Comparison
Can my stairs be refinished, or do the treads need replacing?
Refinish when the treads are solid hardwood with life left in the wear layer and the nosing profile is intact. Replace when treads are builder-grade softwood or MDF under carpet, cupped, split at the nosing, or thinner than the floor they meet. Most carpet-off projects in the GTA end up as retreads — new oak treads and risers over the existing stringers — because what carpet hides is rarely worth sanding.
Read the full detail — that page covers method, materials, price band, and warranty rather than the short version.
Related service
Hardwood Stairs
Box stairs, open-riser, replacement treads over carpet, curved flights, and full stair rebuilds. The stair is the first thing guests touch. We treat it as millwork, not leftover flooring.
From $380–$850 per step, installed · Typical 13-step flight: 3–6 days
Stairs in the GTAHow we actually do it
Carpet-to-hardwood stair retread
The volume stair job in Vaughan, Markham, Milton, and Brampton new builds.
Custom box stair build
A hardwood stair built as millwork, not as leftover flooring standing on end.
Open-riser steel and oak stair
Oak treads on a steel carriage — only when the openings and the deflection pass.
People also ask
Want this answered for your house?
A range is a range until someone reads the moisture in your subfloor and measures the flight. Site visits are free across the GTA.