How it is done
Strip and inspect
Carpet, staples, and fake nosing come off. Stringers get a bounce test. Rise gets measured.
Decide retread vs rebuild
Flex, illegal rise, or rotten wedges turn this into a rebuild. That call is made before stain.
Returned treads on the open side
A plank glued to drywall is not a tread. Open sides get returned ends and a real false stringer if needed.
Nosing and landing
The first-floor landing and the top nosing are part of the stair, not leftover flooring.
Correct when
Builder carpet stairs with sound stringers and a legal or correctable rise.
Wrong when
A bouncing stringer, a stair that already fails rise/run, or a client who wants leftover flooring glued to plywood.
Questions about this method
Read further
Hardwood stair retread cost in the GTA, 2026
What it costs to convert carpet stairs to oak or walnut treads in Vaughan, Markham, Milton, and Toronto, and what blows the number up.
Upgrading builder-grade stairs in Vaughan and Markham
Carpet-to-oak conversions in GTA new builds: structure checks, returned treads, and a rail that will pass.
Carpet to hardwood stairs in the GTA
How to convert builder-grade carpeted stairs to solid oak or walnut treads in Vaughan, Markham, Milton, and the rest of the Greater Toronto Area.