Should a Staircase Match the Floors?

The question usually comes up at one of three moments: a hardwood floor is being refinished and the stairs are next to it, carpet is coming off the stairs, or new flooring is going in on the main level and the old staircase suddenly looks out of place. In every case the stairs sit where people see them first, at the front door or in the middle of an open room, so the choice is worth getting right.

When Matching Is the Right Call

Match the treads to the floor when the staircase is part of the room rather than closed off behind a wall. An open staircase that rises out of the living room or the foyer is seen from every angle, and the floor and the treads are read as one surface. Different colors there split the room in two.

Matching is also the safer choice when you plan to sell in the next few years, when the floor itself is a strong color, and when the house already has a lot going on: patterned rugs, busy tile, a feature wall. One continuous wood tone calms all of that down.

Matching means the same species where possible and the same stain and sheen. Red oak and white oak take the same stain differently, and red oak has a warm undertone that shows through some gray and very light stains, so the species matters as much as the color name on the can.

Treads stained the same dark tone as the floor at the foot of the stairs, over white risers, from one of our jobs.

When Contrast Works

Contrast works when it is obvious enough to read as a choice. The most common version is stained treads over white or painted risers: the treads carry the wood tone of the floor, and the risers frame each step. Treads stained darker than the floor, all the way down the run, is another. Some homeowners go further with a color, such as navy treads over white risers, which turns the staircase into a feature of its own. Our post on the two tone staircase covers that look in more detail.

Contrast suits a closed staircase, a staircase that is a separate architectural feature, and a house where the floor color is not going to change for a long time. It is less forgiving where the stairs land in the middle of the floor, because the eye goes straight to the line where the two colors meet.

Stair treads stained navy over white risers, from one of our jobs.

Why Almost Matching Looks Worse Than Either

Wood is not paint. The same stain looks different on oak and maple, on new boards and old ones, and on a floor that has been sanded flat compared with a tread that has been hand sanded around its nosing. That is why a staircase finished on its own, months after the floor, often ends up close but not quite. The fix is simple: do the stairs and the floor in the same project, with the same stain and the same finish system, or choose a contrast on purpose.

How We Match Stairs to a Floor

When stairs and floors are refinished together, the floor is sanded back to bare wood, the treads are sanded by hand, and then we put stain samples on your own floor, because the same color reads differently on every floor, and you choose from what you see. The treads get the same stain and the same protective finish coats as the floor.

When carpeted stairs are converted to wood, we remove the carpet, install hardwood treads, finish or paint the risers, and stain the treads to match the floors at the top and bottom of the stairs. Quoting the stairs together with the floor is the easiest way to make sure the colors match. If the stairs are getting new treads while the floor stays, we can finish the new treads with a clear finish or one of several stains chosen to sit next to the floor you already have.

What It Costs

Stairs are hand work, so we price them per step rather than per square foot. When a staircase is part of a refinishing project, it is $200 per step, labor and materials, and the written estimate lists the staircase as its own line so you can see exactly what it adds. The floor itself is priced as a package: about $995 for a single room around 200 square feet, $1,695 for around 500 square feet, and $3,195 for a typical 1,000 square foot main level. Our sanding and staining cost guide has the full breakdown, and converting carpeted stairs to hardwood is covered in what it costs to replace carpeted stairs with hardwood.

A Quick Way to Decide

• The staircase opens into the main living space: match the treads to the floor.
• The staircase is closed in or is a feature on its own: contrast is fine, as long as it is clearly deliberate.
• You want a lighter or darker look overall: change the floor and the stairs together during one refinish.
• You like the floor and only the stairs look tired: refinish the stairs to match the floor, or paint the risers and stain the treads.

Get Stairs and Floors Done Together

AG Construction refinishes, stains and installs hardwood floors and stairs across Maryland and Northern Virginia. Owner Aaron Goodman measures the job and writes the estimate himself, and the estimate is free. See floor staining, hardwood floor refinishing and hardwood stair and floor installation, then call 240-246-4561 or request a free estimate and we will price the stairs and the floor as one job.