DIY Painted Staircase Makeover

Check out the before and after gallery of our DIY painted staircase makeover and find ideas to redo YOUR staircase!

When we first started planning the basement renovation in our last fixer-upper, one of the first things I knew I wanted to do was try my hand at finishing the wooden staircase with a combination of natural wooden stair treads and painted stair risers.

Check out the before and after gallery of our DIY painted staircase makeover and find ideas to redo YOUR old staircase!

Before we dive in let’s remind ourselves where we started. The above picture was taken when we walked through the house for the very first time.

Here it was after we moved in. Yikes.

“Yikes” is an understatement.

Check out the before and after gallery of our DIY painted staircase makeover and find ideas to redo YOUR staircase!

The goal was to add risers, frame in the wall, paint the walls, sand down the treads to the natural wood, paint, and stencil the risers, and finish the handrail to match the treads.

Before we touched the stairs we painted the walls (Silver Strand by SW), and framed out the bathroom side of the stairs – drywalled and painted.

Projects are a family affair as always here.

Zach rocked and rolled with the drywall.

My friend Dena Breitmeyer gave the BEST tip for making drywall easy in our podcast interview along with a ton of other budget DIY ideas. You can download/watch the interview here!

Ok, the walls are painted. Time to hit the stairs.

Ready for it?

Let’s go. (BTW: If you would rather watch the video then you can scroll to the end for the full transformation video!)

For more basement ideas be sure to check out:

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY RYBOI TOOLS AND DIXIE BELLE CHALK PAINT, BUT ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN.

You Will Need:

RYOBI belt sander
RYOBI hand sander
RYOBI Air Strike Cordless Brad Nailer
Caulk
Dixie Belle Mini angle brush
Dixie Belle Saltwater Silk All-In-One Paint
Dixie Belle Foam Stencil Brush
Dixie Belle Paint Royal Damask Stencil
Dixie Belle’s All In One Paint in Black Sands
Dixie Belle Au Naturel Voodoo Gel Stain (optional)
Flat or Satin Clear Polyurethane

DIY Painted Staircase Makeover

1. Add plywood for the stair risers.

I took 3/4″ plywood and cut it down to size with our table saw.

Then I hammered them in for a tight fit and nailed them in with my RYOBI Air Strike Cordless Brad Nailer.

I should have waited to caulk until after all the sanding was done, but at some point, you need to caulk!

Now let’s work on those stair treads.

DIY Painted Staircase Makeover

2. Sand down the stair treads.

For this step, I used two different sanders – my RYOBI hand sander on the front of the tread and the corners of the tread, and the RYOBI belt sander on the tread.

For those of you not familiar with a belt sander, here is what it looks like.

The RYOBI belt sander is perfect for straight flat surfaces. You have to use sand paper specific for a belt sander (they are usually standard), and as you work the tool you want to lightly press it and move it in a zig-zag motion with the grain.

Voila. Sanded stairs.

Now let’s make them pretty!

DIY Painted Staircase Makeover

3. Paint the risers white.

For this step, I applied Dixie Belle Silk All-In-One Paint in Saltwater with my favorite brush – the Dixie Belle Mini angle brush.

I also painted the newel post (the post that holds the stair handrail) the same as the risers.

Lighting in a staircase that has no natural light is tricky, so I do apologize, but here is the stairway after this step with more light.

DIY Painted Staircase Makeover

4. Add your stencil of choice.

I used Dixie Belle Paint Royal Damask Stencil and cut the sheet in 3. I used one for each stair riser.

I marked the center of each riser and then taped the stencil in the center with painter’s tape.

I had enough sheets that I could do them all at one time.

Try to use as little painter’s tape as necessary, because you want to take off the stencil while it’s still wet. Less tape makes that easier to do.

Dixie Belle’s All In One Paint in Black Sands is a nice “soft” black if that makes sense. It has a little bit more white in it than a traditional black making it not quite as stark.

Keep the Dixie Belle Foam Stencil Brush wet with paint and try not to go over the previously painted areas. Be sure to remove the stencil while it is still wet.

DIY Painted Staircase

#5. Finish the tread and the risers with a flat or satin clear polyurethane.

In retrospect, I wish I would have put Dixie Belle Au Naturel Voodoo Gel Stain on the stair treads.

It would have neutralized the yellow tone from the wood, but I didn’t use it on the reclaimed oak plank countertop I did in the basement either, so I wanted to keep the wood tones consistent. If you missed the tutorial on how to make a countertop out of reclaimed oak plank flooring, then be sure to check it out!