DIY Stair Treads and Staircase Makeover Ideas

These DIY Stair Treads are a quick DIY we made out of necessity. If you’ve followed along here at Create and Find (previously Brown Dog Vintage),  you know we have a big dog named Charlie. And Charlie has had every problem under the sun since we adopted him over 12 years ago. One major problem occurred when he slipped coming down our stairs. So I’ll show you how we solved this problem with an easy way to get anti slip stairs without a major DIY!

We have the kind of staircase that has several steps, then a landing, and it turns back the other way to go upstairs. Well, he decided to take off one day and went a little too fast and lost his footing on the stairs. This little incident resulted in a major vet bill and weeks of laser therapy to get him walking again. It was an ordeal, to say the least. So how did we solve this problem? See our DIY stair treads – an easy and affordable fix!

I’ve also shared several staircase makeover ideas from some of my favorite bloggers around the web, so keep scrolling to see all the tutorials and inspo!

DIY Stair Treads

Stair Runner Dilemma

When I started my search for stair runners, I came up with two conclusions.

 A.  I couldn’t afford it and B.  We didn’t have the time for a permanent stair runner fix.

Stair runners are beautiful but we just couldn’t justify the cost. I checked around a few places and I was quoted around $1200-1500 for installation of a runner. That was definitely not happening.

So I had to find a new affordable solution. When I did this project, there weren’t as many options as there are now. I’ve since found more affordable choices (like these) on Amazon. But, either will get the job done.

Shop Stair Treads and Supplies on Amazon

 I actually didn’t even know at the time that you could buy decent looking carpeted stair treads. Until I found these: And the great part is they come in 2 sizes and they were affordable! They are sold individually so you can get just what you need. Stratford Garden Gate Black 9 in. x 33 in. Stair Tread

We installed these in a day. They don’t carry these in our local Home Depot so we had to order them, but it was super fast. He used a double-sided carpet adhesive tape like this one.

Determine the Size of Your Stair Runner

Each of our stair treads measures 11&1/2″ deep and 36″ wide. The treads above come in two sizes – 9″ by 26″ and 9″ by 33″. Since I didn’t want to cover the entire stair tread,  we opted for the smaller size stair tread. This gives us about 5 inches on either side of the carpeted area and a few inches behind each one. And it saves a few bucks each tread.

Prep Your Surface for Anti Slip Treads

Clean your stairs before applying. We used Mr. Clean mop solution to get rid of all the dust and grime before starting. Make sure the surface is completely dry before you start adhering to your treads.

Installation

Unfortunately, I don’t have a pic of this part because it was back before my blogging days where everything gets a pic! However, follow the instructions on the double-sided adhesive. We cut out a strip for each long edge and each side edge. Adhere to the carpet and then to the stair tread.

This stuff bonds instantly and we have had zero slippage or shifting of the treads. Works like a champ. Make sure to carefully measure each space before you attach your tread.

And what a difference!

The kids love them, Brown dog doesn’t slip anymore, and it’s so much quieter! It was much less expensive than adding a runner. We also didn’t love the look of where the runner would stop at the break in the stairs. So these individual treads solved that problem.

This eliminates the slipping of a crazy 85-pound dog bounding down the stairs when someone comes to the door! Win-win!

And here’s our new DIY Stair Treads for an anti-slip surface:

I especially like the touch of black. I’m a neutrals girl – I love whites, tans, creams…., but I also tend to slip a bit of black in each room. And these are perfect!

How do they hold up?

We’ve had them for a few years now and they are holding up beautifully! There are a few edges that look a little frayed, but nothing that is very noticeable. I’m impressed with the quality and durability.

These things take a beating and they still look great even after eleventy-billion feet running up and down daily. And the beauty of these compared to a full carpet runner is that if one gets a stain or damaged, we can easily buy one more to replace it. You wouldn’t have to worry about replacing an entire runner.

Overall I’m 100% pleased with this DIY stair tread fix. It is exactly what we needed to avoid doggie laser therapy again! And just for your enjoyment, here’s a pic of the reason for this DIY:  Sorry for the blurry pic, but it’s just too funny not to share the “doggles” that Charlie had to wear during therapy! Needless to say, he hated them!

More Staircase Makeover Inspiration

Here are some of our favorite DIY staircase ideas from around the web that we had to share!