We recently removed the carpeting from our family room stairs (after tearing up the carpet in the family room and laying laminate flooring. Two questions- what would be a good finish for the stairs (and is there a way other than hours of sanding to remove the residue remaining from the old rubber-backed carpet) and secondly, they are terribly squeaky. We have tried tightening them with bits of wood jammed into some of the open spaces but it doesn't seem to be helping. We have also added a few nails but again to no avail. We are able to access the underside of the stairs.
Answer:
The old rubber backing comes off after you soak it with a wallpaper removing compound but the only way you'll remove the squeaks is by driving the little wedges deeper at the backs (underneath) of the steps. Once you've removed the rubber backing and finish on the steps, a good sanding, priming and whatever paint you might want to use will hold well.
