Thanks! It’s fairly customary to paint stair risers a bright, glossy white while the stair tread gets a coat of protective stain, but this is not same for all the stair risers. Truth is, we’ve had to renovate stairs MANY times in our day, and the problem is, staircase remodels are almost always $$$. #gw_go_portfolio_painting .gw-gopf-post-media-wrap img { left:50%;top:50%;-ms-transform: translateX(-50%) translateY(-50%) translateZ(0);transform: translateX(-50%) translateY(-50%) translateZ(0); } How funny, I am wrapping up my bathroom and moving on to my stairwell too! Oh, before I end this post, I thought I’d share some prepping advice with you (just so I can save you from making the same mistakes I did), Stay tune for the finished product! Just a few days after completing my bathroom makeover, I figured it was a good time to jump head first into re-painting my staircase. Truth is, I guess these stairs have always been fairly “stare-worthy”. Also once you get going, you will find out what kind and length of strokes will be needed to get the balusters painted. Pine is soft, and the treads have tons of wear on them. Staircase. Garage And we took that builder grade flush-mount “boob” light and created a beauty out of it in about 5 minutes. Preparation. Keep the handrails and newel posts stained. Now that it is done I couldn’t be happier with the fresh, crisp white … Stairs need special consideration when it comes to choosing the type of flooring to use over them. Instead, paint your runner in sections so that you’ll be able to get to the top or bottom of your stairs by skipping a step here and there. If these stairs look familiar, that’s because I’ve shown you these basement stairs of ours before. Try using either a pencil easer or Mr. Clean magic easer. . Don’t forget! I would go to your local paint store and inquire regarding their recommendation. The blue painter’s tape will be removed before you start to paint.**. Lori, I have come to the dreaded mistake you did also…. Don't paint those white stair risers. Below is how the stairs should look prior to painting the gray runner. No joke!! Bathroom Then decide on how wide you want your gray runner to be. Since it was certainly the right price point, he agreed to give it a try. And that, in a nutshell, is how to paint stairs! Thanks. In the image above, the blue painter’s tape was placed where our gray stripe would eventually be painted. Did you sand your risers before priming them? She is indeed a storyteller of style and has an extensive mixture of artistic skills and abilities which include everything from make-up art, graphic designing, painting, drawing, and even self-taught photography, just to name a few. #gw_go_portfolio_painting .gw-gopf-post-overlay-bg { filter:alpha(opacity=30);-ms-filter:"progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=30)";-khtml-opacity:0.3;-moz-opacity:0.3;opacity:0.3; } Hi Lori, yes I gave them a light sanding before I painted. That way, you can remove any paint you get on the treads before staining them; and painted risers are relatively easy to protect from stain. Once you get in the groove of painting, you will have no need to stop your rhythm to do more prep work. Remove the excess tape so that now you have a single layer of tape forming your 90-degree turn. FANTASTICALLY easy and SO quick! We were able to use the old nosing piece to finish the edge of the landing, but we had to raise it up 3/4″ with plywood to match the height of the new oak flooring. If you have any HUGE gashes/divots/etc, you might want to try to sand those out or fill them with wood putty or Bondo to smooth them out a bit. #gw_go_portfolio_painting .gw-gopf-post-content { text-align:center; } — How do I figure that out? Before they did the stairs I told them I wanted the White risers. And YES, pajamas are the standard business attire around here. All rights reserved. NOTE: Where the tape turns 90 degrees, you will have 2 layers of tape. This stuff is outstanding, and the best part is that we purchased it from Lumber Liquidators for .99/sq ft!! I just purchased a new construction home. These treads are made of pine. Entry Pine has knots that will bleed and make your white paint yellow. Try Ombre Stairs. We did a DIY staircase remodel by painting our stairs. #gw_go_portfolio_painting .gw-gopf-cats > span { margin-left:6px; } The sad reality is that stain doesn’t take evenly to pine in this condition. Hi Sabrina, I am looking for the same look you have on the stairs here. Thanks Elisa & good luck , Hi Sabrina, We have a new stairs to complete and would like to follow the same sort of style you have done. P.S…before you go, we’d sure love to see you around here more often! Porch and patio paint is a special type of paint that is specifically made for floors! He put in a panel then painted. We used Behr, but it is made by every major paint brand. Take your time as you tape so that the results are great. What is the easiest way to fix this? Even though the paint that I used has comes with primer already in it, it … Decide on the thickness of the gray “stripe”. [UPDATE: View the finished staircase here]. Hi Linda, I felt the exact same way when I started painting my kitchen cabinets, but you should see those beauties now! Would you recommend varnishing or painting first. Also I have some pretty good size cracks between the riser and step cap,. We love how these painted stairs turned out. If the riser is MDF, latex paint is fine. It’s definitely worth to pick one up. The vertical distance between the two adjacent treads is known as riser height. . Love the way this turned out! Yes, it’s that simple, just an ordinary wall edger (I used Shur-Line, 7″ edger). You can use a small foam roller for any larger, flat surfaces. You can make this project easier by downloading the free guide! #gw_go_portfolio_painting .gw-gopf-filter-opacity .gw-gopf-col-wrap.gw-gopf-disabled { filter:alpha(opacity=30) !important;-ms-filter:"progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=30)" !important;-khtml-opacity:0.3 !important;-moz-opacity:0.3 !important;opacity:0.3 !important; } As for the gaps, fill them in before you paint. Holy moly. Use putty or wood filler and a putty knife to fill in holes. Having straight lines and no paint on your stair tread is a very important component to making your staircase look flawless. Here’s how to make them work. Now don’t get me wrong, my stair risers were the first thing completed! So, we moved onto Plan C. It took a while for the hubs to embrace Plan C, since, admittedly, it was a little “different.” Sure, we’re not the only ones in the world to have painted stairs, but they are not universally loved and accepted on a regular basis…yet. So, we abandoned ship on Plan A. We used a palm sander to remove the glossy coating that was on our stairs. For the cost of 2 gallons of paint, we have renovated an old staircase into something new-looking. We didn’t have to varnish our staircase so we just went straight to the white paint. #gw_go_portfolio_painting .gw-gopf-post-media-wrap { background-position: 50% 50%; } This is the ONLY somewhat challenging part of this staircase remodel project. Neither one of those options appeals to me; trust me, it’s totally worth it to take your time on the taping. #gw_go_portfolio_painting .gw-gopf-filter { margin-left:-6px; } No more orange oak, and it was definitely worth all the time and effort! If you plan to use standard latex paint, however, top it with a few coats of water-based polyurethane to increase its durability. Now they are scuffed and look terrible. Your email address will not be published. “Check if your staircase has been previously painted with a stain or oil paint” If you do that, you likely won’t be able to get to the other end of your staircase once you’ve painted! Once the oak flooring was installed, we used the palm sander to sand the floor until it was nice and smooooooth. All that’s left to do is remove that tape!! Lately, darker colours even black are being used with some great results. This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you do not want to sand here is an important tip. Pin this post for later! Did you use low lustre or gloss for the white paint? Paint the tread next and continue down the steps in the same order, applying paint to every other step. Thank you for posting this ingenious tool to paint steps. « Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist + 29 Real Life Examples, “Spruce” Up Your Sparse Christmas Tree with Tree Branches ». Good luck with the balusters!! This seals the tape edges so that you won’t end up with any paint seeping under your tape job! Steve. I love the look. First, take off any old paint or coating to ensure the new paint sticks well to the stairs. How To Paint Wood Floors Without Sanding. Now repeat this process on the opposite side of the steps. The look is almost dramatic, so much so that the stairway itself becomes the focal point by just painting it. All About Sherwin Williams Sea Salt + 46 Real Homes That Use It, 51 DIY Painted Stairs Projects That Are AMAZING, Linen Faux Painting to achieve a Grasscloth Wallpaper Look for Less, porch paint for runner color (Behr porch & patio – baltic gray), only cut through the tape (so you don’t cut into your landing). As I update this post, the painted stairs are going on being done for 5+ years! Once the sanding portion of this staircase remodel project is complete, simply make sure the staircase is wiped down and clean to remove any leftover dust. It’s free. Once I figured out where the stripes were going to go, I measured from the edge of the stair to the blue tape. Hi Carol, it’s emailed immediately after you sign up! Otherwise…you’ll either have to live with the paint job being flawed OR redo the entire project. Exterior I opted for “low luster” rather than glossy to show less dust and be less slippery. If looking to re-paint a panel with a need to match factory paint, you might have to wait for the introduction of pre-mixed factory colors, or let a professional shop do the job for you. Back on topic. We realized quickly that wasn’t in our ambitious (cheap) budget. The tallest riser cannot differ from the smallest by more than 0.37 inch. It’s a bit stinky, but not horrible. By the time I went back up to the first step, it was already dry. Check your work being careful not to rub against wet paint. Check ‘er out in This Old House magazine. what tools did you use? Would you suggest calking? What is the name of that tool you used?! Your email address will not be published. I’m a workaholic or so I thought… three weeks have gone by and I’m about halfway done (not quite where I wanted to be!). what kind of paint do you use on stair risers_, Riser Height. And it’s a very big BUT! When the paint is dry, lightly tape 4-inch squares of cardboard to the painted stairs and paint the remainder. REVEAL ORC Week 6: Combined Living + Dining Makeover, Check if your staircase has been previously painted with a stain or oil paint, If it has been finished with stain/oil, use a oil base primer. But. I’ll send your free stair painting printable guide immediately ⤵️. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Basement I believe I used an eggshell finish. Take a look, it’s literally this simple. We are thinking of varnishing first. Do I need to scrape it off and start over??? #gw_go_portfolio_painting .gw-gopf-post-overlay-bg { background-color:#333333; } Hope this helps!! Thinking about the BLANCO SILGRANIT Sink? That decision, alone, made taping the steps much easier. Priming – 2 coats 1.5 hours. Make sure to grab your printable DIY guide for this project! Not bad for a couple of cans of paint and a little DIY time and energy! With two drags and10 seconds later, you have just completed a nice (very even) first coat! No need to paint or ever have to touch up those risers. #gw_go_portfolio_painting .gw-gopf-posts-wrap-inner { margin-left:-20px;margin-top:-20px; } Does the edger pad work ok when you get to the spindles? Once the first application of your runner paint has dried, go back to those steps you skipped, and give them the first coat. Can the same edger be used afterwards with a different paint color or do you dispose of it after one use? | Hunker Slippery stairs are a design and safety no-no, making slip-resistant paint a good choice -- but color and stylish details matter too. *This post most recently updated 7/2020. What type/sheen of paint did you use? If you want to see some updates about how they’ve held up, here are a couple of links: This super inexpensive project has even been in print! I’ll send your free printable stair painting project guide immediately⤵, Before we get into the how-to, here’s what you’ll need for this stairs project →. If you see any white or faded streaks, you know it has been painted with a latex product. If you don’t see it, check your junk and spam folders Happy painting! Dip into your paint and slowly drag across your riser in one direction starting from the bottom…. Gawd I hate that word. In the photo it looks like the pad might be a bit cumbersome next to the spindles? #gw_go_portfolio_painting .gw-gopf-post-col { margin-left:20px;margin-top:20px; } What's happier than ombre? A couple more uber budget-savvy DIY projects finished off this space: First, our DIY mirror frame we made using a builder-grade vanity mirror and some leftover barnboard from our guest room and bathroom ceiling projects. #gw_go_portfolio_painting .gw-gopf-slider-controls > div { margin-bottom:20px; } You really want to go all the way to the tape, and then paint OVER the tape as well so that you won’t have any unpainted little spots. When you re-stain your stairs, do every other stair, so you are still able to walk up the staircase while it is drying. Click here or below. Don’t be tempted to apply thick coats of paint, the coverage will last much longer if you paint a few thin coats rather than one thick coat. What Kind of Paint Do You Use on Interior Stairs? Type to search Press enter or click on the search ... Use a brush for any details and angles where stair riser and tread meet. I just painted my stairs (both treads and risers) using an edger like you suggested. Required fields are marked *. However, like white floors, pretty and bright doesn’t always equal maintenance-free…but it doesn’t have to equal nightmare either. I like the white trim around the baseboards and up the side of the stairs but all of the trim in my house is dark wood. I used a straight edge to get the tape as straight as I could, but in the end, I had to eyeball it a little bit to get the runner on the landing to match up with the runner on the stairs. Semi-gloss paints dry to a harder finish and have enough of a gloss they can be easily cleaned. First, what kind of paint should be used on the panels? This means that if you click and/or make a purchase through certain links on this site or any related social media platforms, PinkLittleNotebook.com may make a commission from that click and/or purchase. By every major paint brand that will help others decide whether they want paint. Said above, stair risers is am wrapping up my bathroom and moving on to my stairwell!! 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