wooden basement stair coating options

[nmantas]

My wife is opting for paint for the redone basement stairs.....what is a durable option with these qualifications:

Must be low gloss or satin.
Must not be too slick (door in the background in main entry way and sometimes I run down to the basement with snowy boots on and don't want to die).
My wife is against flakes but perhaps anti-slip flakes that match the paint would be a possibility.

So do we big box store it for acrylic/latex or go for epoxy/poly paint from a specialty outfit?

FYI: last riser is the header covered with carpet glue and will be covered with a new board after I tear out the landing subfloor and replace it.

 

[rlitman]

Poly has better wet grip than epoxy. You can get polyurethane floor paint at box stores (I know my local Ace carries it at least). I doubt you'll need 2-part performance for that.

 

[Shiftless]

Why is that bottom step stair riser so much shorter than the others? It seems to me that is more dangerous than the possible slipping on painted surfaces.

Once that is solved, I would consider just mixing in some fine sand in the paint for the stair treads. I did that on some outside concrete steps that a previous owner had painted. It worked great! Depending on traffic, it might have to be redone after a few years but I think that is your best solution if you don’t want to slip on wet stairs.
Another option of course is to apply some of those friction tape safety strips. Sand is a lot less expensive.

 

[nmantas]

Why is that bottom step stair riser so much shorter than the others? It seems to me that is more dangerous than the possible slipping on painted surfaces.

I agree but it has been that way for exactly 70 years....stringers are poured directly in the cement slab from original construction in 1949 and it is definitely sloped and put in too deep. The two stringers are also holding up the wall that boxes in the top two treads and it would be a lot of work to replaster that wall if I was going to start with fresh underneath stringers with code-approved steps so I decided to rehab what was already there. Don't want to grind it down because of the asbestos tile held on with asbestos adhesive underneath the peel-n-sticks.

 

[zak77]

I got some Stair tread paint from Lowes years ago, i cant recall the brand, but it was your basic grey latex paint for stairs and i've been impressed with how well it's held up. I also did the stairs that lead out of the bulkhead and those get a fair amount of abuse, held up very well. I've gone up and down them with snow covered boots without slipping.

 

[nh_yota]

Paint it with whatever you want (ideally floor paint) and cover it with nail-on rubber stair treads. That's what my dad did with his basement stairs many years ago and it's held up great.

 

[rsparks64]

We used a Sherwin Williams porch/outdoor floor paint and it lasted out 10-12 years before it needed to be recoated. However, we put down stair treads on each step- the kind with a rubbery finish on the bottom and carpet like top. When we needed to repaint we replaced the treads because the rubber bottom was wearing out.

 

[bullnerd]

I used short, industrial carpet.

Quiet when the kids and wife are stomping up and down it, comfy on bare feet when its cold in the basement, doesn't seem to be a slip hazard, and looks ok.

Plus, it was free from where I was working! lol!

Only problem is keeping the cat from using it as a giant scratching post.