The staircase is a key part of any home, and free from any planning permissions, it offers you the perfect opportunity to express your own individual style.
So if your imagination has run wild, or perhaps you just want to give your existing stairs a facelift – find out how to paint stairs with this simple walk-through.
STEP 1
Painting can be a messy business so make sure you cover the surrounding floors and furniture completely with drop clothes (for the uninitiated: drop cloths are heavy duty canvas sheets). It’s also important to ensure the room you’re working in is properly ventilated.
STEP 2
Next you’ll need to roll-up those shirtsleeves and give your staircase a good scrub. Water and a mild detergent usually do the trick. Although you’ll want to make sure that there isn’t any soap remaining before you start, so just give it another quick wash with water and rub down with a soft cloth.
STEP 3
At this stage if you’re painting an old staircase you’ll need to start removing the paint. This will involve using a heat gun to soften the paint on the treads, risers and spindles – and then using a scraper to scrape off the majority. You can then (carefully following the manufacturer’s instructions mind!) use a chemical paint stripper to remove any stubborn bits.
Once done you’ll be able to fill any holes with wood filler (available from all good hardware stores) and sand the wood down until it’s smooth – ensuring all paint is removed.
STEP 4
Okay, so in this next step of our ‘how to paint stairs’ guide you’re finally ready to pick-up a paintbrush, even if it is just to apply primer, this will feel like a milestone moment after all that hard work. The primer will give your paint an easy surface to bond to and can be applied either using a paintbrush, roller or spray.
STEP 5
Once you’ve applied your primer it’s worth giving it another sand to ensure everything’s silky smooth. You can then start painting the treads, risers or spindles. The best type of paint to use is an oil-based paint which contains a sealer. Once complete, leave to dry before adding a second coat.
We hope you found our guide on ‘how to paint stairs’ useful, but if you’ve read through these steps on how to paint stairs and you’re still dreading the idea of giving your staircase a fresh lick of paint don’t worry because there’s still help at hand. Why not have a look at our pre-primed stair parts? They arrive prepped and pre-primed, so you don’t have to worry about dusting off that paintbrush to do it yourself. Click here to view our brochure.
