How to resuse existing stair treads

[Leland S.]

Hi - I have some old poplar stair treads that I need to figure out what I'm doing with. I have light bamboo upstairs and darker vinyl flooring at the bottom. Several contractors wanted to replace the whole staircase, but my latest contractor who got permits says the clearance at one point up the stairs to the ceiling wouldn't' be to code so we wouldn't be able to touch the steps! I don't see how that is possible, the only way would be to carve out a diagonal in the upstairs bedroom closet, which I guess is what the city inspectors would want. Regardless, I'm stuck with these old treads and not knowing what the heck to do with. I hear poplar is hard to stain too and there are a lot of carpet staple holes in the wood too.

Your ideas are appreciated! See picture.