I am in the middle of installing stair tread in our basement. They match the stairs to the attic in terms of style, and color – I am using the same reclaimed dark bamboo treads as our attic stairs. The trim is painted white, I am using sub-floor adhesive and screws to eliminate squeaks, and I have added cove molding to the underside of each stair lip because that is the right way to do it and they are mine – if I choose to overbuild them, then I will do so. There is no MDF or OSB being used – just like in the rest of our home.
The stairs are period appropriate for our house – maybe even a little upscale for a suburban house on what was the edge of Seattle in 1928. Except for the bamboo tread material, they would be recognizable by the first owner of our home as proper. The 5 feet of bottom banister and the wooden handrail will match the attic and rest of the house as well.
It has taken me two days to get this done, partially because of set-up and partially due to the time spent hunting for specific tools in the mess that is my shop currently. If all I did was stairs, I would have a kit and process ready to go and I could bang out a strait staircase trim in a single 8-hour day. Will be glad when this is 100% complete as it is the last major project left for the 3+ years of remodeling one room at a time in our house. I know my wife wants it done even more than I do though.
Side note: Because I am working on my own house, I am wearing OSHA-Approved safety Flip-Flops.
