to take the paint off the handrails and finish them as well. Follow the steps below in the order outlines and continue until the staircase remodel is complete. at a limited budget. Brush across the width of the step to prevent visible brush strokes. 36″ x 10-1/2″ Unfinished Oak Interior Stair Tread and 42″ x 10-1/2″ Unfinished Oak Interior Stair Tread are the two sizes the kits come in so we ordered seven of the 36 inch and six of the 42 inch after measuring both sets of stairs and determining the crazy size differences. Once it dries, apply two coats of clear coat. Step 2: Apply conditioner I build a lot of my projects from soft wood like pine and plywood, so applying pre-stain conditioner is a must. Use clean cloths to remove any type of… The standard for finished stairs is 1" thick. I've just finished putting laminate on my stairs. That way they will look much different than just plywood. 25 DIY Ways To Update Your Stairs. I NEED to rip out the (unfortunately not so old carpet) and do something different. Step 1. The bonus of a specialist paint is that it can painted straight over old paint or varnish, so no need to fear the hours of sanding ahead of you. This, however, would leave scuff marks on the riser from shoes, etc. Wipe the entire surface of the stairs down with a tack cloth to remove all sanding dust. Wood end products makes them easier to wash, and protect your staircase from moisture harm and stains. I went an unconventional and controversial route when picking out the stain for this post about how to refinish stairs that were carpeted. We waited on finishing the walls since we weren’t sure how it was all going to work out when the stairs … Follow our handy step-by-step guide of how to paint a staircase, using specialist floor paint. Is it better to rebuild stairs or simply refinish? Dad added about 3/8” plywood underneath so the new stair would then fit in there and would be flush with the top piece of concrete. Architects and designers use plywood for an aesthetic purpose as it gives you a smooth and unique finish. In some cases, boxed-in stairs that are covered with carpet or flooring tile have treads made from plywood instead of hardwood. First, though, it’s important to sand the stairs down and get them very clean. The treads have overhangs like finish stairs, so in order to go over them with finish materials, I'd Use a chemical stripper and a lot of elbow grease on the handrail. #sawshub #howto #guide #stain #plywood #DIY … … Plywood gives you a beautiful and warm look at a limited budget. Applying finish ensures that they stay looking fresh. How to Finish MDF. This cheap wood can be stained to give it a fine look and feel - we show you how from A-Z. I am on a tight budget and want to know if I can just sand these and paint them? Do we need to stain and/or polyurethane the entire piece of wood, or is it okay to just finish the parts of the stairs that are visible? Paint allows a homeowner to change the color or repair a worn surface in minimal time. S0 that’s what I did!! Painting or Staining. Brush over the edges a second time to ensure a thick layer of paint is distributed. They look great but the squeaking is terrible. We were thinking of sanding both the flat and riser of the stair and possibly staining the flat, and painting the riser. How do I do this? If you're going to do How to Stain and Finish Plywood. You're going to need to clean the surface, sand, and finish it. Use Wood Filler to Fill Holes. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. The point we’re at here is the install. How to Stain and Finish Plywood. Repeat the process until all holes, cracks and indentations are filled. Brush a layer of water-based sealer on each tread and riser to protect the paint and provide longevity to the painted plywood surface. Q imported from our old site, Face Lift Floors: We have a townhouse with plywood construction. I did a couple of dry test runs with the stairs so I could visualize what they would look like. A plywood stair is not worth finishing in my opinion. Paint the surface of the plywood stairs, both the tread and the riser, with a coat of all-in-one paint and primer. Inspect the plywood stair treads for holes, cracks and indentations. The other stairs were all nice 2X12s. She began her writing and photography career in 2008. I have a set of carpeted plywood stairs in my house and have googled a bit on this. I’ll paint out that concrete with my brown porch paint too. I bought two 4×8’ sheets of smooth 1/4” hardwood plywood, which I new would be nice and smooth for risers. Carpet seems to be making its I could just cover it all up! Apply paint around the four edges of each tread and riser then paint the center. Staircases aren’t always a pricey showcase in a house; as a cost-saving measure, they sometimes are constructed from OSB, which is … We always put 2x10 or 2x12 on for the treads for carpeted stairs.