As previously mentioned in my goals for 2013 post I want to beautify our stairs. Right now they look fine at first glance but if you look closer you can see that they are pretty worn out. There are also countless gaps between the treads and the quarter round moulding, the stringer and the balusters. To get an idea on what I could do to spruce up the stairs I started to collect images on Pinterest, yes I have a whole board devoted to stairs. My first thought was to paint the risers, stringer and the balusters white and the treads and handrail black. But there are so many beautiful options, like colorful treads, wallpapered risers or painted runners and now I have a hard time making a decision. I absolutely love the colorful striped rug on the last image. Can you believe they are multiple small IKEA rugs? Unfortunately the rugs are not available anymore. I guess the best way for me to figure out what to do would be to start and fill all the gaps with caulk and then prime everything. Caulk is my magical weapon against any uneven or crooked trim etc., if you want to paint something that has unsightly gaps use caulk to fill in those gaps before painting. Once painted it looks like the gaps were never there. I have used many tubes of caulk around the house, on door frames, baseboards, you name it. After a coat of primer the stairs, the spindles and the handrail would be a blank white canvas, maybe that will give me a better idea of what to do next...
Are you for bold colors, monochromatic white or classic black on staircases?
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Oh, I'm so in love with this post. I've been waiting for it ever since I saw your Pinterest board. I love the exposed brick next to your stairs and all that light you get in the stairwell! I'm a big fan of white paint, so I'd say caulk the steps to death and then give them (and the banister) a good coat of white paint! You could even go crazy and do that ombre/gradient effect on the spindles. Ours are carpeted and the carpet desperately needs to be replaced, but I'm thinking about stripping them raw and painting them, too!
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of the exposed brick too. We really love that about the house. I will let you know how the painting progress goes, once I've started maybe you might be painting yours soon as well...
DeleteI really like the apartment therapy stairs. White looks so clean and fresh but stairs get a lot of wear. If you're able to find paint that withstands a lot of traffic, then I say go for that
ReplyDeleteI am a bit scared about the wear as well but I have painted stairs before and it looked good for years but it the stairs weren't used on a daily basis...
Deleteoooo, i love your stairway! it is so very lovely. i don't know i am terrible with decisions. i think the top row would suit the space really well - but i wouldn't know whether to choose between the white or black. i really love the third photo, i like how part of the original wood would kept. can't wait to see what you choose!
ReplyDeleteI am with you on being terrible at making decisions, I have been laboring over what color to paint the stairs since we moved in ;)
DeleteIt's not easy to decide. I think I would go with white and some bright color. Like this one: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/trend-spotting-polka-dots-182099
ReplyDeleteYour stairs are really great and there is so many potential.
Oh, this looks cool too! Argh, it's so hard to make a decision, there are so many great options...
DeleteSo much inspiration and so many options! I really like the Apartment Therapy (maybe because the color of the steps look so much like yours. Also like the option with the floral paper.
ReplyDeleteThere are just too many choices, I wish I could pick them all...
DeleteI'm boring I know, but I would most likely choose the painted white.
ReplyDeleteI really like the all white version too! Decisions, decisions, decisions...
DeleteYour inspiration round up for staircases is awesome. I'm leaning towards the back painted stairs. I love how graphic they make the space feel. It would look so beautiful against your white walls and exposed brick. Do keep us posted on what you end up deciding. Yes, decisions, decisions!
ReplyDeleteI will definitely keep you posted. I just need to force myself to start with the project ;)
DeleteIch fände es sooo schade das originale Holz zu verdecken! Gibt es denn gar keine andere Möglichkeit die Treppen zu reparieren und so zu erhalten?
ReplyDeleteAnsonsten ist der ombre-Effekt natürlich genial, mir aber etwas zu trendy. Ich würde daher in der Not für klassisches Weiß voten :)
Ich glaube nicht, dass die Treppenstufen original sind, es sieht eher aus wie billiges Holz, ueber dem mal Teppich verlegt gewesen ist. Das Treppengelaender ist definitiv nicht original. Da wir erstmal kein Geld bzw. nur ein wenig ausgeben wollen, um die Treppe schoener zu machen, bleibt eigentlich nur streichen. Waere die Treppe original wuerde ich sie schleifen und aufarbeiten, aber mit dem Ausgangsmaterial waere das Ergebnis wohl eher nicht so prickelnd ;)
DeleteWhat a great work. I can see how different you made on the stairs that look amazing to me. Thanks for sharing. You are an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteWow, you've collected great ones! I love the colors. Thank you for sharing!!
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