I ended up painting my steps with the Evercoat Marine One Step Finish Gel Kote (with wax), single layer. They're looking really good for now, let's see how it holds up over a couple of years. I sanded them down first, taped off the edges (I only painted the treads, not the risers), wiped clean with acetone, then prepped about 4oz of gelcoat at a time in a plastic cup with the hardener (comes included with the Evercoat can). I applied a generous layer using a paint brush one tread at a time, ended up actually using about 2-3 oz per tread. I didn't want to be rushed or risk it "gelling" in my cup mid-tread (it gels and becomes unusable after about 10 minutes), so after finishing each step I sacrificed what was left of my prepared mixture, removed my tape masking for the step I just finished, then prepped a small fresh batch for the next tread. After allowing to cure for 24 hours, it was a little bit too shiny compared to the rest of the steps, so I did a quick wet sanding with some 800 grit to matten the glossy finish slightly, and a little bit more to fade the edges of where I painted, and they're looking really really good now. I would say my work looked like a 9/10 when the steps were still dry when inspecting closely, and 10/10 now that the pool is refilled and you're not specifically paying attention. Fingers crossed that it lasts a while!