Update your current stair space by revamping the banisters, treads or risers and add storage with clever space-saving tricks…
Feature Hayley Gilbert
When we move into a house, we usually focus our attention on refreshing the main rooms. We don’t really think about the staircase, but it is one of the focal points as you enter your home, so you want it to make a good first impression, and to be a welcoming sight for you and your family.
The easiest way to update it is to change the carpet or runner for a new design. You can transform the spindles and banister by painting or replacing, as well as giving the treads and risers a fresh look with a new paint colour or stencilled print.
1 Paint the spindles and banister
The most affordable way to give your staircase a whole new look is to paint the spindles and banister. This works best on a timber design and you need to use eggshell, satin or gloss paint for wood, as it sticks well and gives a smooth, durable finish.
Consider whether your stairwell gets any natural light, as this will have an effect on the end result. Dark spaces work better with a light-reflective gloss paint or a pale or neutral shade. Furniture paint can also be used for a modern, flat matt effect.
Before you start any of the work, protect everything else with a dust sheet stuck down with decorator’s tape, clean the spindles and banister, sand them down, prime (if needed) and paint in your chosen shade. Take your time and use a fine brush, applying two coats.
2 Decorate the risers
Stair risers are the vertical space between each step and you can give them a fresh new look with a coat of paint or stencilling. To paint, clean them and sand (if needed) then do the edges first using a small, angled brush. Fill in from the edges, leave to dry, then add a second coat. Again, use wood or furniture paint for best results. The tread is the horizontal part and you could also paint these in a contrasting or similar shade for a two-tone effect.
Stencilling a pattern or print is another way to make a statement or you could tile them. Work from the bottom up using tile adhesive, lay the tiles using a spirit level to make sure they are straight and work from the centre outwards, inserting a tile spacer between each
