Staircase: To paint or not to paint...
Hi,
We are nearing the end of what has been a very long renovation of a 1904 house and have a few major decisions still left to make!
The top floors of the house are now complete and decorated, hall is cornforth white and skirting is white satin. However we have not touched the main staircase / entrance and are torn between getting it cleaned up OR painting some all all of it white.
We are planning on having a runner when complete.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ed
Comments (18)
PROKerry Bryan Interiors
6 years agoFirstly well done for renovating your new home, it's not an easy job!
*Some tips, what I would do if I were you.
Ideally, I'd keep as much character as possible, by keeping your banister bare with no paint all varnished/waxed.
A wide runner with antiqued stair rods. (As per the image below). I'd choose a light neutral carpet as the wood is rather dark and a contrasting colour would be a great addition.
With regards to your main entrance definitely, clean up the floor and doors etc. However, I would be swayed to paint the paneling 'Cornforth White' to match the upstairs, as this will brighten your downstairs space.
If you'd like any further help and advice with your renovation, feel free to contact me directly. Good luck!
Kerry
PROCopper Dust
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Paint or not to paint, that is the question?
Comments (15)Those gates really do look good. We advise our customers that if they want a painted finish NOT to go for hardwood. The cost can easily double (if not treble) in price and there is no real advantage if instead using a slow grown softwood! In fact, density level of iroko (hardwood) and slow grown redwood pine is extremely close. Yes hardwood is dense but so is some softwoods. Also, the natural beauty of hardwood with a quality oil finish is stunning and seems a crime to paint - in our opinion!...See MoreWant to paint staircase, advice needed
Comments (17)Whilst I'm sure a light sand, primer then paint would work. The idea of loosing so many hours to such a project pains me. Particularly since the spindles arn't an easy profile for painting. That said they would look better in white in my opinion. As the poster above suggested - I would get them removed, stripped and painted (once removed they would be easy to spray paint properly) then reinstalled (you may be able to do that part yourself to save money). You'll also get a better finish this way round and one of those wonderful tah-dah moments when complete. Would also recommend doing it before carpets. Really carpets should be the very last thing you do in a house renovation to prevent tradesmen traipsing around in books on it. Lastly if you decide the cost/time/effort/tears and tantrums aren't worth it then console yourself with the knowledge you'll not have to worry about repainting it all in 10 years time when they inevitably do start looking scruffy or discoloured again! Ultimately you will still have a lovely Christmas staircase (the kind that looks amazing strung with garlands at Christmas!)....See MoreTo paint it not to paint wooden staircase?
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Comments (16)I had exactly the same dilemma - neighbours told us how long the previous owner had spent stripping all the wood, and in the end we lived with it for about 10 years! It eventually got to me last summer as I was lusting after lovely white painted stairs with a nice runner. I bought the paint and then bottled it!!! I ended up with a slight compromise - I painted the wood stringers (just googled that, so hoping it’s the right term!) white. I also painted the skirting and the walls white along with other bits of wood that we seemed to have exposed at the top between the ceiling and the floor of the next level. I also ditched the idea of painted stairs (because a friend pointed out that the cleaning requirements were perhaps higher than I could maintain!!) and we went with a grey striped full width carpet. I also painted just one short wall in the hall a navy blue as it was left over from another project. A year on and the hallway still makes me smile - and we still have the wood, although it seems less domineering now. I’ll try and attach a photo - it’s not a brilliant one because it was taken at night - however in the day time it’s much brighter!...See More
Jonathan
6 years agoI also think it looks heavy, doesn’t match the floor and with the parquet feels like a wood overload. So I would paint it. Personally I think brilliant whites are unkind to period homes and a soft white is nicer. My preference is grey and white as I think it has more presence than white alone. Also you could have the banister refinished to match the floors.
Daisy England
6 years ago
Carolina
6 years agoedwardaston
6 years ago
Sonia
6 years ago
rachelmidlands
6 years agoCharnelle Els
6 years ago
PROAmanda Clothier
6 years agoI think I would try stripping it back as a first step. This will make the wood a little lighter and take the sheen off. The craftsmanship is beautiful and it would be a pity to jump straight to paint. You could try Painting the walls a soft colour that compliments the wood and use light coloured rug/runner to brighten things up? Strategic lighting would also help, a statement crystal chandelier in the Hall to catch daylight, maybe some wall mounted down lighters up the stairs to create soft mood lighting? It’s difficult to see the condition of the parquet - is that a board over it, or do you need to replace it? If so you could go for a light and bright patterned tile floor in a design ‘of the period’. If that doesn’t appeal and you decide to paint I would probably not choose white, as you will likely have to paint the big double doors in the same colour and white will not look as nice as say a pale grey would with that lovely stained glass you’ve got.
- PRO
Amanda Clothier
6 years ago Emmanuelle
6 years ago
Victoria
6 years agoHil
6 years agoedwardaston
6 years agoSo, we found someone to restore the staircase and he has made a start. Still not sure on how to finish them!
T Gray
6 years agoJ C
6 years ago
Carolina