When you Decide on painted stairs
We have been in our first home for almost three years now, and I’ve never touched the hallway. Our century-year old home was last renovated in the 90s, and our staircase could definitely attest to this. When we first moved in, I removed the old stair treads and added a more “updated” version. (It didn’t help with the overall look much, but I wasn’t sure what to do with the space yet so it was good enough.)
Tip: If you don’t know what to do with a space, wait to invest until you truly decide on something you love.
Fast forward to January of 2021, with a good amount of pandemic boredom built up, I decided it was time. While browsing good ol’ Pinterest for inspiration during the months prior, I came across a photo of a white staircase with a painted gray runner and I fell in love. Definitely the look I wanted to recreate in my own home!
I knew that this was going to be quite a project for me, because, well, all of the trim in my home is oak. This means that one thing will lead to another and I’ll be painting the rest of the trim in the house at some point in the future. Was I ready to take on that amount of paint work? No, but I figured this project would force me to eventually go for the dream look I wanted for our home.
Tips and Tricks for Painted Stairs
You can find many tutorials out there about painted stairs. There are tons, so I decided that instead of adding to the list, I would outline some tips and tricks (and lessons) that I used (and learned) along the way as a beginner DIYer. What did I learn? What should you know? Let’s get into it.
- It’s a time consuming project. You will need to dedicate hours at times to completing one part, such as completing all coats of one paint in a day so that your painter’s tape doesn’t sit for multiple days, taking up the paint with it. Yeah…
- If there is adhesive from old treads or non-slip stair tape, you need to get it all off before sanding. No, the sander doesn’t take it off. Yes, it stinks and you will curse it the entire time.
- Use Frog Tape. Just invest the extra. The blue painter’s tape requires lots more touch-ups.
- Sand, and sand well. I sanded our stairs super well before I began to paint them. They were previously covered in varnish that had taken on a yellow hue over the years. Use coarse sand paper first, and then use finishing sand paper. I didn’t use finishing, and man, do I wish I did.
- PRIME. Is sanding enough? NO. Put an extra layer of that primer on for good measure. If not, you will be painting many, many coats of paint through which the old stain in the unfinished wood will bleed through. (This one is obvious, but I was looking to cut corners and definitely learned my lesson. Patience is key.)
- Follow the instructions on the polyurethane can. If it says sand before and in between coats, you do it. I did, and I’m so glad. Can you imagine? All that work for chipped stairs? Just thinking about it makes me want to cry.
11 Months Later…
The stairs have held up well. They have been walked up and down hundreds of times and seen many toys dragged up and down, banging along the way. Have there been any chips? One. Honestly, it is to be expected with two kids younger than four and easy to touch up.
One other con I have found is that white stairs shows dirt much more easily than oak. I’m constantly vacuuming or sweeping them off, as we have two kids and four indoor pets. However, this can also be seen as a positive: your house stays cleaner!
Otherwise, there is nothing I regret about our stairway makeover. I love the colors, the sheen, and the style. For me, the transformation was completely worth it. If you’re looking for that extra push to paint your own stairs, go for it!
