Carpet to hardwood stairs advice

[Grant Lin]

Hoping to get some advice for you all. 

I have a 2 story townhouse rental that currently has all tile on the first floor and carpet on the stairs and 2nd floor. I have decided to get rid of all the carpet and replace with vinyl plank flooring, but I haven't quite figured out a solution for the stairs. 

I've considered the Cap-a-tread option at Home Depot but it seems way too pricey. Another option is cutting the vinyl planks to size and fitting it on the stairs but that doesn't seem too safe/sturdy. And leaving just the staircase carpeted doesn't seem like a solution as that's the main area of wear and tear on the carpet that I wanted to get rid of in the first place. 

After doing much googling, I think I have decided to just create new treads from pine boards and nail and glue them over the existing tread. Can anyone tell me why this is not a good idea before I begin? Also, by attaching new treads on top of the old ones, I will be reducing the top step height by about 1 inch. To solve this issue, could I just put down another tread on the upstairs subfloor and transition this tread to the vinyl planks?  

Really appreciate any feedback or suggestions!

[Michael Clevenger]

@Grant Lin

Ran into the same problem when replacing an all carpet home with wood flooring. Did the same research you are doing now and found that Lowe's carried a red oak RetroTread for about $30. The other idea was to build the staircase myself with material from the lumber yard. 

While the lumber yard would have been cheaper I was questioning my ability as well as speed. This was after all, my first flip. I was already behind my original schedule. Therefore, I chose the RetroTread from Lowe's and purchased the risers from the lumber yard. 

Regarding top of the staircase, I used a tread and then a reducer transition piece between the tread and carpet. Wood downstairs and carpet upstairs. 

Looking back or if I do a similar project in the future I'd save the bucks from Lowe's and invest the money in more time to build the treads myself. I say this due to the confidence built during the job. But in the beginning standing at the bottom, the stairs looked like Mount Everest! 

Attached are photos before, during and after. All work done in house.