A worn strip down the middle of every tread while the edges still look new is the most common staircase we are called out to see.
What decides the price
How much timber is left above the nosing — not how bad the finish looks. A staircase can look terrible and need only sanding, or look acceptable and need treads replaced.
We check that first, because it changes the answer by an order of magnitude.
Refinishing
Sanding back, staining or sealing, and recoating. Two or three days on a typical flight, with the stairs usable in the evenings if we work in halves.
Replacing treads
When a tread flexes underfoot or the nosing has worn through, no finish will settle it. That is carpentry, and it costs several times a refinish.
The balustrade is separate
Newel posts, handrail and spindles can be changed without touching the treads, and that is what actually dates a staircase. A 1990s balustrade on sound treads is a weekend, not a rebuild.
Dust
Sanding a staircase makes dust travel through a whole house. We seal the stairwell rather than the stairs, which is the difference between cleaning one room afterwards and cleaning four.
Stair refinishing and wood stair remodeling cover both. Finished work is on our Facebook page.
