How Much Does It Cost to Redo Stairs? Carpet to Hardwood in Maple Ridge

Worn stair carpet is often the last thing left once the rest of the house has new floors, and the first question is always the same: what does it cost to redo stairs from carpet to hardwood? Here are WoodPro Flooring's actual 2026 stair prices, a worked example for a typical staircase, and the things that move a stair renovation up or down the range. We're a flooring installer based in Maple Ridge, and these are the same per-step numbers behind the price estimator on this site.

All figures are in Canadian dollars, before GST, as of October 2026. They're a ballpark, not a quote. The firm price comes from the free on-site measure, once someone has looked at your actual stairs.

Carpet to hardwood stairs: what "hardwood" usually means

Most people searching for carpet to hardwood stairs want the look of wood on every step, matched to the floor they're putting down. That can be real wood, but in most homes today it's the same floor as the main level: waterproof laminate, luxury vinyl plank or engineered hardwood, cut and fitted to each tread and riser. Matching the stairs to the floor is what makes the house read as one finished space instead of two projects.

That's also why stairs are best planned with the floor. Laminate and vinyl are made in batches, and two batches of the same product can look slightly different, so stair material ordered with the floor comes from the same batch.

Stair renovation cost per step in 2026

Stairs aren't priced by the square foot. Every tread and riser is measured, cut, glued and fastened on its own, so a staircase takes far longer than its size suggests. WoodPro prices stairs per step:

• Basic stair makeover, taking off the old carpet and installing the new flooring on each step: $120 to $140 per step.
• Custom square nosings made to match your floor: add $55 to $60 per step, on top of the makeover.
• So a step with square nosings comes to about $175 to $200, before GST.

Carpet removal on stairs is part of the job, not an extra: the carpet, underpad, tack strip and every staple along the front edge of each step have to come out, or the new tread won't sit flat. If you want the whole house priced at once, our flooring cost per square foot guide covers the floors themselves.

A worked example: a straight staircase of 13 steps

A straight flight between two floors often has somewhere around 12 to 14 steps. Here's the arithmetic for 13:

• Basic makeover: 13 × $120 to $140 = $1,560 to $1,820
• Custom square nosings: 13 × $55 to $60 = $715 to $780
• Total with square nosings: about $2,275 to $2,600 before GST

That's only the arithmetic on the rates above, not a quote for your home. Count your own steps (every tread with a riser under it, not the floor at the top) and you can get a ballpark the same way, or put the number into the free estimate tool.

Are square nosings worth the extra cost?

Laminate and vinyl plank can't simply run over the edge of a step, so every hard-floor staircase needs a separate piece on that front edge. The cheaper route is a ready-made overlap stair nose: a rounded trim that sits on top of the tread and wraps over the edge. It works, and on a basement stair or a rental it can be the sensible choice.

A square nosing sits flush with the tread and is made to match the floor, so each step reads as one solid piece, the way a built staircase does. On the main staircase, the one you see from the front door, that's usually where the extra $55 to $60 a step shows. The full comparison is in our post on square nosings vs overlap stair nose.

What changes the cost of redoing stairs

• The number of steps. It's the biggest single factor, since the price is per step.
• Square nosings or not, as above.
• The shape of the staircase. Wedge-shaped steps at a turn, open sides, landings and a curved bottom step each take more cutting and fitting. These are looked at and priced at the measure.
• What's under the carpet. Most carpeted stairs are rough building-grade steps with a rounded front edge that usually has to be cut back so the new tread and nosing sit tight.
• Squeaky or loose steps. The best time to fasten them down is while the stairs are bare, before anything new is glued on.
• The floors at the top and bottom. New treads raise every step, so the first and last steps stay even with the rest only if the floors they meet change by a similar amount. Planning the stairs with the floor avoids a step that catches toes.

Treads and risers: same floor, or painted risers?

Risers are the upright boards between the steps. Covering them in the same flooring gives one continuous wood look, like the first photo above. Painted risers, usually white, under wood-look treads give a crisp contrast and make each step edge easier to see on the way down. Both work. It comes down to the house and your taste, and it's worth deciding at the measure, before anything is ordered.

A stair makeover in Maple Ridge

One of our recent Maple Ridge jobs, in Cottonwood, was exactly this: the old carpet came off the stairs and custom wood stairs finished with square nosings went in, with waterproof laminate along the upstairs hallway in the same house. Carpeted stairs are still common in houses of every age, and swapping them out makes a big difference to the first thing you see from the front door. You can see more finished staircases on our Our Work page.

How much does it cost to redo stairs from carpet to hardwood?

With WoodPro, $120 to $140 per step for the basic makeover, plus $55 to $60 per step for custom square nosings, before GST. For a typical 13-step staircase that's about $1,560 to $1,820, or $2,275 to $2,600 with square nosings.

Can I just do the stairs without new floors?

Yes. The stairs can be matched to a floor you already have if the same product is still available, though floors that went in years ago are sometimes discontinued or vary in colour between batches. The top and bottom steps also need measuring, since new treads change their height against the existing floors. You'll hear plainly at the measure whether a close match is possible.

How long does a stair makeover take?

It depends on the number of steps, the shape of the staircase and whether the steps need repairs first, so the time is given with the quote at the measure. Each step is fitted by hand, which is why stairs take longer than their size suggests.

Are hardwood-look stairs more slippery than carpet?

Somewhat, especially in socks. A textured, matte surface grips better than a smooth, glossy one, and firmly fixed nosings, even step heights and good lighting all help. If anyone in the house is unsteady on stairs, carpet is still a sensible choice, and WoodPro does carpet installation too.

Get a price for your stairs

Danny comes out for a free on-site measure, counts and checks every step, and explains the options before you commit to anything. See our custom stairs page for what's included, or call (604) 787-5557 to book. We work across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley: Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Mission, Langley, Surrey, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Burnaby and New Westminster.