How to Prepare a New Oak Hardwood Stair Tread

Measure the stair tread, including baluster placement and size. Transfer the measurements to the new tread. If possible, remove the old stair tread, place it on top of the new stair tread and trace around it with a pencil.

Put on a dust mask and safety goggles.

Place the new stair tread on a workbench with the waste side hanging over the edge and secure it to the workbench with C-clamps.

Install a wood-cutting blade in a circular saw. Turn on the saw and make a cut along the pencil line to trim the new tread to the correct size.

Equip a jigsaw with a wood-cutting blade and cut a notch in the stair tread to accommodate the baluster.

Place 100-grit sandpaper around a sanding block and sand off the rough edges on the new oak tread. Sand the sides and top of the stair, following the direction of the wood grain. Sand the bullnose edge by hand to remove any roughness from the oak.

Remove the 100-grit sandpaper and wrap 220-grit sandpaper around the sanding block. Sand the surface and both sides of the tread following the wood grain. Sand the bullnose edge by hand.

Set the new tread in place. Mark the tread with a pencil to show where nails will hold the tread to the stringers and center support.

Insert a drill bit, slightly smaller in diameter than the nails that will hold the tread to the stringers and center support, into a power drill.

Clamp the tread to the workbench with C-clamps. Drill pilot holes through the marks.

Wipe the stair tread with a tack rag.

Put the stair tread on a clean surface. Apply a coat of primer and two coats of paint, if you plan to paint the stair tread. Coat the stair tread with the appropriate wood sealer, made specifically for wood staining, to slow the stain's absorption and add as many coats of stain as it takes to develop the desired color, if you are staining the tread.