Update: Foyer Staircase Makeover

I have a foyer staircase makeover update for you today.  I know it has been taking me a long time to get it done. Life and the fact that I need to paint a bazillion balusters has kept it on the back burner in my projects to complete list. I know many of you think I love to paint… I don’t, but I do a lot of it because it is the only way I will get the look I want in my house with the budget I have to work with. :-)

Last week I was determined to getting the staircase completely made over.

A recap…. here is what the staircase looked like when we moved into the house.

Dark stained everything and a carpet runner.

It is a big staircase with wasted space underneath that we are going to use to make a closet with a hidden door.

We plan to do something like this, but on a much smaller scale.

I removed the carpet runner and had to figure out out to deal with finished and unfinished wood.

I wrote how I did that, in this post: Staining Staircase Steps

Here is what I have completed since I stained and polyed the steps.

How to Paint Staircase Risers

I painted the risers and side trim in semi-gloss white.

I used Glidden Complete again since it worked so well over all the other brown stained trim in the house. I needed 3 coats and then touched up a few areas. When painting over stain and wood, you have to make sure you use a product or primer that will block the stain before painting.

If you don’t, the color of the stain and or wood tannins will bleed through the paint and change the color. You also need to sand over the surfaces first to rough them up a bit so the primer and paint have something to grab onto. A quick going over with 100 grit sandpaper on a hand sanding block is how I do it. No need to sand to the bare wood.

It is still a work in progress. I have removed the painter’s tape and have not cleaned the steps since I am now going to start on the balusters… all 62 of them, plus 3 posts.  I wish I could clone myself so I could get the job done faster. :-)

I am still undecided if I am going to paint the newel post white or leave it stained. I am leaning toward white, but am still looking at many photos of staircases before I decide.

In my previous house. I didn’t paint it.

But am liking the look of it painted. I found this photo on Ann’s blog, On Sutton Place. Since I am such a visual person, I love when I can find something exactly like what I have.

I will wait until I have all the balusters painted and then decide.

You can see in this photo how the stairs look underneath and why we want to close it off.  This was a second home for the previous owners. I think it was not a priority for them to finish it off since the house was their place to come and relax.

I will update you soon when I have the balusters painted.  A good project to do in the air conditioned house since it is too hot and muggy to enjoy doing anything outdoors.

Are you working on a project around your house that you keep procrastinating about completing?