Help! Need ideas

[Rainbows41]

I am stripping my stairs back to reveal the wood, however, what has been revealed is that the top three treads are not real wood, but some sort of green pretend wood.
I know I could get some bespoke real wood treads fitted, but I would rather make a feature of them, somehow.

Does anyone have any inspiration for some ideas??

Any ideas?

Maybe paint them?

Or leave the horiziontal steps as wood, and tile the vertical surfaces (or use a tile-effect vinyl - there are some nice ones)?

That sounds like a good idea - the tile effect vinyl.
Thank you

Take them up, go to B@Q or wood merchant and replace? The top bit you stand on isn’t structural or anything and will likely just be held down by screws. Unscrew it and use each one you want to replace as a template. Transpose that using a pencil / pen onto anything that you want there instead. Using a saw cut each out and then fix back in place. Very very simple job with a bit of effort. Unless you have something very weird going on there which means you can’t do any of this.

The green stuff is probably flooring chipboard. I do not like chipboard.

You could cover each tread with a piece of hardwood-faced ply, rather like using a veneer but easier for an amateur to work with. You will need to give it multiple coats of satin floor varnish to protect it. You can add stair nosing to the front edge for protection.

You can use wood dyes to colour wood before varnishing it. You have to get all old paint and varnish off first. With practice you can get some nice effects.

Or use floor paint.

I hope everybody who lives in your house, and next door, is hearing impaired. Otherwise they will soon be enraged by the noisy clatter of uncarpeted stairs.

Rubber-soled shoes will reduce the number of people who slip and fall on the stairs.

"The top bit you stand on isn’t structural or anything"

What!

That's all they're made of. You can't saw any part off, unless an ornamental cover like I described has been put on (which is not usual)

Here’s a video of exactly what I’m suggesting. I’ve done it myself. Pry off the tread, use as template, cut to size, put back in. Work your way up on or two at a time to keep the staircase useable. You’re not going to collapse the house.