Staircase Makeover with a Budget of $180 on Weekend - Easy Steps

Simple and easy steps to transform your space
Unfinished staircase: 13 stairs
Total budget: $180 TOTAL
Yes, that's for the entire staircase ($14 for each stair). I know, you may have received $100+ quotes for each individual stair/step.
Supply
1. Vinyl flooring (5mm) with foam backing for the tread and nosing ($120):
www.homedepot....
2. Melamine white panel (4x8) for the riser ($40):
www.homedepot....
3. PL 3X Premium adhesive or a glue suitable for foam boards ($20)
amzn.to/4b8hwtP
* Disclosure: As an eBay Partner and Amazon Affiliate, I may be compensated if you make a purchase from the product links.
Jig and Making Nosing
Make a jig to:
1. Hold a vinyl plank;
2. And bend it to the size of your stair nosing, e.g. 1 inch
Steps to bend vinyl flooring with the jig:
1. With vinyl plank in place, heat its foam backing with a heat gun on HIGH temperature.
2. Move heat gun back and forth, not to overhead/burn one area.
3. It takes A LOT of patience, and likely 6 to 10 minutes before the foam backing and vinyl melt.
4. When vinyl melts and is soft enough, bend the plank to make the nosing.
5. Secure the bent vinyl plank with clamps.
6. Let it cool for multiple minutes.
Installation
Cut additional pieces:
1. Measure and cut an additional vinyl plank to cover the rest of tread beside the nosing.
2. Measure and cut the riser, e.g. using melamine white panels.
3. Test fit with the 3 pieces for each stair: riser, nosing, and additional vinyl coverage.
Once they fit, you may cut all pieces and test them on all stairs.
Starting with the lowest step of the staircase, use PL 3X premium or similar adhesive and repeat the following on each stair:
1. Glue the nosing.
2. Install and glue the additional flooring on the tread.
3. Glue the riser and compress it for a tight fit:
* It will push UP on the nosing above.
* It will also push DOWN the vinyl piece of stair below.
You can bevel the top-edge of the riser for a tight fit.
--
Hope this is helpful.
God bless!

[@snickerbuckle]

This is the coolest diy! We are just about to rip up the carpet on our 14 year old staircase and I totally want to do this!

[@ProfsUP]

Very glad it's helpful! Keep us posted.

[@meltmyfaceoff]

This video gives me some hope that I could do this. It seems so challenging to make the nosing

[@ProfsUP]

Glad it was helpful! Yes, making the nosing is a challenging step but it's quite doable. Note the technique worked with 5mm vinyl planks in the video and may not work with thicker pieces. You need some patience to heat it before it can be bent. I tested and failed on two pieces--due to uneven heating and bending it too early--before I was able to produce the consistent results shown in the video. Best luck!

[@neftalimartinez9043]

I been doing flooring for. Many years and this is smart,,! Love it

[@ProfsUP]

Thank you! Appreciate the support and feedback!

[@Jamila1992]

Thats really clever! Thanks for sharing

[@ProfsUP]

You are so welcome!

[@g.s.7977]

Thanks for sharing 😊

[@ProfsUP]

You are welcome!

[@brentlagan3758]

Wow, great job! The vinyl treads and melamine kick will be durable.

[@ProfsUP]

Thank you! Glad you like it. :)

[@sajidrafique375]

This is a very intelligent idea

[@ProfsUP]

Glad you liked it! Appreciate the comments!

[@govindaadhikari3949]

This is smart

[@ProfsUP]

Glad you liked it!

[@billystack]

This is a very good video demonstrating how to do to this. I have done this on a staircase and am very happy with how it turned out. I did however, do a few things differently that I think made a difference in the quality of the outcome. I used a router to cut kerfs in the back of the LVP removing the cork underlayment where the bend is made. This was time consuming, but yielded a consistent, smooth bend in the lvp. I also used a blank pine stair tread as the bending jig to create the bend. These are very cheap at Home Depot and will give you the exact shape of the stair nose when bending the LVP. I also tried this on a step that was ~9' (a landing), but found it more difficult as I had to use several full length pieces of LVP and the sides tend to curl when heat was applied. I was able to make it work, but they are not quite as good as the stairs. This is a great project for an average DIYer, and yields a great result. I posted some pictures on instagream: @eleven.19.rei

[@ProfsUP]

Excellent! Glad to hear about the positive experience and additional tips!

[@sueanaphotography8822]

Wonderful, speechless, jealous

[@ProfsUP]

Thank you!

[@Mzzg]

I love this!

[@ProfsUP]

Thanks! Cheers!

[@Estebangercia]

Good idea ❤

[@ProfsUP]

Glad you liked it!

[@boualemstihi5349]

You are amazing

[@ProfsUP]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@lredeemer007]

Fantastic video thxs

[@ProfsUP]

No problem 👍

[@sajidrafique375]

At 3:20 when you cut the piece that piece can kick back and hurt you. You need additional support to prevent that

[@ProfsUP]

Thanks for the safety note!

[@g.s.7977]

Wow great idea!!

[@ProfsUP]

Glad you like it!

[@kellyjohnson5667]

Oh I didn’t know that was possible. Thanks

[@ProfsUP]

You are welcome!

[@willmol2547]

Wow, amazing. I love it

[@ProfsUP]

Thank you! 😊

[@fixitdaddy5084]

Wow

[@ProfsUP]

Glad you liked it!

[@user-nr7bn8ip8f]

Delicious!

[@ProfsUP]

Glad you liked it!

[@ahlawt]

Nice!

[@ProfsUP]

Thanks!

[@MrYetze]

Thank you, Professor. That is smart move. I am doing research to start working on my stair. The problem is that I don’t have a workshop and a heat gun either. I have to find a better way to bend vinyl

[@ProfsUP]

Sure! It works best with a heat gun. There is an alternative to cut grooves in the back of the vinyl to bend them. But you can get an inexpensive heat gun and having one makes things easier.

[@anishaplaylist]

Possibly try putting the vinyl plank in a bathtub with hot water for 20 minutes. Will become flexible.

[@roberts208]

Hard wood last how many years??? How long does this last ? 15.00 per but only lasts 4 years ?

[@ProfsUP]

Good question! Time will tell but I don't think this is anything temporary. 5mm vinyl with I believe 12 mil top layer is pretty durable. The other question is how long the glue will hold up, which is the best I've found suitable for this application. So far so good, now after half a year of use!

[@quantumleaper8396]

Nice

[@ProfsUP]

Glad you liked it!

[@anishaplaylist]

Should the planks groove or flap be up when you put it over the nosing?

[@ProfsUP]

Not sure if I follow your exact question, but you place the plank flat on the tread and then push it (horizontally) into the nosing. Hope this makes sense.

[@bigmanh007]

Time is money, how long did it take all together?

[@ProfsUP]

Thanks for asking! As the title suggests, this is a weekend project. It took me a Saturday to do it.

[@tonyd2603]

do you have plans for the jig you used to bend the LVP?

[@ProfsUP]

Here you are: kzbin.infoUgkxbNR5_akv0kbB_sBrvWjogHRd1giwmNEA Let me know if you need additional details.

[@patrickyoung5679]

Do you know what watt heat gun you have?

[@patrickyoung5679]

Also, Do you get any noise when walking on stairs?Some vinyl makes noise if not installed correctly. Thanks

[@ProfsUP]

This is the same model I purchased, which should be 1500 watts: www.amazon.com/Wagner-Variable-Temp-Temperature-Settings-150%E1%B5%92F-1200%E1%B5%92F/dp/B01MED5TK1/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2J7GUVKGXTNUX&keywords=wagner%2Bfurno%2B500&qid=1691504391&sprefix=wagner%2Bfurno%2B500%2Caps%2C81&sr=8-1&th=1

[@ProfsUP]

Good question! Yes and no. There was noise with the original construction of the stairs and I was hoping this makeover would reduce that noise. In the end, there isn't much difference that I noticed. Bottom line--It doesn't add new noise.

[@MrYetze]

Hi, Professor, what is the white rising? Is it vinyl as well?

[@ProfsUP]

It's the MDF white panel, something like this: tinyurl.com/mdf4x8whitepanel You can pre-cut them at the big box store.

[@-RockOn-]

Instead of bending the Vinyle. You could had just stained the stairs. That would had been even cheaper.

[@ProfsUP]

Perhaps, and only if you are comfortable with techniques involved in each step from sanding all the way to finishing. For a polished and enduring staircase, I believe it will take multiple days and, in the end, doubt it will cost less. :)

[@scottsmith9185]

Decent planks for 14 steps are going to cost $500-$600. What a joke.

[@ProfsUP]

The price varies. I got 5mm planks from LL flooring. It took two packages for the entire staircase, each of which was about $60. You may take a look at what they offer now especially if you have a store in your area.