I have the exact same question, so am hoping someone will answer.

I would not use vinyl planks on stairs. The trim at the edge would be soooooo easy for people to trip on. If you can't go to a solid tread, I would opt for recarpeting the stairs and move on.

At least with carpet, if someone trips or slips, they have a softer landing.

my two cents! good luck with your project :)

Thanks for your opinion, sippimom. You agree with my husband, who thinks carpet is the only answer. My question is, would it look kind of funny if only the stairs have carpet? Has anyone ever done this? Thanks for any input!

I think you could paint them, at least for a short term solution. If you went with the allure you would probably have to use a metal nose piece which could be very busy. I think you could use a wood filler for the gap between the planks and painting it with a dark paint would do a lot to make it less obvious that it is actually two planks.

Here is a link that might be useful: My painted stairs

Daisyadair, your stairs are LOVELY! Great job and kudos to you and your hubby for a job well done!! Looks like you had folks from "This Old House" in to do the work! ;)

Being one who likes these DIY projects, maybe it wouldn't be that hard to replace those 2 piece treads with inexpensive pine treads, which could then be painted. It might even be less expensive than carpeting. Remember, the cost of carpeting is directly tied to the cost of oil because its a petroleum product. So you get what you pay for. And cheap carpeting on stairs won't last long at all.

Painted stairs would still be safer than trying to use vinyl with metal edges.

Again, good luck!

I'm wanting to use the allure on my steps as well, I'm just wondering if you did it and how it worked out?