DIY & Home Projects · Tips&Tricks · Woodworking

Using Stair Tread Nosing as Finishing Trim on Built-in Shelves


I was so excited about the “DIY – Between the Studs Storage” until it was finished and I didn’t love the end product… there was something missing in the trimwork.  I couldn’t decide on wood trim, wood accents, white trim or painted trim to match the room…

While perusing through the trim isle at Lowe’s for inspiration, I came across stair treads.  I decided to give them a try.  The wood boards from the above photo came off and the stair treads were stained and put on as seen in the photos below.

BEFORE STAIR TREAD NOSING ADDED:
AFTER STAIR TREAD NOSING ATTACHED:
It coordinates well with the sink base cabinet below without becoming an overpowering brown hole in the wall.  I like it now… I still don’t LOVE it…


The stair treads were purchased at Lowe’s for about $6/piece:


I finished them the same I way I finished our Chunky Floating Shelves:


I stained them with Red Mahogany Rust-Oleum stain in satin first.  And then I put a layer of PolyShades over them to darken them a bit more and tone down the wood grain a bit while also polyurethaning them.


While waiting for the stain and Polyshades to dry I took down the light hanging above the sink and spray painted it “Chrome” to attempt to match the other metals in the bathroom.  I will post before and after photos of the light fixture soon, but you can see parts of the finished light fixture in the photos above.

For a tutorial on how to make this wall unit yourself check out: Between the Studs Storage – A Tutorial

Please Share it! 🙂

3 thoughts on “Using Stair Tread Nosing as Finishing Trim on Built-in Shelves

  1. I liked the before pics better… the stair tread nosing is nice but just looks unfinished to me. I’m not knocking it, it’s still nice, but for my taste I prefer the wood be flat against the surface. And I think would look better with the chunky floating shelves that are awesome! Hope you are enjoying it, it is a quick simple way to get a different look. Thanks for sharing!

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