Since 1986 — hardwood only. Yvan and his lead craftsman Oscar on your floor from start to finish. Free in-home estimates.
Stairs are the hardest surface in a hardwood home to get right. Every tread is a single board that takes the full weight of every footfall for decades, the nosing has to be crisp and well-fastened, and the sanding has to be done by hand and with small equipment because the big floor sanders don't fit on a tread. We install new oak treads and risers, and we refinish existing wood stairs that have been painted over or worn down.
We match the stair wood and finish to your floor so the staircase reads as part of the same home. A common job here is stripping carpet off a staircase — carpet over hardwood treads is everywhere in the East Bay — and restoring the oak underneath, or capping old treads with new hardwood. The nosing, the riser join, and the sanding of the profile all have to be clean.
Quality service is my standard, and stairs are where that shows. A wobbly tread or a poorly sanded nosing is something you feel every single day. We fasten treads solidly, sand the profile by hand where we have to, and finish with the same care as the floor below.
Why Choose Us
Stair treads take more punishment than any floor. We use solid stock, fasten them properly, and finish hard so they hold up to daily traffic.
We match the stair species and finish to your existing or new hardwood so the staircase reads as part of the same home, not an afterthought.
Stripping carpet off oak treads and restoring the wood underneath is common East Bay work — and we do it well, including the nosing profile.
Our Process
01
We check the structure, the existing treads, and whether we're restoring wood under carpet or installing new treads over the old stringers.
02
New solid treads and risers are cut, fitted and fastened, or existing wood is prepped for refinishing — including the nosing profile.
03
Treads are sanded with a grit progression using hand and small equipment, because floor sanders don't fit on a stair profile.
04
Stain and finish coats with cure time, then a walkthrough of the staircase and care instructions.
What's Covered
The full range of stairs work we take on — every item handled by the same two craftsmen, start to finish.
Solid hardwood treads and risers cut, fitted, and fastened over existing stringers — built to take decades of foot traffic.
Carpet stripped off oak treads and the wood underneath restored — or new hardwood treads capped over the old stairs.
Wood treads and risers sanded and refinished in place, bringing worn or tired stairs back to a clean, solid surface.
Painted treads stripped back to natural wood and refinished — the original oak under the paint, restored.
Stair species and stain matched to your floor so the staircase reads as part of the same home, not an afterthought.
The nosing — the edge that takes the most wear — shaped, sanded, and finished crisp so it holds up and looks right.
Treads sanded with a grit progression using hand and small equipment, because floor sanders don't fit on a stair profile.
Stain and finish coats with proper cure time, then a walkthrough of the staircase and written care instructions.
Before & After
Customer Reviews
"Yvan and his crew did a wonderful job on my floors. 150 year old hardwoods repaired and restored to a perfect warm and solid Victorian finish. Yvan is lovely. He is punctual and thorough and really conscientious. I would recommend him without hesitation. His price is fair and he spent an hour with us picking out the final color. He is a craftsman and cares deeply about his work."
Wh H., San Rafael, CA
Yelp · 2019
"Yvan refinished our hardwood floors in July 2017. We are very pleased and happy with their work! Him and Oscar did a great job and I believe his rates are very reasonable. I highly recommend them!"
Jo Z., San Francisco, CA
Google + Yelp · 2020
FAQ
Yes — that's one of the most common stair jobs we do. Often there's serviceable oak under the carpet that we can restore; if not, we install new hardwood treads and risers over the existing stringers.
Yes. We sand existing treads and risers — including painted stairs we strip back to natural wood — and refinish to match your floor.
We match the species and finish of the stair treads to your floor so the staircase reads as part of the same home. With site-finished work we can stain to match exactly.
A typical staircase takes a few days — treads and risers one phase, sanding another, finish and cure a third. We give you a real timeline in the estimate.
They can be, especially in socks. We can finish to a lower sheen for better grip, and we'll talk through options if slip is a concern for your household.
Our focus is the treads, risers and nosing — the hardwood surface of the stair. If you need railing or baluster work, we can discuss scope during the consultation.
Yes. Painted treads can be stripped back to the original oak and refinished — it's slow, careful work, but the wood underneath is often worth it. We test for lead-safe practices on older paint.
Plan on a few days of limited use through the sanding and finish-cure schedule, with full traffic once the finish has cured — usually a few days to a week depending on the finish system. We'll give you the timeline before we start.
From our home base in Oakland to Berkeley, Marin, San Francisco and beyond.
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