Waterproof stair laminate

A few separate issues here.

Can you remove the smell from the actual floorboards? Surely 'yes' is the answer, tho' I'm not sure what the solution (literally) is. But there MUST be products out there for precisely this job? Have a surf on-line and read the reviews of various products.

Compare products that mask the smells (ie - they smell strong themselves) and those that claim to 'neutralise' them (I've no idea if or how they work, but I have seen them.)

How to 'waterproof' the landing? I guess the cheapest and simplest will be vinyl flooring sheet, taken right up to the skirtings and then sealed against them with a bead of sealant. (Unless vinyl flooring needs an expansion gap? I dunno.)

There are plenty of colour options in vinyl including 'wood planks', so it doesn't have to look out of place.

Chose one that doesn't become slippery if wet - 'cos it looks as tho' your cats might make them, er, wet in future.

Not sure about the stair steps, tho', as these will need to be properly grippy as you can imagine. Aren't there any products you can spray on these areas to discourage the cats from doing their business on there?

But, possibly the simplest and cheapest solution is to remove all the carpet from the stairs, have them painted instead, and then have 'security strips' stuck on them especially near the front edge, but also on the tread itself (perhaps three strips in total?) to make sure they remain safe in use. This shouldn't cost too much, especially if you aren't too fussed about just how neat a paint job it is.

Ie - if the painter has to spend days scraping off old paint, adhesive, whatever and then fill in multiple holes before sanding and painting, then it could work out costly. But if he can get away with a 'going-over' with coarse-grit paper (80 grit, for example) before applying a thick coat of primer and a couple of coats of top, then that shouldn't be too bad at all. Especially if you use a general 'handyman' for all the jobs, rather than a pro decorator.

Fixing the stair newel post/bannister - this is a chippy's job (or a good 'handyman') and I'd suggest it's pretty urgent...

A good handyman will be able to do all these tasks, but he/she would have to be good. Putting down flooring is not for the faint-hearted, and fixing newel posts (the 'main' posts at the tops and bottoms of each run of stairs) or bannisters needs to be done securely by someone who can be relied on to do a good job.

As you suspect, replacing the staircases would cost a lot. Probably £housands, I'm afraid. But I can't see why you'd have to do this - your current staircase is surely sortable?

Look through your local papers and call out a few handypeeps. Listen to what they say - do they understand the issues involved and are they coming up with good solutions to them? You can always come back on here and discuss what they've said and perhaps we can advise further.

I feel I should add that some tradespeeps would rather not have to deal with issues to do with dog and cat, er, issues, so perhaps be upfront when they come in and say "Look, I know some people simply won't want to do this - and I'll understand - so please just say right away!"

Good luck with it. But please look after yourself first - and sort that staircase (and have the rest checked out too...)

 

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