I’ve decided I definitely want to change the stairs (treads, banister, balusters – everything) down the road a bit. But for now, I knew it made sense to just paint what I’ve got. Most of you agreed that I could change the look enough with paint that it would be worth the time and effort.
Well, there was definitely time and effort spent! And I’m pretty happy with the change the color makes in the space.
I think it will be worth all the effort in the end, once the runner’s installed. The hardest part by far was all the sanding. And thank goodness for Bondo!
Bondo is one of those products that might look intimidating, but is actually pretty easy to use. You mix a hardening cream with the epoxy base putty in small batches and then smear on the mixture quickly before it starts to set.
The stuff stinks bad, but it works miracles and fills any hole/crease/crevice/seam you present it with.
After the Bondo had dried for a few hours I sanded the filler down. This was seriously a full day’s work. Every tread took about an hour. But by the time I was finished, the Bondo had perfectly sealed all the imperfections and all the hand-scraped detail on the old wood had been sanded away.
Michael helped me hang plastic sheeting on the walls and we wiped everything down twice.
And some of the imperfections started to reveal themselves.
As Linus would say – Ruh-ro.
So I caulked and did another coat of Bondo where it was needed and then sanded the whole thing again. (and sniffed and sneezed and coughed the whole time – stupid cold.)
I sprayed a second coat of primer on and then the first of two coats of Benjamin Moore’s Chelsea Gray in the Advance line paint.
The color is light enough to brighten the space a bit, but dark enough to hide dirt perfectly I think.
The treads look almost like solid planks now! I’m so happy with how they turned out. We just saved ourselves a couple thousand dollars by not replacing these oversized treads!
I have no ideas yet for what I’m going to use for a stair runner, but I’m really excited to pick that out next. I’ll be trying something similar to
this tutorial.
Also, on a whim I pulled out one of
my old gold leaf pens and painted one of the round screw covers. The pen was pretty dry so the color’s not very saturated, but I kind of like the look. What do you think of the gold just on the screw covers?
Before I buy the runner I have lots of touch ups to do and I think I’ll paint the walls before installing the runner as well. But at least I’m happy with the direction we are headed in. It was well worth the labor, paint and about $12 in Bondo!
Good grief, you are making me feel like a huge slacker!! You have done a beautiful job though! My mouth dropped open on the 'after'. I love that the whole staircase is gray. It's a modern look to a very traditional staircase, which I think it what you were going for :) I was wondering if you would use that cricket thing inside your house or if it would be too messy. I think about it all the time! I'm probably going to order one today, I've decided. We are about to redo our fireplace. (Thanks for the inspiration for that too!) Can't wait to see the runner and décor…and I personally like the gold!
seriously? I mean- really? How in the world did you accomplish this – you just posted the question of whether to do or not to do. stunning. LOVE the color choice. so unexpected. you have commented in the past that readers have questioned how many people help you to complete these projects. forget that- I want to know what pills you take and how many cups of coffee you drink in a day!
You killed it! Great job – the stairs look so much grander now. Can't wait to see the contrasting runner! I am LOVING all of your blog content these days, it is so much fun to follow along. Hope you feel better soon.
The stairs look awesome and I love that you painted them all one color. It looks fresh, modern and less predictable than white/black would have been. :)
Gorgeous. I, too, was surprised that it was all one color–but I think it's beautiful and modern and makes a big statement.
Personally I'm not sure about the gold on the screw covers–because the screw covers seem a bit odd to me anyway and the gold makes them more noticeable. I think I would have been tempted to remove those covers, fill in the holes, and paint over it. But I think you could totally pull it off with the gold, and I might feel differently if I saw them all painted gold. And I am sure whatever you choose will be beautiful!
I love the gold! I'm actually eyeing my stairs right now thinking about doing the same.
I agree…it looks fantastic and I love the color! But wow…no wonder you have a sinus infection!! Lots of dust and fumes no matter how careful you are! How are you feeling? Hope some better and know you must be excited to have this done…can't wait to see the runner. You are Wonder Woman!
This looks amazing. I would do stripes, like this, for the runner: http://tillyscottage.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/testimonial-audrey.gif
Love this amazing, tough work (like tough love, haha) transformation! I think I'd pass on adding a shiny color on the plugs which will only make things "busy" and will draw one's attention to them on an otherwise clean-looking staircase. I am amazed at your creativity as well as your strength! Great job!
That is a LOT of work! Wow! I can't even imagine how long it took to hang the plastic to cover the walls and floor. I love the gold on the screws… You're going to notice them so might as well make them stand out!
That is a LOT of work! Wow! I can't even imagine how long it took to hang the plastic to cover the walls and floor. I love the gold on the screws… You're going to notice them so might as well make them stand out!
Love the gold …looks like upholstery tacks. Do it!
I too thought the after photo was your inspiration photo – gorgeous! I think the gold button looks fabulous now with just the gray but may be a different story after the runner goes in so you may want to wait to decide.
Yours is my absolute favorite decor/DIY blog of all!!!!!
Looks great! I'm curious about the critter sprayer. I read your other experience with it too (and now I want one so bad!). Do you need to do any cleanup or cutting in with a brush or does the sprayer really cover it all?
What a transformation! I'm a wood gal, but that color wasn't working with the house's new direction, and those spindles especially were jarring. Your hard work toned everything down and harmonized it. And YES to the touch of gold leaf. (Feel better!)
Hi Kelly!
You're right – that is an important part of puzzle. We did NOT use the stairs for the two days I was painting them. We blew up two air mattresses and had the girls sleep in the play room for those nights (they thought it was awesome, of course). The primer coats are dry and ready for recoat in about four hours I think? So I did those two primer coats (with the bondo and sanding in between) on one day and then early the next morning sprayed my first Advance coat and then late that night sprayed the second coat. It was dry and ready for us to walk on the next day. Hope that helps! I would get your kids out of the house for the weekend if at all possible. It's so much work that it's not worth risking smudges! :)
Hi Katie!
The planks that the old owner used to cover the treads and risers were really bumpy and uneven. The edges of the planks were beveled too, so the seams were giant. Unless I go with a super thick carpet on the runner, the unevenness would show through the runner. I'm not totally sure what I want to do there yet and probably won't have it figured out until I start decorating the house (which could be another month or two at this rate). It was extra work for sure, but if I was going to have to Bondo the edges of the treads and risers, might as well do it right and make everything smooth and flush.
xo
Taryn,
Thanks for bringing up the primer question! I meant to address that in the post but forgot (I'll blame the Nyquil that was in my system last night when I wrote the post!).
The guy at the BM paint store said he actually really likes Glidden's primer, which seemed strange to me. The Home Depot guys are always trying to get me to buy the glidden primer too, but I always go with Zinnser. This time I tried the Glidden though and so far so good. It's a little thinner than Zinnser, which worked well for the spray gun.
Worth a try for sure! xo
Vintageviolet –
I need to do some touch up (the painter's tape moved and covere up the old wood in some places), but YES! The critter sprayer did all of this. No brushes used yet. It's seriously my favorite tool to use right now. A little miracle worker! :) Totally recommend.
xo
What a difference some elbow grease, paint and bondo will do! Great transformation :)
I rarely comment (though I'm loyal lurker), but I just have to say how amazing your stairs look after "just" some paint. It looks beautiful! And I love love love the gold on the screw cover. I'm a little obsessed with gold right now though, I admit.
They look amazing and YES, a thousand times yes on the gold. Do it.
Very nicely done! I can't wait to see the completed stairs with a runner. Beautiful color, and I like the gold accent.
You are such an inspiration, meticulous too. I thought when you wrote flaws started to show through, you would just cover with the runner. To go back, bondo and sand a second the stairs a second time. Wow, no cutting corners for you. Your stamina and perfectionism is to be admired.
Just beautiful! Definitely do the screw covers in gold…hope you're feeling better!!
I am amazed at how modern it looks, and also what a graceful background it creates. I appreciate that you are re-using what you have and still rocking it!
I am now seriously considering painting my steps all one color! Love this look. Also seriously considering buying a spray gun. My old house the previous home owner used a brush and you can see every single brush stroke. love it!
Beautiful! Reminds me if Michelangelo's stairs in the Medici Library
The gray looks great and I love the screw tops in gold!!
Holy cow! It's night and day! I had no idea that paint would alter the look that much. You are a trojan to work with bondo and change the texture like that.
It's downright elegant now. Way to go!
amazing. I actually like the gold on the screw covers. It is an unexpected detail.
Looks awesome! So excited to see what you do next!
What an awesome improvement! I like that you used one color for everything. I think the gold on the screw covers will look like metal studs and will be a cool addition to your "new" staircase.
Wow, you are amazing. The stairs look 1000x better.
Jenny+Bondo=Perfection. Ok, and maybe a cold. But, wow, what a difference! Well worth the labor and sniffles, yes, so now you can rest a bit on the mattress with the new bedding and recover for the next project. You guys did such a great job! Happy well-deserved weekend.
Shut. Up. What a difference! I'm still amazed at the difference a little (or a lot of) paint can make. So beautiful!
I am beyond impressed with this staircase makeover! It seriously looks amazing. And I can't imagine how much work it was to do it right, with all of the bondo and sanding and priming and sanding and painting… I'm exhausted just thinking about it. Well worth the effort though, the end result is fantastic and I LOVE the color.
Oh and yes to the gold screw covers!
It looks amazing. I can't WAIT to see which runner you choose.
As for the screw covers, I would wait and choose your runner and get a better sense of how you're going to style the space before you commit to the gold screw covers. I'm leaning towards YES, but I would hold a beat until you make a few other decisions.
Stairs look sophisticated and elegant. Beautiful. Yes on the gold paint detail, k
Seriously beautiful, statement making staircase now. I am not sure about the gold. I lean toward simplistic, but I did think the one sample gold looked nice. You are such an amazingly disciplined worker! I am absolutely in awe of you.
Amazing job, Jenny! I would have been too afraid to fill in the seams but I'm glad you took the risk and tried it out because it came out so well. I especially love the gray paint against your new floors, beautiful combination. I say you should try out the gold detailing, and if you don't like it, you can always paint it back to gray. You're such an inspiration to just work with what you have rather than going to extreme and expensive measures to make improvements.
love the gold screw cap!
I love the idea of gold screw covers. And, I agree with the comment that they will then give the effect of nail heads. Totally adds a fun detail!
Great job!
I think grey was SO SMART! It definitely modernizes it, and also will hide dust way better than black or white. What a hard worker you are! I look forward to seeing what you do with the runner!
Stairs look lovely! Great work. I vote against gold screw covers–love the sleek look of the stairs now, and I think the gold would make it look to busy and ornamental.
are you kidding me? NOTHING more needs to be done, ever. this looks awesome. i'm actually jealous of your stairs now.
My 7 yr old son was just asking me why it's important to learn to work hard and I showed him this post as an example. :) He was impressed. Your stamina blows me away! The stairs look beautiful. Love the color. Great mid-tone. Hope you can treat yourself to a massage and a little R&R amidst all your hard work!
was it linus? or scooby that says "Ruh-ro".
at any rate, the monochromatic gray is beautiful.
Uhhh YES to the gold!! I'm crazy obsessed with gold right now. I have a whole art show based around gold art that I've been making!!