I finally got the stair risers painted yesterday. Remember the painting-the-stairs project? The one that was actually started about 2 years ago?
And remember how I really liked the worn look to the stairs, but I thought leaving both the treads and steps worn and messy would just look unfinished? So the plan was to paint the risers only and leave the treads messy and worn, and that would make it look intentional. And it would be gorgeous.
I was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Wrong.
Growing up, Dad banned the word “hate” (no, of course it wasn’t because I used it constantly…psh), instead, the permissible phrase was “intensely dislike.”
I intensely dislike the worn stair steps. At least with the risers painted. I also didn’t notice all those nail holes until the paint was going on, so those need to be filled and I need to add another coat of paint.
New plan! Strip the stair treads down to the raw wood and seal it with a matte finish. That will look good, right?
Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse
August 1, 2013 at 6:23 pmIt should look very good. I have very worn out stairs as well, so I’m waiting to see how it’ll turn out for you!
Anonymous
August 2, 2013 at 1:48 amIt’s going to look awesome
Danielle @Storypiece
August 4, 2013 at 4:00 amIt should look stunning stripped and sealed. Bummer that the worn look didn’t work out and that you have more project ahead of you. You’ll be so much happier when it’s done though. Can’t wait to see the final result!
Christina
August 7, 2013 at 12:33 pmI can’t wait either, Danielle. 🙂 The work is in progress, but it seems it’s going to take a while.
Kyle
August 4, 2013 at 6:56 amStripping the stair treads means more natural wood grain. Sound like a solid plan. 🙂
Christina
August 7, 2013 at 12:34 pmGood point, and that is something we need badly in this house with all the trim and wood floors being painted.
sula362
August 4, 2013 at 4:11 pmthere are lots of super ideas around for stairs, including using wallpaper on the risers, which might be something you want to consider. Rubbing down and resealing the tops are a good idea, my neighbour did his, tops and risers. It looks amazing.
Have a look on pinterest for other stair ideas.
Inge @ Simply Fabulous Chic
August 9, 2013 at 7:37 pmAhhh… I can totally understand how you feel! What a shame the worn look didn’t work out for you! But hey, everyone of us experiments in their homes so don’t feel bad. 🙂 I mean, I felt so bad about our stairs too for a long while (in total 8 years), but a few weekends ago we finally tackled the project by putting beige carpet strips on my staircases. Sounds funny but really turned out great. I’ll blog about it soon too. 🙂
Have a great weekend!!
Inge x
Christina
August 20, 2013 at 4:52 pmThat sounds nice! Can’t wait to see it.
Leena
August 16, 2013 at 6:47 pmIt’s annoying to have hopes for getting things finished and then it turns out not such a bright idea. Well… that happens… and you do now have the raisers finished, right? So that is progress.
Christina
August 20, 2013 at 4:55 pmIt is, but it will look much better in the end, so that’s a good thing too.
Katharine
August 19, 2013 at 2:25 pmReally hoping the striping and sanding go well, I’m thinking of doing something similar to my stairs
Christina
August 20, 2013 at 4:54 pmThanks Katharine! We’re making very slow progress on it, and it’s starting to look better.
Brandon Hill
August 29, 2013 at 6:18 amThanks, I stumbled on your site because i was looking to spraypaint my corkboard. Good tips. Here’s a photography tip in exchange. I’ve seen some of your photos have the “fisheye” look because you’re showing items with straight 90 degree angles that are bending out. This is called barreling and happens when your lens is too close to your subject. The easy fix is to just back up and it will go away. Good luck, great site!
Christina
August 29, 2013 at 2:47 pmThank you so much! I’ll pay attention to that now. Feel free to come back and offer advice anytime. 🙂
april
October 20, 2013 at 3:13 pmI think the worn stairs are fantastic, pretty sure the issue is that the taupe color is too muddy to offset the rough look of the treads- maybe a crisp white would be more of a contrast- just a thought