Can you install hardwood stair treads yourself?
It is possible, but stairs are the hardest part of any flooring job. Every tread has to be measured and cut on its own because staircase framing is rarely square, and adding new treads changes the step heights, which California code limits within one flight. A straight flight with closed sides is the most manageable; open sides, landings and winders are where most DIY staircases go wrong.
Why every tread is its own job
A room is the same cut repeated. A staircase is a set of separate custom pieces: a typical 14-step flight done fully is 14 treads, 14 risers, the nosings and two skirt boards, roughly forty pieces, each cut to its own measurement.
Each tread is scribed to the skirt board beside it, and its front edge has to match the floor it meets at the top and bottom.
The step-height rule
Laying new treads over an old staircase changes the height of the steps, most of all at the very top and very bottom, where there is no step to absorb the difference.
California code allows very little variation in riser height within one flight. Carpet hides an uneven step; a hard tread does not, and an uneven bottom step is the most common reason people fall on stairs at home. Plan for it before cutting anything.
Squeaks, open sides and winders
Squeaks come from movement: a tread that is not fully bearing on the stringer, or one fastened without adhesive. Each tread should be scribed to actual contact and set with both adhesive and mechanical fasteners. A squeak right after installation is a fit problem, not settling.
A tread with an exposed end needs a mitered return so no end grain shows. Winders, the wedge-shaped treads on a turn, each need their own template and are the slowest pieces on any staircase.
How long it takes a professional
A standard straight flight of 14 steps takes us 2 to 4 working days. Landings, open sides and winders add to that, and a staircase with all three can run a week.
More on how we do this work: Custom Stair Treads & Staircase Flooring