Worked case: a long oak staircase from the entry to the living level — steps and cost

The scenario

Picture a narrow townhome a short walk from the beach, with the entry on the ground level and the living areas one floor up. A straight staircase of 16 oak treads connects them. Every visitor, beach bag and sandy pair of feet comes through that entry.

The treads are worn pale at the nosing, scratched at the center, and the bottom steps are rougher than the top because sand is carried in on shoes. Salt air near the beach is harder on finishes at entries and doors, and the lower steps show it first.

A stair job has to leave the household with a way up. The treads are done in two halves with a night between them, or one side at a time, so the second floor stays reachable. The risers are painted white and are taped off, and the handrail and balusters are masked.

The owners add one more coat of finish than a normal job, since the bottom of the staircase is the most heavily used part of the home. A non-slip approach is discussed, with a stain-compatible option offered by the finish maker.

What the job involves

1. The treads are checked for loose boards and worn nosing, and the risers, walls and rail are masked.
2. Each tread is sanded with a small machine, and the nosing and edges are worked by hand or with a detail sander.
3. A vacuum and tack cloth clear the dust, and a first coat of finish is applied to half of the staircase.
4. After the finish maker's time, a second coat and then the extra coat go on, with a light scuff in between.
5. The other half is done the next day, and the stairs stay closed to foot traffic until the data sheet allows light use.

Materials and tools

• Small stair sander and detail sander on a vacuum
• Hand scraper and sanding blocks for the nosing
• Water-based finish and a brush for the edges
• Painter's tape and drop cloths

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Stairs: 15 or more steps — +$1,500–$3,200. A staircase of 15 or more steps is a flat line, since its cost follows the number of treads.
• Extra finish coat — +$200–$700. One extra coat of finish is a flat line and suits stairs and entries.

Why it is done this way

A staircase is priced per flight, not per square foot, because most of the work is hand detail at the nosing, the edges and the corners. Sixteen treads fall in the top tier of 15 or more.

The extra coat is the part that matches a beach-side house. The bottom of the stairs is where sand and moisture do the most damage, and a thicker finish there postpones the next refinishing.

Treads that are glued and screwed down, with a squeak, are checked before any sanding, because a noisy stair only gets louder with a fresh finish.

What would change the price

• A tread is cracked or loose and needs replacing.
• The risers are repainted too.
• The staircase turns or has winder steps.
• The handrail and balusters are refinished as well.
• The landing at the top needs a recoat to match.