I want to install a new hardwood (or laminate) floor over two existing floors (a second-floor hallway and first-floor living room) and the stair connecting them. The current floors consist only of one layer of narrow plank flooring (no subfloor). There are several problems I don’t know how to solve. (1) How do you resurface the stair treads so that they match the floors? (Do you have to replace the entire tread or can a new layer of flooring be added to them?) (2) How do you keep the height of the rise of the stairs consistent, when you have to raise the floor heights on the first and second floors with the new flooring? (3) How do you handle the nosing of the hallway landing at the top of the stairs? (Do flooring manufacturers make nosings for these situations?—I haven’t seen any.)

I figure there must be tricks to handling this situation–it’s not unusual–but I haven’t been able to find them.

My experience, to date, with flooring has only been to put down plywood subloors and vinyl tile or sheet vinyl over it.