Thanks for the advice! I had just pretty much decided on Swenson's Granite, Ginny. They have a 2-inch thick tread that should do the trick. My husband wonders about durability, though. I know solid granite steps will last forever--will the stone treads stay in place for us, and not break?

I do not see how that can be true. A post above said $50 a tread....not knowing but assuming you need anywhere from 13-18 treads, thats roughly 900 right there....labor should be the exact same no matter what. Request a break down quote for him to itemize everything. Or better yet, find a different installer... btw, maple stains just as good as anything else. the majority of wood products on the market are maple. From cabinets to floors, most are maple based due to its staining abilities and smooth grains. I build custom drum sets and use maple 99% of the time, sometimes birch. I stain all kinds of different mixed colors and tones. I have never conditioned the wood, and have never had any issue with staining the wood. Most customers even order a ebony stain. However....walnut grains and natural tones can not be beat by anything IMO. It is a beautiful wood. If that is what you want, go for it. Get various bids, etc. If you love something, do it right from the begining. Everytime you look at your staiway and see a maple wood with a walnut stain, it will look great, but you will always regret not real walnut!

Before you go cap treading its better to first understand Run and rise along with FFT. Finished floor thickness at landing and adjoining levels along with maximum nosing compliance.. Theres a lot of handymen that will gladly put you right out of code compliance while taking your money and installing topical cap treads. Your local municipality should have clear staircase compliance on their website or in office.

Not lots of snow and ice in my area. We actually raised our foundation two rows of block so we actually have about 6 steps. My husband likes the aluminum for the structure but not for the treads. I thought about brick but feel like that will look way too heavy with 6 or so steps. That’s a lot of brick in the garage. My husband mentioned concrete treads and the aluminum rep said they could do a form with the aluminum for the concrete to be poured into (tread portion). That’s an option but again I’m worried it will look industrial (maybe stain the concrete treads??). My husband is all about structure and durability and while I am too, I still consider the details. We work together well, but I’m struggling with how to make the aluminum stairs look nice and unique without looking industrial. I keep reminding myself it’s just a garage that few guests will see, but I also think about the fact that I’LL see them as I’ll be using them almost every day. The one thing I do know is I don’t want metal stair treads.