I'm replacing the treads on my stairway with oak treads. What's the process for finishing the treads. I'd like them to match my existing 3/4" red oak flooring that has a natureal finish.

I know you sand and apply a finish, then sand again and reapply a finish, but I don't know grit sizes for each sanding step, a good sander to use (orbital?), or a good finish to use.

Thanks.

Are you buying the treads , or installing unfinished strip ?

I'll be buying the treads.

Is your existing floor pre finished ? Do you know what finish it has on it ?
Rule of thumb for sanding is to skip grits . if you start with a 60 , your next one should be a 80 . I don't know how smooth the threads you buy are , someone else here on the board that has used them should . I intall with the same wood as the floor . YOU MAY BE ABLE TO START WITH A 80 Grit .
After your last sanding you want to sand it with the same grit screen . It will take out any scratch marks left by the sand paper .
Apply the first coat . Let it dry at least over night .
use the same screen you sanded with . a used screen works best for this .
you are just trying to ruff up the finish a little and remove any air bubbles that might have gotten into the first coat .

Most pre fabbed stair treads are sanded in the factory. But a final sanding with 100 is typically needed. You can use an electric orbital hand sander or sand them by hand. One side may be sanded smoother than the other in the factory so check for that first. That would be the side that should be installed facing up and should look better. You also need to come up with with a finishing system that will match the floors as closely as possible. Most "natural" factory finished floors will be using an alum oxide finish comprised mostly of an acrylic/urethane finish mixed with alum oxide particles. The flooring will have been stained/sealed first however. It's this process that gives the flooring it's overall color. So you'll need a sealer that will match. An OMU sealer may not work and look too "orange". A waterbased sealer may look too "washed out". Oftentimes, a lacquer sealer matches prefinished natural floors best. However, lacquers are flamable and don't brush well. Whatever sealer you end up with, it needs to be top coated with at least two coats of a quality urethane floor finish that will match as closely as possible the sheen of the existing flooring. You may end up have to make many test panels before coming up with a finishing system. Finally, I have found pre finishing the raw treads prior to installing them is MUCH easier and allows the stairs to still be used. If you install the treads PRIOR to finishing, then they'll need to be sanded and finished in place, which is way harder and more inconvenient. I'll apply one final coat of finish to the treads after installation but only if needed.

Thanks for the replies.

I plan on buying the treads from either Lowes or HD. They seem to be sanded pretty well already like Gary said.

I'm actually in the process of installing the hardwood floor right now and I'm having it professionaly finished next week. I don't know why I didn't think of it before but I'll just ask the finisher what sealer and top coat he's using. Hopefully it's something I can pick up at Lowes or HD.

I'm not having him do the stairs while he's here because I'll be replacing the railings in a month or two which will mean replacing the treads as they're notched to accomodate wood balusters that attach to the wall. I'll be installing iron balusters that attach to the top of the tread.

Great idea on pre-finishing the treads before installing them. We'll have immediate access up the new stairs to the bedrooms when I install them!

Thanks again.

Ask him to leave you enough stain & finish to do the stairs .

On new stair treads, if it is clean and new like you suggest, i highly recommend that you use an orbital sander, with grits 80 and then 100. That should get the job done. Most finish that a professional flooring guy uses are not available at Lowe's or HD.