Cladding an existing staircase in oak: what the kits do and when they work
Written by Scott Jones, The Stair Guys, independent staircase measuring and sourcing specialists·Last updated
Cladding is the popular, lower-cost way to turn a tired carpeted or softwood staircase into an oak one without ripping it out. Done in the right place it looks the part. Done in the wrong place it fights the stair. Here is how the kits work, and where they do and do not belong.
What the kits actually are
An oak cladding kit is a set of overlay boards: an oak tread board that sits on top of the existing tread, a riser board for the face, and a separate, thicker nosing piece that wraps the front edge to fake the look of a solid tread. They are glued and sometimes pinned down over the existing steps. Most cladding boards are engineered oak, an oak veneer or facing on a stable timber core, rather than solid oak all the way through, which keeps the cost and the weight down.
Where it works, and where it does not
Cladding is at its best on a straight staircase with closed strings, where every step is a simple rectangle and the boards can sit down cleanly. It gets difficult fast on anything else. On an open (cut) string, the step ends are on show, so there is nowhere to hide the edge of a clad board. On winders, the tapered treads are all different shapes, so off-the-shelf boards do not fit and each one has to be made to suit. And a stair that already creaks will often still creak once it is clad, because cladding covers the surface, it does not re-fix the joints underneath.
Cladding or a new staircase?
Cladding wins on cost and on mess: no rip-out, no structural work, done in a day or two. A new solid oak staircase wins on everything else: true solid treads you can refinish for decades, a clean job on any shape of stair, and no build-up of the step dimensions. The honest rule is that cladding suits a sound, straight, closed-string stair where the budget is the priority, and a replacement suits a stair that is the wrong shape for cladding, is past its best, or where you want the real thing. For what separates a good solid oak stair from a cheaper one, see what you are actually getting.
Frequently asked
Can you clad an existing staircase in oak?+
Yes, on the right stair. Oak cladding kits overlay the existing steps with oak tread boards, riser boards and a thickened nosing for the look of a solid oak stair without replacing it. They work well on a straight, closed-string staircase, but they do not suit open (cut) strings or winders, where the boards will not sit cleanly.
Is oak cladding as good as a new solid oak staircase?+
Not quite, and they suit different situations. Cladding is cheaper and far less disruptive, with no rip-out, but the boards are usually engineered oak with a veneer that cannot be sanded back like a solid tread, and it only works well on simple straight, closed-string stairs. A new solid oak staircase costs more but gives real solid treads, works on any shape, and does not build up the step dimensions.
Does oak stair cladding meet building regulations?+
Not automatically. Cladding adds thickness to the treads, which changes the going and the nosing and can affect the rise, pitch or headroom, so it can move a stair out of compliance even though the original was fine. It should be checked against the building regulations rather than assumed to be compliant because you are only adding a surface.
Related guides
- Why you have to finish your new staircase (and why it is on you)A new timber staircase is not finished until it is sealed. Bare timber takes on moisture and moves, which splits treads and loosens spindles. Seal every face, mind the wet plaster, and know that finishing it is your job, not the maker's.
- How to modernise an old staircase without replacing itYou can update most of an old staircase without ripping it out: change the spindles, swap the handrail and newel caps, clad the treads, or paint and strip back. Which of those is cosmetic and which needs building control depends on whether you change the shape of the stair, not just the look.
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