Hardwood Floor Refinishing & Sanding in Lithonia, GA

In a two-story house, the staircase often takes more abuse than any room. Every trip up and down lands on the same front edge of each tread, and the finish there wears through long before the bedrooms show any sign of age. When hardwood floor refinishing in Lithonia includes the stairs, the steps are almost entirely hand work and deserve their own plan inside the larger project.

How stairs differ from the open floor

The big drum sander that handles a living room cannot work a tread. Stairs are sanded with detail sanders, small edgers, sanding blocks and hand scrapers, and the rounded nosings, the inside corners against the risers and the gaps around balusters all take patience. That is why stairs usually take longer per square foot than the floor at the top or bottom of them.

The work also creates a different dust problem. A stairwell connects floors, so containment has to cover the upper hall and the room below, not just one doorway.

Checking treads, nosings and risers

Before planning color, each step gets a close look:

• Worn or splintered nosings where feet land.
• Cracked treads and treads that creak or shift, which are tightened before sanding.
• Tread material, since stairs built to be carpeted often have pine or plywood treads that were never meant to show.
• Risers, which are frequently painted and may have drips or old caulk along the joints.

If treads are not finish-grade hardwood, refinishing will not make them look like the floor. Replacing treads or adding new ones is covered on our staircase remodeling in Lithonia page.

Stained treads, painted risers and color decisions

A popular combination is stained treads with white risers and painted stringers. If you want that look, decide early, because it sets the order of work: painting usually comes after the treads are finished, with careful masking, or the risers are painted first and the tread edges protected. Changing the plan midway costs time.

Stain expectations need care on stairs. Treads may be a different species or cut than the floor, and end-grain at the nosings and returns soaks up more stain. Sampling on a bottom step or the back of a tread shows how close the match will be.

Landings and where the floor meets the steps

Landings are sanded with smaller machines and blended into the steps around them. The nosing at the top of the stairs, where the upper floor ends, should match the floor color, and so should any landing trim. Edge work around balusters and newel posts is done by hand, and these spots are worth checking closely at the final review.

Finish, sheen and getting up and down

Lower sheens such as satin or matte are common on stairs because they hide scuffs and look less slick. Sheen does not by itself make a surface slip-resistant, so some homeowners ask about slip-resistant additives that certain finish lines offer, or plan a runner.

Access matters too. Stairs are sometimes finished every other step, so one set can cure while the others are still usable, or they are scheduled at the end of a day. Cure times come from the finish manufacturer’s instructions.

Order of work with floors and stairs together

1. Contain dust at the top and bottom of the stairwell and switch off the heating and cooling.
2. Tighten loose treads, fasten floor boards and complete repairs.
3. Sand the open floor through the grits, then sand the stairs by hand and with detail tools.
4. Edge, scrape and vacuum everything.
5. Apply stain to floor and treads together if chosen, then the finish coats, sanding each lightly once dry.

Permits and how stairs are priced

Lithonia is in DeKalb County. Rebuilding the structure of a staircase, or adding plumbing or electrical changes to the project, is a different matter from refinishing treads, and the City of Lithonia Building and Permitting Division can say whether that work needs a permit.

Stairs are usually listed separately from the floor area, often step by step, with landings, risers and nosings spelled out. The estimate should also cover repairs or an allowance, stain and finish, sheen and coat count, painting if included, dust protection and cleanup, and how extra work gets approved in writing.

Frequently asked questions about refinishing stairs

Can stair treads that were under carpet in Lithonia be refinished?

Only if they are finish-grade hardwood. Many stairs built to be carpeted have pine, plywood or construction-grade treads with staple holes and no finished nosing, and they will not look like a refinished floor. Lifting the carpet at one step shows what is underneath. If the treads are not suitable, replacing them or adding new treads is the usual route.

How do you keep the stairs usable while the finish dries?

A common approach is to finish every other step, let those cure enough to walk on, then finish the rest, so someone can still go up and down carefully. Another is to schedule the stairs at the end of a day when nobody needs them. The finish manufacturer’s dry times decide when each step can take traffic again.

Which sheen works well on a refinished staircase?

Satin or matte is the usual choice for stairs, because lower sheens look less slick and hide the scuffs that collect on treads. Sheen alone does not make a surface slip-resistant, though. Some finish lines offer slip-resistant additives, and a runner remains an option for households with small children or older adults.

Ask about your stairs and floors

Call 404-409-4448 and tell us how many steps there are, what covers them now and which floors connect to them. We can visit, look at the treads and risers, and write up an estimate that covers stairs and floors together.