I love my painted stairs and I must say I get a lot of questions whenever I post them on instagram. First a little history, I’m a bit of a history buff, sorry… not sorry. This section of the house was built in 1890 and the stairs have some wonderful details that are not normal for a typical Ontario farmhouse of this time. Although they are steep, you do get accustomed to them, and they are beautiful in all of their pretty details. These painted steps have had many upgrades since we first bought the house 14 years ago and try as I might, I haven’t been able to find any pictures of the original carpeted stairs. They were very scary, like out of a horror movie scary!! If I ever find them I will add them to this post.
I do however have a couple of pictures of them right after my then 16 year old son and I pulled off the nasty carpet.
The first time I painted the stairs I used a gel stain in espresso on the risers, spindles, and newel post and then cloud white on the stair backs and the moulding.
Here are some pictures of it then. The colour is a favourite of mine. It is Piedmont Gray by Benjamin Moore.
I recently repainted the hallway as I wanted to brighten it up. I had the smart idea to paint the spindles, railing and newel post white…. well that didn’t work out very well so I needed to then paint it all! Walls are Cloud White in flat and trim and white on stairs are Cloud White in Eggshell. I also painted the ceiling in the Cloud White flat.
I found a really good match to the espresso gel stain in a Beautitone paint and it is even called espresso!
Now how did I paint these steps.
First thing I did was clean them really well, I used hot water and a little TSP. I’m not an expert, this is just what worked for me and my space. I did a small sample spot and let it sit for a couple of days to make sure it all was going to adhere. With these old houses you never know what you may be painting over! Nothing peeled so I knew I was good to go with just the paint. If you are not sure you can first prime everything and then paint. I didn’t sand anything and haven’t had any issues with them. I do touch up my stairs once a year. I have two big black lab dogs so they get a lot of abuse and really stand up well.
I’m often asked about them being slippery. We used a spray on anti slip from Rust-oleum and have been really happy with the results.
Here is what it looks like.
I like the clean look of the painted steps and the fact that I can just sweep them. Hauling a vacuum up and down these babies is not something I’d want to be doing!
So, there you have it all of the information on my steps. If I missed anything, just leave a comment below and I’d be happy to answer what I can.
I’ve never seen this anti slip coating. I have painted stairs also and I have some none slip treads on them that are a pain to vacuum as they are not tacked down. We just need anti slip for our old dog. This stuff looks like a great idea. Do you have to reapply it often?
Hi Marijean,
It depends on how often I wash my steps. On average about once every 12 to 18 months. It smells strong so I always do it with a mask and when I can open the windows/doors. It works great for our big guy Sam.
Karan
Xox
I’m so ready to start on my railings
Hi there!! This is something I really want to do in our home. Yours looks beautiful. How long did you have to stay off the stairs after they were painted? How long did the whole process take? Thanks!! Monica
Hi Monica,
It took a couple of days to get it all painted.
We stayed off of the risers for about 4-6 hours and then were gentle with them for a couple of days.
Karan
Thank you for all the information, your stairs look great, I hope mine turn out half as nice. I love your instagram pics.
lifeonpearlstreet
I know they will! Please share when you’re done, I’d love to see them.
Thanks for following along!
Karan
xxox
Awesome; as you may tell I am a Stairnut! I found you and your staircase on Instagram. I appreciate the intrinsic beauty of old staircase come to life in such an “easy” way. Just want to say; job well done! I hope you future success in all your endeavors.
Hi Dave,
Thank you very much! Another stair nut here for sure. Appreciate you taking the time to leave such a nice comment.
Karan
What color paint was used on the stairs and spindle?
Hi Stephanie,
You can find complete stair tutorial here.
https://designsbykaran.com/2018/12/10/painted-stairs-the-how-to/
Karan
Hi! I’m about ready to paint the stairs, banister is finished. Did you apply a poly coat to the stair and banister? And how many gel coats did you use on the stair portion!
Thanks so much!
Hi Deduh,
I didn’t use a poly and I did two full coats of the gel stain.
Be sure to test in a small area to ensure adherence.
Let me know how it all comes out!
Karan
Hey I love the idea I have a question how do you know where to stop painting on the top ? Do you paint the nose of the top step which is the floor ? Or leave that unpainted ? Any advice would help thanks.
Hi there
I painted the nose as I wanted the colour to wrap around the riser.
Thanks for stopping by.
Karan
Hi love your stairs their beautiful, this is a look that I am trying to achieve in my home. I’m little confused as to what colour is on your stair case i have read all of your tutorial but…. is the stairs the piedmont grey or is it the espresso gel? Sorry Not sure if I am miss reading it, as iv have gone to a few DIY stores and they have never heard of gel stain before. I live in Wales in the Uk.
Thank you hope you can help
Hi Bethan,
The walls are pedimont gray the stairs are cloud white and espresso. Minwax makes a gel stain. The last time I painted the stiars I used paint as I was going to paint them white and then changed my mind. I used espresso paint by CIL.
I hope that helps.
karan
So did you use gel stain by minwax or expression paint from CIL?
I used both. The first time I did my stairs I used gel stain. I had the bright idea to paint them all white and hated it! I then used the paint.
Looks great and very inspiring. Did you sand any or all parts of the stairs n railings before you started painting? My railing n posts are very glossy n smooth so I think they have some type of poly finish. Should I sand them before painting?
I would recommend using a good primer if it is shiny and smooth. You may want to lightly sand as well.
In my new home everything is wood and shiny 😳. I’m using a really strong primer and things are going well.
Hi Karan!
Would you mind letting me know what Primer you’re using for your surfaces that are wood and shiny? I have stick-it primer by beauti tone and hoping that might do the trick!
We used the zinsser 124 primer we have been so happy with it.
Hi Bethan
I’m also in Wales and having trouble finding equivalent to espresso paint by CIL.
How did you get on, which paint did you buy?
Thanks
Ruth
Your stairs are beautiful. I’m just curious about the gel stain. Did you have to sand everything down first? I don’t understand how you can stain overtop of old stain and have it come out that beautiful!! And the stain, did you put it on and wipe it back off? Do you have a picture of what you used?
I had no top coat left on my old stairs so I could clean apply and wipe off excess. It you have a shiny topcoat then you need to sand.
I have a friend that had her stairs professionally painted. They used paint and polyurethane. Hers started chipping in just a couple of months. Was yours some kind of special paint for high traffic areas being walked on? And you didn’t seal yours with anything, just used the anti slip coating?
I used Behr paint and primer in one. It sounds like the should have used a good primer first. If there is any top coat you have to prime first. I didn’t use a top coat on mine and I usually did a small touch up about once a year because of the dog nails.
Hi Karen. Beautiful steps. What are the small decorative things on the outside of the steps?? Trying to search for them. Thank you
Hi, your stairs are beautiful. I recently transformed my staircase and I absolutely love it! The only weird problem I am having is that the stairs have started to creak after having painted them. I painted the risers and skirting with white mid sheen gloss and the tread with a hardwearing wooden floor paint. It looks fantastic but it’s as if the stairs have stiffened up. So every footstep is very creaky. When I was preparing the stairs after sanding, they didn’t creak at all which I thought was great after lifting the carpet. Can you advise? Thanks.
Hi Tina,
Unfortunately old stairs will creek.. Do you have access to the underside of them by any chance? Sometimes you just need to shim them. But they will shrink and expand less once painted. You may have had a little more humidity in the home when you first did them so the wood would have expanded a bit and in the dryer weather it shirks up again. I wish I had a solution for you.
Karan
Hi There. Love the steps. Did you originally paint the spindles white?
Originally I used a gel stain then thought I’d paint them white, did about half of them and decided I liked the contrast better so I then painted them.
Karan
Xox
Hello! Can you please tell me who the espresso paint color for handrail and post is made by? Thank you!
It is CIL.
Karan
Hi Karan, in the step by step you mention Beautitone Espresso paint, is that the same as the CIL espresso you have mentioned in the comments? I have think I may have found the perfect colour from your pictures and want to make sure I get it right
Thanks
Beautitone espresso is the original colour I then colour matched using CIL.
I hope that helps.
Karan
Thank you for sharing this it’s been fabxxx
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, don’t you find that it’s loud when you are coming down the stairs? Also, your stairs seem in excellent condition – I’d love to be able to do what you had done!
It’s funny you think you would but I didn’t find it loud at all. These were pretty rough, we had to reinforce from underneath and re-secure the railing. It made the biggest difference on this space. I say go for it!❤️
Karan
Sei bravissima. Peccato ho bisogno di tanti consigli devo Ripulire la mia casa antica ma non mi posso permettere un architetto e quindi prendo spunto dalle tue foto
That is how I learned as well. Watching and learning from others. Don’t be afraid to try new things! You’ve got this.
Karan
It’s great to know that you have been using hot water and some TSP to clean up the staircase nicely. My sister and I are going to do some home improvements this summer. We need to get some wood balusters installed in her home because she wants that style in her home instead of the current balusters she has.
Sounds like a fun project.
Karan
How often are you re-applying the RustOleum anti-slip spray?
I was doing it about once a year.
I don’t know how to post a picture but the stairs in our home that we’re built in 1902 which are very similar to yours. I’ve been trying to decide what to do with them and I just fell in love with your pictures. However my stairs were painted so I’m thinking it’s going to take a lot of elbow grease to prepare them to be painted again. Do you have any recommendations on the prep work the spindles and rail are pretty caked with paint should I strip all the paint first? Also did you end up using a gel stain I don’t think this will work for my project as there is a lot of imperfections.
IMG_4388.HEIC
You can use a good paint to get the same look. I would clean well, remove any loose paint and lightly sand. I love behr paint and would talk to them. When I first did my steps I used a gel stain but later painted them.
Karan
Did you use an ol based paint or latex? My house year is 1891 and have always used oil based paint.
I used latex as our walls have been reset walled. You will want to stick with what has been used or ask a painter what primer should be used to transfer over to a latex based paint.
Karan
I have a question about your newel post. We are physically building a house trying to make it look old with antique lighting, built ins, etc. We found an Empire newel post, but we’re concerned that it’s too bulky for our house. I think our modern aesthetics is throwing our judgement of it’s size off.
Your newel looks fairly large. How tall and wide is it? How wide are your stairs?
Thank you! Judy
Hi Judy,
We no longer live it that house so I can’t get the measurements. Older house tend to have newel posts with some substance. Ours at the new house is twice the size of the other posts in our rail.
Hope that helps.
Karan
What color was the stairs the first time?
There were espresso gel stain.
Absolutely beautiful. I’d like to create this look on my open concept staircase. I also reside in Ontario, but I cannot find the CIL colour, espresso. Is there another colour you can recommend that is close to that one?
Thanks for your help
Hi
I refinished these a while ago now. I would ask for a warm black.
Espresso would be closest to Benjamin moore wrought iron or raccoon fur.
Karan
I’m a tad confused on the exact paint on steps and railing. Is it the Piedmont Grey by BM or is it the Espresso gel stain?
If it’s the BM, did you use water based paint? I’m about to paint my stairs and I have a 75 lb Labradoodle so just want to make sure I use correct product. Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.
Robin
Wall is Piedmont grey stairs are espresso.❤️
Hello,
I love your beautiful staircase renovation! We live in a heritage home built in 1880. At the moment we are repairing spindles filling in gaps on stringer and steps. We have just taped the area to begin painting.
I am happy that I found your website!
Our home is mainly painted in warmer off-white BM grey tones. Dining room – Silver Satin, Living Room – Balboa Mist. All of our trim (minus the foyer and some doors) are painted in BM Simply White.
Our ideas is to paint all foyer trim Simply White.
Simply White will also go on – stringer, risers, spindles.
We have a very decorative floor in the foyer. Mixed wood colours. The railing of the staircase we were going to leave the medium brown colour and try to match the tread to it..
After seeing your staircase I wondered if it would be better to paint the railing as well.
I have some photos that I could send to you too.
Thanks for your help!
I would love to see what you’re doing!!
What are the names of the paint colours in this picture. Please
Hi violet it doesn’t show me the picture you’re referring to.
Hello, I’m trying to find CIL in espresso and am unable to locate this color. Is it possible it’s been discontinued? Might you be able to provide a link to the espresso you used?
Thank you greatly,
Anna
Hi Anna it looks as if they’ve discontinued it. November storm is a close match.
Did you shellac them after the painting and what exact paint did you use? Also water or oil
I did not shellac and I used Behr paint in eggshell.
We just bought an old farmhouse style home here in Ontario and our staircase is almost IDENTICAL to yours! Even has the detailing on the sides! Going to do the exact same thing cause it’s just gorgeous! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Oh my that is so exciting!!! I would love to see pictures!! Please feel free to DM me on Instagram http://www.Instagram.com/designsbykaran
Hi Karan, I love these stairs. In the final picture, are the spindles, steps and newel post still in Piedmont Gray?
They are espresso. Walls are Piedmont grey. ❤️
Please tell me color of railing and steps? Thank you
Espresso.
Do you have any recommendations on how to protect painted steps from wear/tear – specifically dogs?
I used an anti slip on mine. I touched them up once a year. It was quick and easy to do. I have two big dogs.
Looks fantastic! So clean and fresh. BTW, the parts of the stairs you step on are called treads. The risers are the parts that “rise” vertically. The part you painted white. Not trying to be snarky, but any time I have the opportunity to learn the correct name of something, I jump on it because it really helps when I go to Home Depot and have to explain what I need to an employee. Your home is lovely and I love your big black fella!
Thank you and 😬😉😜.
Do you have to put a clear coat on it to prevent the paint from coming off from foot traffic?
Yes.