there are 2 ways to do it.

first is to create it out of you hardwood product, using stair nosings and the manufacturer of your hardwood flooring should carry them for your product type and wood species. Ask them for prefinished or site finished depending what you have.

if not, you can get them milled by a local wood supplier out of the same wood species, then stain and/or finish them to match.

If you cant find any of those resources, you can try a search for Hardwood Stair Nosing for an online resource.

Secondly, you can buy prefinished or site-finished hardwood stair treads and risers out of the wood species you desire.

you can use their risers or your hardwood for the risers.

I think the most important issue here is getting the look and finish you desire.

Stairs can really be made out of any hardwood, although the harder wood the better in terms of durability and wear.

Here is a wood hardness chart if you are open to different species.

As to installation, you want to screw and glue the nosings so they dont turn when someone steps on the nosing overhang.

Improperly installed stair nosings have caused problems in the past coming loose and could potentially cause injury, so follow all instructions to the letter.

If we go for the Walnut Teak floors that we like, they will be pre-finished.

Does anyone have photos of stairs made up of planks?

We are looking into the stair treads as well - I have a 'stair guy' coming to look when we get back from holiday the week after next. It is a long step though - 6 or 7 ft long. Just not sure how feasible a solid tread is for a step that long.

Any thoughts?

E-mail me. I'll send you some pictures.

One thing I have done in the past when two types of wood tie in at a step down, is to use one species on the tread, and the other species on the riser.

Thanks floorguy - I e.mailed you. Here are the pics:

The Walnut with Teak finish we would like to use:

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Our current dining room with light maple floors:

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The kitchen is now where the outside windows used to be. To give you an idea, here is an 'in progress' shot. We actually just got drywall in the kitchen which is very exciting. Of course there aren't too many pics on this forum where you take a room that looked nice and then destroy it : ) but hopefully it will look nice again in the end!!

The step runs the width of the opening to the kitchen. It's somewhere around 7 feet. I think it will just need one additional step in between the dining room floor and the kitchen floor.

Also important to note is that we had to run the beams the opposite way in the extension to the rest of the house, so the floor installer is recommending that we run the floor width ways so that the planks are supported by the beams, so opposite of the way the floor runs now.

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