What to do about wood stairs with vinyl flooring?

last year

For various reasons, we've decided to put a light grey vinyl plank flooring over our existing engineered hardwood/tile flooring. We also want to redo the flooring on our stairs to match, but we're torn over what to do. We've had two flooring installers come in with differing advice.

One flooring installer said that he wouldn't feel right putting vinyl planks on top of our wood stairs because they are very expensive to do and we'd be ruining the wood by gluing vinyl on top of them. He suggested we stain the stairs instead and that if we wanted to match the color of the vinyl, he could probably get a pretty close match (90%ish).

A second flooring installer highly recommended against staining as he said that staining our stairs rarely comes out well and that our stairs are a different type of wood pattern (walnut) from our vinyl flooring (oak) and that there would be transition issues as well. He suggested putting vinyl on top of them if we wanted to change them up.

Anybody out there with thoughts or experiences with staining wooden stairs vs. putting vinyl on top? Pictures of the stairs and vinyl attached below.

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Comments (16)

thinkdesignlive
last year
I think you are getting bad advice all around - who has shown you that the vinyl floor will be warrantied once installed over existing engineered wood flooring? A big no no right from the start.
Design Fan
last year
last modified: last year
Have you considered the impact of adding vinyl flooring over your existing hardwood flooring and possibly over your stair treads on the rise of each step in your stairs? You don’t want to inadvertently create a tripping hazard with unequal step rises or have rises after installation that are not to code.

if there is a significant mismatch with the restained wood stairs and vinyl flooring, consider installing a stair runner.
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so what brand wood/wood look vinyl or laminate do u have
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i did see the thread on the novalis and i did see the product at lowes yesterday and my husband just has his mind made up that vinyl is going to be a junk product so i guess that is out. i just am confused. i did notice at lowes they have some prety good brand names such as armstrong//bruce etc but does this automatically mean it is a cheaper version of what you would find in a flooring store because it is at lowes? (like for instance) a line they made specifically to be sold only at lowes? the flooring i saw was from 3-9 dollars a sq foot. my sister in law bought her hardwood flooring at menards and they have had it for years with no issues but i just am confused about which products a person should feel okay with taking the plunge with and which are actually going to be a horrible product. i found an ad with a pergo floor that i absolutely loved then i looked up reviews and everyone hated it. i am tired of reading reviews, but i have a huge room to put flooring in, and it will cost alot of money so i was just hoping to hear from many people which floor they used that has been just wonderful or horrible. thanks
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After reading the various threads and looking at the pics, I'm sold for the basement but we're also considering it throughout the first floor. I'm concerned about resale (though it's would be decades away). The homes in our neighborhood are selling for $700,000+, and the expectation of course is high end everything. I'm considering putting this in the main living area too due to the ease of care and who knows what I'll like in 10 years? Our last home we had extensive use of hardwood. I loved the look but the constant worry, and no shoe policy was unpleasant. I want a house that we can live in. For as cheap as this stuff is, we couldn't even have the floors refinished, for what this stuff costs new. We currently have hardwood in the front foyer, front bath, dinette, kitchen, and laundry room (I wouldn't say the previous owner made a wise move on that decision). With all the remodeling though, much of the wood will be trashed anyway, so it's like we'd be starting from scratch. Are we crazy to even consider vinyl (even for a decade) when we can afford the real thing (installation and all), when the expectation is high end? It's only my husband, myself, and a little dog on a daily basis.
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What I'm hearing about the husband wanting something different = different colour. That's easy enough to do. When lacing in a new wood floor, the ENTIRE wood floor will be sanded and refinished. The colour you have NOW will change (as per your hubby's wish) by the end of the project. Excellent. Win-win. If you leave the existing hardwood IN PLACE you will save the cost of material + cost of labour to remove it. So part of your $16K budget will be minimized by $1K - $2K. So far so good. Currently the vinyl sits LOWER and the carpet sits HIGHER than the hardwood. That's GOOD! That tells me your floors could all be sitting on the SAME subfloor. That's could mean a cost savings (no one will know until the vinyl comes up and the carpet comes up). Or it could mean nothing at all. Subfloors under 'sheet' goods can be horrible. Especially under carpet. Carpets hide HORRIBLE subfloors (that's why builders like to use it...it saves them TENS of THOUSANDS of dollars during a build). If you choose to remove EVERYTHING you will most likely be looking at subfloor repair/replacement. Again, NO ONE will know until everything is down to a continuous layer of subfloor. At that time, the HIGH-END flooring professionals (who deal with hardwood day in and day out....no "guy with a hammer" need apply) will evaluate the subfloor and decide (at the time) what is required to install a hardwood floor. At that time you will be given the ACCURATE quote for the subfloor and labour costs for that portion. Until then you are flying blind re: costs for subfloors. In my neck of the woods (Vancouver BC Canada...just a little north of you), subfloor prep runs $2-$3/sf when dealing with carpet/vinyl removal. Sometimes it is less...sometimes it is more. But that's the normal ball park. I vote for keeping the existing hardwood and adding to it. It will be the cheapest option by far. To give you an idea of costs for refinishing what you have = $5/sf for a full sand/stain/refinish. You can do a quick calculation of the square footage of what you have and then multiply it by $5/sf. It is CHEAPER to refinish hardwood than it is to rip it out and replace it with a factory finished product. Try to convince hubby that he can get the "new" that he wants even if you keep the old. At 19 years of age, your hardwoods are looking for a sand/refinish in the next 3-5 years anyways. Now is a GREAT time to lace in some of the SAME wood (same species/cut/width) and redo everything all at once. Your timing couldn't be better!
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You can always refinish a set of stairs....so long as they maintain code. That is to say the rise is maintained from the bottom step (the basement) through to the top step (the main floor with vinyl). I'm going to point something out: Stairs are EXPENSIVE. They are SOOOO expensive that they can cost MORE than an entire level worth of flooring material. If you go with the wood, you will be disrupting the rise heights. That means you might bring your stairs 'out of code' and that gets EXPENSIVE to fix. To get the wood in place, you will need Finishing Carpenter. These guys are the MOST EXPENSIVE/SKILLED guys who swing a hammer. Like $150/hr type of cost. Now imagine buying wood treads for $50 piece. Now you add in the cost of removing the current tread and installing the new treads (possibly having to trim the stringers). Excellent. Now you have to sand...sand...sand...etc. Do that on each step/tread. Now you have to finish it. The cost of the finish and stain will add another $5/tread (and the rental of the palm sanders/sanding machine). You have just spent $60/tread onto your bill. If you stairs risers need to be 'jigged' to keep your stairs to code, you are adding in another $150/hour for the Finishing Carpenter. While he's there, he will just go ahead and do the sanding/finishing. Now your 'cheaper' wood treads will cost you $120/tread or more. Or you go with the manufactured vinyl treads/risers and have NO ISSUE with code...because the rise will not have changed. I know it hurts to spend $90/tread (assuming you have roughly 10 - 15 dreads) can cost $900 - $1450 just for the materials. But that is PEANUTS compared to the cost of a Finishing Carpenter. Or you simply put carpet back on the stairs and live with the look.
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bry911
last year
LVP can typically be installed over engineered wood flooring without a problem, including a warranty problem.

We painted our stair treads black, along with spindles and railing and left the risers white. We were dubious at first but it looks amazing.
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PRO
Lomo
last year
last modified: last year
Anyone installing gray plastic flooring needs a wakeup call as to how much they are ruining their house. Gray is way dead, gray vinyl is horribly cheesy, and sealing in moisture on existing wood floors is not good for them.

Discard this plan, ASAP.
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millworkman
last year
" Anyone installing gray plastic flooring needs a wakeup call as to how much they are ruining their house. "

Settle down, it is in no way shape or form "ruining their house". Is gray out of style, yes, for most current trends. Is it their house and prerogative to use a gray flooring, also yes. Nothing is ruined.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
IMO gray works for everything I own and I do not think it is dated if it works with everything you own. The vinyl can be problematic on stairs and I think the black treads white riser might be the perfect answer. Maybe even a runner on the painted treads. I think we need to see your space to really help.
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PRO
DeWayne
last year
Please, no past season discount bin gray floors. If you have wood floors already, it is head and shoulders above vinyl in both looks and the value it brings to your home.
bry911
last year
This site worships at the altar of hardwood and ignores the many problems that hardwood can have. We bought our house in 2016 and already replaced the hardwood twice. A strong storm blew open a door and our refrigerator ice maker decided to dispense a bit of ice onto the floor while we were on vacation.

Meanwhile, the LVP that I put in the area my dogs stay in has held up beautifully through far worse. So this last time I put in LVP. We could not be any more pleased with it.
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la_la Girl
last year
last modified: last year
I would be nervous that adding LVP on the stairs would change the rise/run of the stairs which I think is pretty standard in terms of what is comfortable for humans

Agree with @bry911 you can paint them to ease the transition - (SW has an additive to make them less slippery if they are steep or you’re worried about it) or you could add a runner that has grey tones from the new floor to meld the two

FWIW we painted our stairs a dark blue grey years ago as a temporary measure and have kept it bc I love the less formal look
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thinkdesignlive
last year
Bry911 Vinyl will inhibit moisture to evaporate and become entrapped within wood allowing it to swell and fail. If it fails, then the vinyl plank will fail to. Just not good practice. And I can’t name one reputable manufacturer that has it in writing that this is an acceptable installation - LVP has its place just make sure the subfloor is properly prepped.
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bry911
last year
I can’t name one reputable manufacturer that has it in writing that this is an acceptable installation - LVP has its place just make sure the subfloor is properly prepped.

Shaw Floorte - Flooring can be installed over most existing hard–surface floor coverings, provided that the existing floor surface is fully adhered, clean, flat dry structurally sound and free of deflection.

Lifeproof LVP - APPROVED SUBFLOORS Concrete, Plywood, OSB, Particleboard, Chipboard, Hardwood (Solid, Engineered, Parquet), Tile (Ceramic, Terrazzo, Stone, Asbestos, Peel and Stick), Non-Cushion Sheet Vinyl, Metal, VCT, DRIcore

Smartcore Ultra - Flooring can be installed over most existing hard–surface floor coverings, provided that the existing floor surface is fully adhered, clean, flat, dry, structurally sound and free of deflection.

Coretec - Acceptable Subfloor Types: • CDX Underlayment Grade Plywood (at least ½” thick) • Underlayment Grade Particleboard • OSB (at least ¾” thick) • Existing Wood or Laminate Floor • Resilient Tile • Concrete Slab • Ceramic Tile • Non-Cushioned Sheet Vinyl

Karndean - Types of subfloor • Timber Floors: These should be solid with minimal flexibility. All loose boards must be firmly fastened, gaps filled and undulations removed. Where necessary, overlay floorboards with flooring grade plywood or similar underlay. • Woodblock/Parquet Floors: Make sure these floors are solid and fix any loose or broken areas. Wood block floors laid direct to earth/bitumen/pitch must be removed prior to installation

Mohawk - These vinyl flooring products can be installed directly over most existing floor coverings, EXCLUDING carpet (including needle felt), floating laminate, floating floor systems, lauan and cushioned vinyl flooring.
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thinkdesignlive
last year
Does SJ ever comment about floors anymore? The LVP products with a click lock have been failing miserably when installed over anything but a smooth solid floor. The click lock can not stand any deviations that allow movement. I have seen failure after failure and once you’re past the year for labor warranty (if your installer has even guaranteed you one) you are up a creek. The pros here do NOT recommend this practice.
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PRO
DeWayne
last year
No one who has ever dealt with the (inevitable) failure of vinyl over wood would ever recommend it. It will always get thrown back onto the installer as well. NO manufacturer support when it predictably fails. Even gluedown is not a good idea over any finished floor, other than full glued sheet vinyl that is fully adhered, with no problems other than ugly.
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bry911
last year
The LVP products with a click lock have been failing miserably when installed over anything but a smooth solid floor. The click lock can not stand any deviations that allow movement.

Can you please support this? Click lock flooring is far more likely to fail in deflection and there isn't an acceptable installation of LVP where the underlying finished floor wouldn't reduce deflection.

@DeWayne are you Verbo? Seriously... "Even gluedown is not a good idea over any finished floor." Which manufacturer allows a vinyl floor to be glued down to a finished wood floor? I suspect that would be against acceptable installation standards for most products.
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thinkdesignlive
last year
I have consulted for flooring pros here in Indiana for the past 8 years and they will not install over existing as they are seeing failures after a few years in. Do I have their denied claims from the manufacturers - no. I just know that the reputable contractors here who want to walk away and know they won’t be called back for any failures just won’t do it. They loose jobs all the time to some that will.
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Travestine
last year
Keep the wood and refinish it. Not gray. It will cost less than the work needed for plastic floors.
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What to do about wood stairs with vinyl flooring?

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thinkdesignlive

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