So a few months back I posted about my diy stairs project – I was all unicorns and rainbows, thinking I was going to beautify my home with paint and a sunny outlook.
I was wrong.
My first attempt at beautifying my stair railings by painting them black and white resulted in paint rubbing off and general crappiness. You can check out the photos I posted of my old banisters; I can’t bear to post them again.
My second DIY stairs attempt began with the sanding of the railings, which is what I should have done the first time. I planned to sand, prime, and repaint the wood. I started to sand, and sand, and sand…
Until I got to this point:
I just could not get the paint off of all those ridges and curves. I could have tried a chemical stripper, but I still would have had to scrape paint off forever, and I would probably have been brain damaged from the fumes. I was in tears, apologizing to Matt for screwing up the DIY that I had insisted I could handle on my own.
But fear not. It just so happens that at about the same time, we learned that the granite we had chosen for our kitchen remodel cost less than the budget allowed, so our contract would be adjusted to reflect the savings. And then Matt said the most romantic thing:
“Let’s just get the stairs professionally replaced using the money we saved on the granite. It was in the budget anyway.”
God, I love him.
So a few inquiries and visits later, we had chosen a home improvement company and picked out the railing, newel posts, and balusters. Parts were ordered, painted at the shop, and installed in a day and a half. Sounds easy, but watching the two professionals remove and replace all the parts made me confident that we had made the right decision.
There is NO WAY on Earth that Matt and I could have done this project on our own. But I am excellent at writing checks, and that is what I did.
Here are our banisters BEFORE – trust me, the closer you get, the crappier they look.
During the remodel:
Now feast your eyes on our brand new shiny banisters…
Most people wouldn’t notice the difference since they are still black and white, but there are some changes. The base board is now white instead of black, and that really opens up the area.
The style is slightly simpler, which is more in keeping with our home’s decor and feel. No ball-y thing on the top of the newel post (no more hanging coats there), and the spindles (balusters) are plain instead of ornate.
So what have I learned? If you are going to paint your stair banisters, follow these rules:
- Sand the heck out of the wood until all the finish is gone. You want bare wood.
- Apply a primer before the paint color.
- Use an acrylic latex paint; it adheres to the wood better than a water-based latex, and it is more durable.
and finally, do it right the first time – or hire a professional.
Thank you so much for posting your DYI project- after reading this I am going to go with a pro instead of doing this myself. I am going to forgo all the stress and irritation and spend time with my kids instead doing something simpler. Seriously, THANK YOU.
You are so welcome, Masha – I’m glad my experience will save you the stress it caused me. And I’m sure the finished project will be just what you want.
Usually doing it yourself rather than call the professional can be a good idea, but sometimes it’s just a waste of money, and a lot of time when it comes to a job that requires a lot of it. Glad to know it turned out well in the end though.
True, Zara. My husband reminded me that we would have to buy or rent all these tools that we didn’t have in order to even attempt to do the job. When all was said and done, it wouldn’t have been that much cheaper to do it ourselves, and it would have still looked amateur.
I know what you mean..but in the end it’s better to call the pros than doing it yourself because it’s just a waste of money and time…
True!
I am glad you finally have them as you wanted. I had a similar experience with my room, when I wanted to paint it dark red and it turned out pink, and I really do not like pink. So eventually I called a professional and it turned out really nice.
Stinks when you try to save money and do it yourself, and then you have to pay someone anyway! Glad your room turned out the way you wanted in the end. Thanks for visiting!
That’s really one stylish looking staircase! Love it. And you’re right…the white base really does open it up. I would be in my element renovating and decorating our house. One day 😉
Why thank you, Melanie!
We’re DIY people too-sometimes though you just have to let someone else handle the stuff you can’t! Looks great!
Thanks! I can do simple DIY, but I overshot the mark big time on this one.
We had our banisters replaced before having our first (the old ones were ridiculously unsafe aluminum. One of them wasn’t even attached to the floor at the top of the stairs!). I watched our handyman hand stain every single piece after putting them in place. That was enough for me to know that I didn’t want to do it on my own! Love the new banister…you’re absolutely right about the white base. It’s a huge improvement!
Thanks so much Leslie! Our pieces were painted at the shop before they came to our house, but I can imagine how tedious it was to do.
Your new stairs look fabulous. Last year, I tried to replace our kitchen counter by myself. My dad called in a professional for me and I have been forever grateful. After this house, I’m giving up on painting anything but the walls.
Thanks, Jean! And painting wall is one of the few things I will tackle too.
Dana! The final look is absolutely stunning! Except that now my stupid wraught-iron railing is even more hated by me than it was before. Ugh. Oh and your comment that you’re good at writing checks cracked me up.
Thanks, Kristi. Just rip out your railing and try to redo it yourself, then I’ll write a check when you mess up and have to call in a professional 🙂
Dude. I’m not joking when I say that I spent my 401K savings on improving this place when we moved in. Also? When my husband’s step daughter chose (my fault, I wanted her to feel this was her home) Disney on Acid Pink for her room means that she’s now moved out and her room is bigger than my son’s…and I’ve had paint sitting there with visions of firetrucks and airplanes and coolness for months. Months.
I feel your pain. Just paint the room when you have 48 hours of uninterrupted free time. Ha!
I’m so impressed you sand stuff? I barely know how to use a hammer!! But the outcome was beautiful!
Yup. See how well I did?
I think it is gorgeous! Makes me wish we had stairs : )
Oh, don’t wish that – I could’ve saved a lot of money and heartache if I didn’t have stairs. Or if I had just left things the way they were…
And of course you told the kiddos DO NOT TOUCH the banisters when walking up/down the stairs. After all their is carpeting to cushion the fall!
Right. And I told my husband no more sliding down the banisters 🙂
It looks fabulous!! And your husband is awesome for saying just use the extra $$!
Thanks, Michelle – they do look fabulous and he is pretty awesome 🙂
Love it! Really elegant!
Thank you, Val – so no sliding down the banisters for you!
Props to you on even attempting a project like this! Look great!
Love it!!! If you are still thinking about painting your doors black, I think you should go for it.
I’m going to, Anitra – after I recover from the kitchen. Still have a week or two to go. The doors will be my next project – maybe this summer.
Paint all your interior doors black, it looks awesome. My front door is black and now I want to make my stairs look like yours, very nice!!!!
Thanks, Robin. I will eventually get to the other doors – I work better with small projects!
All is well that ends well and they look great Dana. And I give you major props for even trying, because I so wouldn’t have even tried (not a DIY person at all).
Thanks, Janine. Glad you gave me props for trying – my husband didn’t!
Bummer about the first two attempts, but the final result is stunning. This post makes me wish we had a second floor, just to have a staircase!
Thank you Sandra – I was so happy with the way it turned out!