That sounds nice, but there is a problem. There is a foot long section that connects the downstairs to the upstairs. It has a crack in it, and very similar but different paint between the two levels. I attempted to repair the crack, but obviously it didn't work. Downstairs is Ralph Lauren Suede for $40.00 a gallon. And a TON of X's. Upstairs the ceiling is very high, and I did not want to attemp the X's all the way up. I also don't know how I would have even gotten up there. So, I color matched the paint for a flat that looked close. I tried to overlap the two, not sure that turned out too well. So, I don't know how to do one without the other. Here are some more pictures.... Another question, I intend on putting crown molding on the downstairs portion. How do I stop at the foot long divider? And above the door in the first picture the wall is beveled. How do I put crown on that?? THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP :)

If one side of that drywall is nailed to bottom of stair stringers that might be the problem,not worth worrying about. If that's true I would install large crown molding fastened only to stringer to alow it sliding on wall as movement take's place. Bottom line,I can't tell you the facts unless you fly me in to look at it.

OK...to the NOISE abatement question with rigid flooring: NOTHING will dampen the sound in the stairwell. Nothing. The ONLY thing that will do it: doors at the bottom AND the top of the stairs. That's it. That's all she wrote. And NO you cannot use soft underpad underneath a rigid surface on a stair. The flooring MUST sit directly onto the tread/substrate. Applying a rigid surface to a tread that USED to have carpet means you MUST bring the stairs up to code (if they are not code compliant for today's safety measures). Yep. Another person JUST did this to themselves and now they have a HORRIBLE situation on their hands. As in physically and financially ruinous to both the home, the homeowner and the GC. The fix to the stairs ALONE could cost the same amount as the entire flooring budget once over! Here's the link: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5843804/flooring-on-stairway#n=18 So approach this hellish cross-roads with caution and with FULL KNOWLEDGE of what you are about to do to yourself, your home and your bank account. Your plan has you replacing the treads and risers. This certainly qualifies as a rebuild. You will be legally obligated to match what you have removed AND bring it up to code. And stairs have 15 codes they need to have assessed before they can be 'signed off' on by an inspector. Ask yourself this: "If I mess up, can I afford a FINISHING CARPENTER to come in and fix my mess?" If you answered "No." then do NOT do what you are thinking of doing. Replace the cracked treads. Make them safe (match the EXACT thickness of the tread) and then RECARPET the entire thing. If you do not have the budget to hire a finishing carpenter IN THE FIRST PLACE, you do not have the budget to hire one to fix a mess that could cost you HUGE amounts of money in the future (imagine you sell it and someone hurts themselves on the stairs; an insurance company sends an expert to look at the issue and finds YOUR redo caused the issue; now you are on the hook for the stairs not being up to code AND the new homeowner sues you for negligence AND for damages). So do this RIGHT with a Finishing Carpenter or don't do it at all.

@cat_ky thanks for the reply. I will have to put down something over the existing asbestos tile, as it is in bad shape (not just the tile, but the floor overall). I will need a much smoother surface to lay the sheet vinyl on, just wanting to know if OSB is the ONLY option, or if there is something else like the hardboard polystyrene I hadn't thought about. Carpet isn't an option - too many kids and animals - we live on an actual operating farm, so not bringing dirt into the house just isn't an option, i swear it seeps in all on it's own around here!