Thanks for such a detailed response! I'm still trying to figure out the math :).

Couple questions -- what would be a reasonable estimate to replace it all? And any chance you live in the midwest and need some work? :)

handymac's description is an excellent one. The key to remember is that it's the top and bottom stairs that are the potential bugaboos. If they are equal to start with, then any increase/decrease in tread thickness (like his 2" --> 1 1/4") will make the top stair shorter/taller by that difference, and the bottom stair taller/shorter by that difference. (Hope I didn't totally confuse you.)

So if your new material is 1/2" thicker than the old material, the top step is 1/2" less than it was and the bottom step is 1/2" more. Now they're an inch different from each other, which doesn't meet code. But if you change your flooring on the bottom floor or top floor, those will impact it as well.

The other thing to keep in mind is that your stairs may or may not be constructed as handymac describes. Our carpeted stairs actually had 1x pine treads. So that's 3/4" thick + 1/2" carpet = 1 1/4" total. Swapping out to oak treads had no impact on the rise between stairs.

Or your existing stairs may have a top (or bottom) stair that has more or less rise than the rest of them. So the change in tread may still keep them within the code-required tolerance.

The best way to know the answer is to remove the carpet and see what you've got, and measure each riser.

Listen to what he said about gaskets or rosin paper. We didn't do that on ours and chased squeaks for quite a while.

Thanks! That helps as well!

I will be changing carpet to hardwood at the top of the stairs as well as part of this whole thing. The foyer already is hardwood.

I would love to rip the carpet back, but I have a feeling my husband would not be too happy -- I need to convince him that this all "needs" to be done (as he is perfectly happy with the carpet/stairs) as is :).

"I will be changing carpet to hardwood at the top of the stairs as well as part of this whole thing. The foyer already is hardwood."

That is exactly the issue that handymac is speaking of. You are adding flooring at the top and not the bottom therefore your rise is different already before even knowing what is under the carpet.

Except that at the top you're replacing 1/2" carpet with 3/4" hardwood, which may ok. On the top floor you're not ripping out the subfloor like you are when you remove treads under carpet.

Again, millworkman may be right that this will throw it off. But you won't know until you measure your stairs and see what's under them. Is there a closet under the stairs where you'd be able to see the existing structure from below?

Thanks for the replies! Sorry for the delay.....

Unfortunately I do not have access under the stairs as the basement stairs have a drywall ceiling/wall that would need to be cut to see the stringers. The guys have mentioned having to cut into the drywall though as part of the project.

Just out of curiosity, would removing the carpet from the bottom 2 stairs provide any helpful insight where I could measure and compare them?

Presumably the thought is that the riser up to the second tread is shorter than the riser for the first tread since the original stringers had accounted for carpet on the first and second tread, but hardwood on the bottom floor and carpet on the first tread. Is my understanding correct?

Thanks!

Yes, tearing the carpet off a couple stairs will tell you the same thing that looking at them from below would. You'll be able to see how thick the current treads are, and measure the rises and runs to see how consistent they are.

Gather the data, then post back here and we can help you draw conclusions.

Hello Ellen1234! It is a nice decision to replace carpet with hardwood, I'm not really a fan of carpet at all - easily gets dirty. Whereas wooden stairs are sturdy and easy to maintain. But you have to make sure that your stair meets standard codes. Good luck on your project!

We had our wood guy pull the carpet back to expose the caps. He then added custom wood caps and risers where the carpet was, therefore not adding any additional height to the step. We also added chair rail underneath for a more finished/polished look. At the top of the stairs, they also removed a 3" strip of carpet and installed a wood cap across the width from banister to banister, to divide the staircase from the upstairs hallway.

To replace everything with all new treads and risers would have been a ridiculous cost for us, especially since considering we wanted to have a carpet runner up the middle.
We actually still havent replaced the carpet...hopefully before Christmas.

Here's a view after we had it all sanded and painted.

cand1781 - Thanks for the info and pictures! It looks great! So if I'm understanding and seeing correctly, he sort of cut the outer portion of carpet out on each side and then installed wood (3/4 inch hardwood planks?) just on those outer sections? And then you painted the existing exposed riser white? May I ask an off-topic question -- what is that paint color on your walls? I really like it!

I decided to have another contractor over who does stairs, and he said he'd try to use the existing structure if possible. He thought the existing stringer at the wall would not have to be replaced. So I'm waiting to get more details from him.

Thanks!