Average But Inspired

Inspiring creativity with crafts, DIY, and home decor projects.

  • About Bre
  • Contact Me
  • Disclosures
  • Policies
  • Home
  • Shop
  • DIY
  • Crafts
    • Dollar Store Crafts
  • Seasonal
    • Patriotic & Summer
    • Valentine’s Day
    • Easter & Spring
    • Fall & Halloween
    • Christmas & Winter
  • Home Decor
  • Furniture
  • Organization

March 6, 2014 by Bre

Five Tips for Painting a Staircase (With Before and After Photos!)

Over the weekend I tackled a project that’s been on the to-do list for far too long – repainting our main staircase.  In the process, I was reminded of how much of a pain in the you-know-what repainting a staircase is, and I thought of five important tips for painting a staircase to share with you . . . tips that I wish I would have known the first time I painted this staircase.

Painting a staircase is a pain. Make it less of a pain by reading this post and learning of five tips to make your staircase painting project easier!
But first as a little background . . .
 
When we purchased our home 4.5 years ago, the staircase was YELLOW (along with a majority of the walls, trim and ceiling in the house).  It was not our choice of color scheme by any means, but we were able to see past it and envision what the home could look like with some TLC and elbow grease.
Painting a staircase is a pain. Make it less of a pain by reading this post and learning of five tips to make your staircase painting project easier!
We were fortunate to have our parents help us paint most of the rooms in the house – all within the first few months of us living here.  One of the bigger projects was repainting the foyer and staircase (spindles and all!), and my parents helped us with that one.  It was tedious and time consuming, primarily because my husband and I were newbie painters on a budget and we did not have the best paint or supplies for the project.
 
We painted the risers, spindles and moulding white, and it made a dramatic difference.  But within a few years, the cheap paint had started to wear off and the staircase looked dirty and dingy.  See the peeling paint, scuff marks and shoddy paint job on the dark brown trim?
Painting a staircase is a pain. Make it less of a pain by reading this post and learning of five tips to make your staircase painting project easier!
Because the staircase is one of the first things you see when you enter my house, it was time for a makeover.  I used bright white semi-gloss paint on the risers, trim (no longer brown!), and moulding.  It now looks so fresh, clean and happy!
Painting a staircase is a pain. Make it less of a pain by reading this post and learning of five tips to make your staircase painting project easier!
  So what are the things I learned this second time around?
 
1.  Clean, Clean, Clean.
Stairs are dirty, dirty places.  I Swiffered them and dusted the moulding as part of my prep process, but that wasn’t enough.  I quickly realized that I needed to actually wash every part of the staircase in order to ensure that dust and dirt wasn’t making its way into my paint.  This is key to a clean and quality paint job.
 
2.  Purchase the Right Tools.
When we first painted this staircase, we were using full-size paint brushes.  But stairs are small.  Regular size brushes were too large.  This time I worked with a small roller and roller pan (made for doors and cabinets), and a small trim brush.  The quality of my work was so much better this time!  The right tools really make a difference.
 
(Hey! If you have paint brushes and they’re too hard or stiff, check out this post on How to Soften Hard Paint Brushes Without Chemicals! It’s a lifesaver!)
 
3.  Use Quality Paint, Preferably with Primer Built In.
Stairs get a lot of action and suffer a lot of abuse.  I definitely learned that you want to use a really good paint that will withstand daily wear and tear, and the scuff removal sessions with the trusty Magic Eraser.  Because the stairs you’re repainting will likely have scuff marks on them already, it will save you time covering those scuff marks if you buy a paint with primer built in.
 
4.  Work With a Moist Paper Towel in Hand.
No matter how careful you are with paint, while painting stairs you will inevitably bump a wet riser and spread paint to the treads.  If you make sure to have a moist paper towel within arm’s length at all times, you will avoid a difficult clean up later!
 
5.  Tape as Little as Possible.
Taping takes a lot of time and costs you money.  If you buy the right tools (see Tip No. 2 above), you should be able to tape less.  On this project, I only taped where the riser met the treads (and I did not tape along the moulding or at the top of the quarter round).  This was such a huge time saver!
 
Painting a staircase is a tedious project, but doing it right definitely pays off!  I hope these tips are helpful to you.
 
Do you have any other tips to add for painting a staircase?
 
– Bre
 
These Other Posts May Also Help You With Your Home Improvement Efforts!
 

The Easiest Way to Fix Scratched Hardwood FloorsHardwood Floor Fix

 How to Refinish a Stained Wood Door the Easy Way!  How to refinish a door the easy way
 
 
❮❮ Previous Post
Next Post ❯ ❯

Comments

  1. farmfreshfamily says

    March 7, 2014 at 2:45 am

    Looks gorgeous! So bright!

    Reply
  2. Bre Eggert says

    March 8, 2014 at 1:54 pm

    Thank you! I keep staring at it – I’m so happy it is so bright now. Hahaha!

    Reply
  3. Ott says

    August 8, 2016 at 2:20 am

    Looks fantastic! Have another tip… if you have young children, paint every other step. Leave to dry then do the rest. That way the several hundred bathroom trips are still possible!

    Reply
    • Bre says

      August 8, 2016 at 8:19 pm

      That is BRILLIANT! Thank you so much for sharing!! 🙂

  4. Cherrywoods says

    June 4, 2019 at 4:55 am

    Hey! The quality of my work was so much better this time! The right tools really make a difference.

    Reply
    • Bre says

      June 4, 2019 at 10:40 am

      Great!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
blank

Hi, I'm Bre! I believe in working with what you've got to create a home you love. I hope to inspire you to do the same!

Love DIY & Decor? Join the Fun!

    How Can I Help You?

    blank

    10 Dollar Tree Craft Supplies You Need

    blank

    7 Tips for Hosting a Party on a Budget

    blank

    How to Build a Backyard Fire Pit

    blank

    How to Create a Faux Antique Brass Finish with Paint

    Looking for Something?

    blank

    How to Fix Paint Bleed Through When Painting Cabinets

    When painting cabinets or furniture, nothing causes a queasy feeling faster than seeing stains or discolorations bleeding through the primer or paint.  But never fear – I’m here to show you how to fix paint bleed through when painting cabinets or furniture.  Best part?  It’s easy! This post contains affiliate links.  To read my full […]

    blank

    Sponge Painting Terracotta Pots

    There’s something charming about aged terracotta flower pots.  Layers of color and hairline cracks evoke memories of seasons past spent digging in the dirt and watching the fruits of your labor bloom.  When you don’t have old pots lying around, sponge painting terracotta pots is a really easy way to get that authentically vintage look. […]

    So smart! Upcycle a changing table into a console table!

    A Changing Table Upcycle {A Changing Table Gets New Life as a Console Table}

    Some of you are going to hate this project and think I’ve lost my mind.  So I apologize in advance.  Maybe I have lost my mind, but I prefer to think of this changing table upcycle as a smart way to reuse and repurpose something that was no longer needed. You see, for about a […]

    blank

    Modern Vintage Dining Room Makeover

    It took me almost three months, but I’ve finally finished putting together the dining room in our new house!  It is no longer being used as our virtual learning classroom (thank goodness!), but instead is a beautiful modern vintage dining room that we love! This post contains affiliate links.  To read my full disclosure policy, […]

    Copyright © 2013-2021, Bre Eggert (Average But Inspired). All rights reserved.

    Pretty Chic Theme By: Pretty Darn Cute Design