If you’ve been following our cabin build, you might have seen my recent “DIY Math” video where I was carefully tightrope-walking down the bare framing of our staircase.
So, how exactly does 1 staircase + 0 stairs = needing 2 hands to survive the climb?
Well, it all started because we decided to rip out our perfectly functional stairs. Here is the story of our cabin stair makeover, the ideas that didn’t work out, and how we finally got the custom look we wanted for a teacher budget price!
The “Tiny Gap” Dilemma
When the original stairs were built during the initial cabin construction, they left a very slight gap between the stairs and the wall. The gap was just enough room for us to slide drywall behind it, but it left a gap that was too big to caulk and too small for a proper “skirt board” (that nice, finished trim piece that runs down the wall alongside the stairs).
I thought we could use a thin piece of wood for the skirt board. Mike didn’t want to just slap a thin, cheap-looking piece of wood in there. He wanted a thick, proper skirt board. On top of that, he wasn’t happy that the original stair treads were sitting flush with the stringers (the jagged, sawtooth framing underneath). He wanted the treads to overhang slightly on the outside for a more custom, traditional look.
The only way to achieve both of Mike’s goals? Take the stairs completely off.
Asking Internet Friends (And Why We Said No to the Easy Fix)
Before we committed to dismantling our only way to the second floor, I took to social media to ask for ideas. You guys came through with some brilliant suggestions!
Some people suggested those beautiful, pre-finished retrofit stair treads that just slip right over the top of your existing raw wood, while some suggested we paint them white. Others suggested interesting stair rails and what to do under the stairs. We seriously considered all suggestions, but we ran into roadblocks:
If we covered them with the premade treads:
- The Budget: Outfitting a whole staircase with those slide-over treads gets incredibly expensive very quickly. (Prices range from $50 – $100+ per stair)
- Bullnose vs. square edge: Many of the premade covers are made to fit over modern, squared edged steps. Ours are bullnose. We could have sliced them to make them flat. However…
- The Foot Room: To save space in our small cabin footprint, our stairs were already built to be slightly compact. The bull nose added a bit more depth for a foot to be able to have room going up and down the stairs. Cutting them would have made that space shorter. Plus, if we were to add a thick cap over the top and front of the existing stairs it was going to eat into our tread depth. We didn’t want to sacrifice a single speck of foot room!
The Balancing Act
So, we went with Plan B: keep the original stairs, but make them look amazing.
Mike pried and pounded off every single tread and riser. (a 1X10X10 select pine board for $37 that we painted) For several weeks, getting to the second floor meant either carefully balancing on the two-inch-wide bare stringers like a gymnast, or tiptoeing up the loose boards while praying they didn’t slide out from under us. Suzi, our 14-1/2 year old dog, wisely chose to stay on the ground floor while we risked our lives! Why did it take so long? Drying time!
The Custom Finish: Stain, Paint, and Seal
While the stairs were off, Mike installed a proper, thick skirt board and adjusted the treads to give them that beautiful outside overhang. Meanwhile, I got to work on the finishes:
- The Treads: I wanted the steps to tie the whole room together, so I custom-stained the treads to perfectly coordinate with our reclaimed wood feature wall. (The gel stain we ended up using needed to dry for at least 3 days before sealing) Prior to that I wanted a clear coat to keep the wood light and airy. However, there were stains from construction, factory prints on this construction grade wood, etc. so I needed something to mask those flaws. Painting them white was also a consideration, but I didn’t think we could keep them looking nice with all of the traffic.
- The Risers: To keep the small space looking bright and open, we painted the risers (the vertical backs of the stairs) and the new skirt board a crisp, clean white to match the walls and trim.
- The Sealant (And a Note on Safety!): Because these stairs are going to see a lot of heavy work boots and dog paws, choosing the right topcoat was crucial. We went with Minwax Ultimate Floor Sealer, applying 3 coats to make sure the stain was locked in and fully protected from the cabin elements. (A tip on that was that you can add a new coat after 2 hours, but if you wait more than 24 hours you have to sand. We chose to crank them out in one day!)
- The Traction Plan: A quick DIY tip: to make wooden stairs less slick, you can actually buy a non-slip grit additive to mix directly into your final coat of sealant. We ultimately chose not to do that. Instead, our plan is to eventually add a carpet runner or some stylish stick-on stair treads. That will give us the traction we need (which is definitely required when walking around in socks!) while adding a cozy, finished touch to the cabin.
It’s also important to let you know that I tried painting and staining some of the treads & risers while they were still attached. It was very challenging if I wanted to keep stain off the walls and paint off the stain, so being able to do this while Mike already had them off made it so much easier and more attractive in the end!
The Finalish Result
Putting the fully finished, stained, and painted stairs back onto the stringers was one of the most satisfying moments of the build so far. Not only do we have a safe way to walk upstairs again, but the staircase actually looks like a charming, intentional design feature instead of just a construction afterthought. The total cost (other than our time and muscle) was less than $150. The majority of that was the floor sealer which only came in gallon size options.
Now we can use them knowing they are protected and they look good! (Oh and I completely left out the part where we modified the last step and made an additional landing…I will have to include that when I write an update after we put on the detachable aluminum railings and the skirt that do not yet exist!)
What is the craziest thing you’ve had to temporarily tear apart in your house to make it look better? Let me know in the comments!
