Got Stairs? The Pros and Cons of Using Hardwood on Them

You can show your stairs some love by hiring a flooring installer to replace your old staircase or staircase treads with hardwood. While hardwood is the most popular flooring material for your floors, is it also a good choice for your staircase?

Read on, and we’ll discuss the pros and cons of using hardwood on your stairs.

The Pros of Hardwood for Your Stairs

Hardwood is considered a desirable flooring option because it’s timeless, durable, and beautiful. If you’re looking into your options for flooring, these are some benefits of getting an experienced flooring installer to lay hardwood on your stairs.

Aesthetically Pleasing

There’s a reason why the imitation hardwood market is booming—hardwood is the preferred flooring choice for homeowners. Whether you’re looking to buy a house or update your existing home, wooden floors and hardwood staircases leave a lasting impression with their charming knots and unique wood grain. And with many wood varieties, from light to dark hardwood, wood can match any interior decor.

• Ambiance: If your taste runs minimalist, try a light wood. For a welcoming and cozy feeling, try dark wood.
• Pro Tip: Although hardwood is desirable, it isn’t if you don’t blend the hardwood on your stairs with the surrounding flooring. Before you get your flooring installer to put down hardwood, ensure you colour matches the stair-wood colour by laying down the samples.

High Return On Investment (ROI)

It’s no secret that hardwood is costly. However, because homeowners universally love hardwood, it will fetch a high ROI so long as the hardwood you had installed is done right and is regularly well-maintained. According to Canadian real estate giant RE/MAX, hardwood flooring has a 100-150% ROI! So if you’ve ever speculated whether it’s worth adding hardwood to your floors or stairs, these stats prove it is worth the investment.

Easy to Maintain

As with any wood product, it will need regular cleaning and maintenance. Fortunately, caring for your hardwood stairs is easily done. Once you notice an accumulation of scratches, dings, dents, or other signs of wear, hire a flooring installer to sand and refinish the wood. Another benefit to wood is you can sand it down and stain it a new colour to update the space.

Environmentally-Friendly

Although many homeowners consider carpet ideal for stairs, it has a limited lifespan and cannot be recycled or repurposed like hardwood can. Carpets also contain harmful chemicals that aren’t good for you, like VOCs, whereas wood does not.

The Cons of Hardwood for Stairs

Even hardwood has its shortcomings. These are the primary drawbacks associated with wood stairs.

Costly

As mentioned, hardwood is not the most affordable flooring choice. Between the cost of buying materials and hiring a professional flooring installer to get the job done right the first time, you’re not looking at a cheap project. But of course, when it’s done, you will be looking at a beautiful one. 

Creaky

Descending the stairs is synonymous with creaks—however, the newer the wood stairs, the fewer creaking sounds they will make. Hence, if your stairs are making horror movie creaking sound effects, you know it’s time to call a flooring installer to investigate whether your stairs can be repaired or if they need replacing.

Slippery

If you lay a smooth finished wood stair, you’re inviting potential disaster, especially if you have kids. Smooth hardwood has no tread, which increases your chances of slipping and falling. Fortunately, you can remedy this problem with carpet runners or anti-slip treads to prevent the surface from becoming slick.

Should You Use Hardwood on Your Stairs?

If you’re considering using hardwood flooring on your stairs, be confident that they can be a welcome addition to your space, offering timeless beauty and a clean, warm look.  Whether or not they are for you is a  matter of aesthetic taste and of course, budget. Any other concern can be easily taken care of with regular regular maintenance and an anti-slip tread.

If you have a problematic staircase or are redoing it and need some advice on how to proceed, consider calling the Brothers Flooring for a free consultation! We have over 20 years in the business, and we’re HomeStars verified with a score of 99%, so we’re confident we can answer your questions about your hardwood stairs.