All Change: How To Paint Your Stairs (And Some Quick Paint Tricks To Make Your House Feel Brand New)
Last week, it was my birthday. Not just any birthday, a full half of a century. OH YES. A good one. I know that sometimes people can feel a bit weird about approaching landmark birthdays such as this but I didn’t have any such qualms. As someone who has experienced the possibility that I might NOT have been here for this birthday, I am endlessly delighted that I was. I cannot lie and say I am just as delighted about the fact that it now takes me three days to get over a late night and that I need two different pairs of glasses in order to function properly; however, my age does bring great joy to my kids who find endless pleasure in making jokes about chucking Tena ladies and plastic pants into the trolley and being eligible for Saga holidays and life insurance. They can say what they like - I don’t care less. As Mark Twain said, ‘Do not complain about getting old, it is a privilege denied to many’ and I know that for sure.
We (Royal we) picked out the stair detail with the same black paint and I love it.
As lockdown birthdays go, it was a brilliant one. Cakes, champagne, videos of friends and family wishing me a happy day and plenty of gifts, including a piece of art from Joe, my husband, by Marcelina Amelia which I had lusted after for months, ever since I had seen it at the Affordable Art Fair before Covid hit. But where to put it? I decided that it needed to go in prime position in the hallway and that meant CHANGE. I’d hung a gallery wall on my staircase over four years ago, the last time it was decorated, and it was starting to look a big shabby. Much as I liked the art on the walls, I wanted to reassess the look of the space and give it a fresh feel. This urge for change was spurred on by a household disaster. The bathroom above had had a water leak and not only had the water poured through the ceiling, but it had soaked into the stair carpet which had to be removed. I decided to take down all of the art and was accosted by walls that looked like a war zone, abused by crater style holes and shadowed dirt frames. Redecoration was undoubtedly necessary.
The bannisters were shabby and hadn’t been painted since we moved into the house. Inspired by scouring Pinterest for ideas, I decided that I would paint them black, with the same treatment on the stair risers and treads. By complete coincidence, Miles The Worlds Best Decorator (who generally has to be booked six months in advance as a minimum and has a waiting list as long as my arm) had a cancellation and arrived with his paintbrush on my birthday, an event that was equally as exciting as the birthday itself. Over the course of the week, he completed both the stairs and the front and back doors which I had been meaning to repaint for ages. I’ve still got the walls and trims to do, which has naturally set off the Decorating Domino Effect (a term coined by my friend Bianca Hall meaning that once you start one thing, you can’t stop yourself from continuing) and now I have to redo the entire hallway and landing, but already just the stair and door paint has transformed the way the spaces look. SO SATISFYING.
I received many, many questions on my stories about how to successfully paint stairs so on your behalf, I quizzed Miles to within an inch of his life for full details. I did all the preparation, but Miles did the technical stuff (aka stuff that needs to be done carefully and not in a slapdash manner). This procedure could equally apply to a wooden floor or even external doors - it’s a process that will ensure that the hard work that you put in is long lasting and minimise chipping and wear. Here are Miles top tips for the perfect painted stairs.
Random shit lying around the stairs, stylists own.
How To Paint Your Stairs
Remove Everything. This includes removal of all nails, staples and carpet residue. I used a flat screwdriver underneath the staples to loosen them and and then pliers to carefully pull the staple out. There were also nails in the risers - pliers were perfect for this task.
Fill The Holes. Fill all holes, cracks and damaged areas with filler. I had plenty of gouged areas where I had been heavy handed but these were easily fixed with Polyfiller. Any interior filler will do. For larger holes and damage, use a wood filler.
Get Sanding. First of all, sand with a coarse 80 grade sandpaper to remove uneven areas or splinters. Then sand again, this time using a 120 grade paper to achieve a smooth even surface that will allow the adhesion of the undercoat. Hoover it all up before you start to paint.
Treat The Wood. If your stairs are new or haven’t been painted before, you need to use an oil based primer as a first coat. This will give you the perfect base for your paint application. You may need to lightly sand with 120 grade sandpaper after the first coat to remove stray particles of dust or contaminants and do a second.
Apply Undercoat. Once it’s all dry, apply an oil based undercoat. Miles recommends using a tinted product that matches your final colour choice. Johnstones Decorating Centres do this, but others do too.
Apply Topcoat. Once dry, apply topcoat in the desired finished - I used oil based interior eggshell mixed to match Off Black. If your stairs are in constant use, then do half of the stretch of stairs at a time so that you have a side to walk on. Barricade the stairs with plants and chairs so that errant dogs and children can’t ruin your hard work. Although it dries in 24 hours, it will take approximately seven days for the paint to cure, so make sure that you only wear socks on the surface for this time. JOB DONE.
But you don’t need to stop at the stairs. How else can you ring the changes in your home simply by wielding a paintbrush? There are plenty of quick weekend projects that you can throw yourself into without significant cost or a huge budget that will really make a difference. Here are my top tips for using paint in your space to transform the look.
Colour blocked wall that I did in the bar for a brand campaign a few weeks ago - super fun to do.
Update The Wall Colour
Okay, so this is the first and most obvious way to make a difference with the paintbrush. Paint is a healer when it comes to an unloved room - giving it a once over with a fresh coat of paint can give what feels dull a new lease of life. But wait! You don’t have to stop with a plain wall. Recently I did a brand campaign that involved me painting a section of the wall orange - colour blocking it against white. I used masking tape to create the shape I wanted, then painted it in to create the feature. It was super effective - I painted the picture ledges the same colour so that they blended into the wall.
Pinterest is stuffed full of such ideas, search colour block to be overwhelmed with inspiration. Using this type of paint effect can separate a space and create a feature where there was none previously. Dividing the wall with colour can also add the illusion of height to your space, particularly if you keep the ceiling the same colour as the upper half. And adding a feature border in paint draws the eye to a focal point. Be brave and give it a go!
The ceiling is painted in gloss paint and it truly maximises the light. If it wasn’t so messy, I'd do it in every room.
Bounce The Light
Oil based gloss paint is often cast aside in favour of more subtle water based eggshell or satinwood. However, when I painted my kitchen, I used a trick that I’d seen a designer use in a magazine - I coated the ceiling in pure brilliant white gloss paint (well, when I say I, I mean Miles The Worlds Best Decorator). But why? Well, the gloss reflects the light and makes it brighter, plus expands the feeling of spaciousness. It’s not a pleasant job to do - Miles will concur - as it’s hard enough to stop gloss drips and streaks on the flattest of surfaces, let alone upside down on a ceiling. HOWEVER, if you are a patient person (like Miles is) then it’s worth the effort.
The light from the windows and the inset spots bounce off it and creates additional light even when it’s gloomy outside. Definitely worth a go if you are looking to maximise light in a darker kitchen.
Chelsea’s spray painted conservatory - totally transformed in two days by the wielding of a paint sprayer and some hard work.
Contrast The Trims
I always get lots of questions on my Design Dilemmas blogs about painting the trims - skirting boards, window and door frames. Can you paint the skirting if you don’t paint the door? What about the window frames? Can you add a splash of colour without taking it the whole way? The answer, of course, is yes you can. You can do what you like, it’s your house. The only thing I would say is that if you are going to paint any of these trims, then do all of them - whether it be the skirting, doors or windows - the same. Don’t do half the room (so one wall of skirting, for example) and then leave the other - keep it cohesive. In my own home, I’ve painted my kitchen window frames black and kept the skirtings and doors white.
The same applies to my French doors - frames painted black (this is an excellent tip, btw, if you are looking for a vaguely Crittall look without actually buying the doors) and the skirtings white. In my daughters room, we’ve painted cupboard doors and the actual door in Dulux Floating Petal, but the skirtings and window frame remain white. Or you can just go the whole hog and paint the skirting, doors and window a contrasting colour. DO WHAT YOU LIKE. Oh, and don’t worry if it’s UPVC - check out Chelsea from The House That Black Built who spray painted her entire conservatory in black and transformed the look. You can read her tutorial on what she did here. Amazeballs.
Pink last week, Arsenic this week. I like to live dangerously.
Feature The Door
I am a big fan of painting front and back doors, both inside and out. A pop of colour is good for the soul and making the entrance to your home a feature can bring bring a smile even on the gloomiest of days. Make sure you sand down the surface well before you start using a light sandpaper - when I first painted my front door in French Rose by Sanderson I omitted this step and caused the DPD man to remark that it looked like a child had been at work. I like to paint the inside of the door too, simply because I am a big colour fan and like to switch the look up. Don’t be scared to give it a go - remember, it’s just paint.
If you have second thoughts once it’s done (or, if like me, you are prone to changing your colour scheme at least once a year), you can paint back over it. It took just a third of a pot to paint both my front and back doors inside and out last week with two coats. A quick and inexpensive update that really makes a difference.
A roller and a pot of paint and you’re away. Don’t hold back.
Cupboard Love
I’ve said it a million times but if you don’t like your kitchen and don’t have the funds to change it, then paint is the answer to all of your problems, people. I do this regularly in my own space to update the look (yes, I am a very transient person who likes a regular switch up - luckily for my husband, I don’t apply the same rules to him) and it never fails to bring me joy, particularly during the last year of lockdown when we have been restricted to the same spaces for months. Pretty much any cupboard front can be painted - check with your local DIY store as to which primer is suitable for your cupboard material and go from there.
You can buy specific furniture paint that will do the job or you can use water or oil based eggshell, whatever you fancy. For my most recent kitchen cupboard update I used oil based eggshell in error (yes, I am not only transient I’m also slapdash) but it actually has the perfect sheen and I’m delighted with it. Plus it’s super hardwearing as well. As I write this, I’m considering what colour to repaint the bathroom cupboards. Always onit.
The bar, a very lonely place at the moment. Bring back the guests, Boris.
Perk Up Your Tiles
Tile paint has come on leaps and bounds and if you can’t afford to rip them all off and replace but can’t live with them, then head to your local DIY store for a specific product that will do the job. Ronseal have countless colours to choose from, ranging from pure white to fuchsia pink, perfect for a weekend update. Make sure that the surface is completely clean and dry before you start.
My sister did an entire kitchen of red tiles in white and it looked great. When we moved into our house, the bar was topped with bright red tiles - a quick double coat of black tile paint got rid of them sharpish and made the corner look far sleeker. Remember, if you truly hate what’s currently there, then any change is an improvement if you’ve got to live with them. That’s my motto, anyway.
The newly revamped glasses cupboard. Also currently lonely and unused.
Paint Some Furniture
Ah, the perfect weekend job. Pretty much any item of furniture or home accessory can be made better or more loveable by whacking on a few coats of paint to give it a fresh look. In combination with a good base and top coat, your paintbrush is the route to success. Again, you can use specific furniture paint that doesn’t need a primer for this purpose - I’ve used Annie Sloan on my kitchen table legs and she’s great - but you can also use off the shelf water or oil based from your local shop. Undercoat it with a primer suitable for what you’re painting and you’re away.
My most recent project was a dresser picked up at the local Community Furniture Store and painted in Bone Black eggshell and primed in wood primer - a fun job and it’s always satisfying bringing something that was a bit rubbish back to it’s former glory. You can get shed loads of inspiration on my private Facebook Group, Resourceful Living, which has loads of resourceful projects posted by loads of resourceful people. Click here to join.
Geometric wall art by Victorian Adventure at a fraction of the cost but double the impact. Impressive.
Paint Some Art
And finally, lovely readers, get creative. I don’t want to hear that you are not a creative person; I can promise you that you are. All you need is the right equipment and a bit of inspiration and you can rustle up something amazing for your walls. There’s plenty of examples this week that I’ve been inspired by on Instagram - check out Malcolm from DesignSixtyNines glorious sky and Annika and Rachel from Victorian Adventures geometric statement art.
So don’t hold back, give it a go. It’s a therapeutic and creative project that will leave you feeling excellent about yourself which is always time spent well, IMO.