How to tell what kind of wood is under carpeted stairs
Stairs often use hidden structural materials like soft pine or mystery laminate rather than finished hardwood, making it hard to know if you can strip them down or if they need a total replacement. Without a clear view underneath, homeowners cannot plan their renovation or determine whether it is feasible to put new flooring on top.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Posting photos on forums to ask for community identification
- 2Taking closer photos of the wood grain and pores
- 3Putting new flooring directly on top of the unknown subfloor
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Idk if it's wood or some sort of laminate. Can I put flooring on top of this or...?”source ↗
“Wondering if someone could tell me what type of wood is under this carpet? We wanted to get rid of carpet altogether but want an idea of what is feasible as replacement and how much work it might be!”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Mysterious stains found under old flooring: Is it mold and should I worry?
- 2Finding construction debris and mystery layers under old flooring
- 3How to tell if wood floors in different rooms match
- 4How to get stuck cardboard off a wooden floor without scratching
- 4How to know if hardwood is under carpet before pulling it up
- 2Why do wood floors look cloudy and sticky after mopping?