Do you have a carpet on your staircase? Have you ever wondered what it might look like underneath? Most stairways can be transformed by simply painting what is already there. If the wood underneath has never been used before you will need to sand and prepare the wood. Give the wood a good clean with some warm water so it is completely dust free. Cracks or open joints should be filled prior to painting. The next step is to apply a primer to your stairs. Crown Paints provide an excellent quick drying Multi-Surface primer undercoat specially designed for wood surfaces.

If your stairs has been previously treated Crown Paints has a great product called Grip Extreme which when applied allows a top coat to adhere to wood surfaces, saving you time and effort as you do not need to sand down the wood first. If you are unsure of what approach to take, ask in your local Crown Paints stockist, they will be only too happy to help.

Once your surface is prepped, you can get down to important part of creating your show-stopping stairway. The first idea I have to give you a stairway with a difference uses the concept on colour blocking. Paint your entire staircase a pure white such as Stone White and add pops of colour by painting the panel in between the steps, called the riser. This will create a fantastic colour blocking effect from the bottom of the stairs but will look pure white from the landing on the second floor.

If you like this idea, choose colours that are already featured in your hallway design but add a contrasting colour for an added dimension. As the paint will only be used in small blocks you can be bold with your choices. There are plenty of ways to use this design. You can skip every second or third step and only paint the panels at random. You could also choose a stencil to brush on to the riser to introduce pattern in to your hallway.

If you don’t like to idea of differentiating the riser from the steps then you can also choose to concentrate on the banister and rails on your staircase. Even if you use a natural stain on your steps you can use colour on your railings. Alternating colours such as Purple Heart and Prospect Bay will bring a touch of country chic to your hallway or a bold green such as Deep Ivy combined with Day Dream will add a modern touch to an otherwise plain space.

The wall leading up your stairs should not be ignored; this can become a feature wall all on its own. Whether it provides the bare, stark contrast to your colourful stairs or it plays host to a number of striking pieces of artwork, your stairway wall is a great canvas to decorate without making the typically small space cluttered.

Remember, if you are using paint on the stairs themselves to always use a varnish on top to preserve the colour.  For the ultimate in protection, finish off your staircase with Sadolin Polyurethane Floor Clear Varnish. It is important to leave the stair paint to harden for as long as possible to ensure the varnish does not alter the colour of the paint.

I hope this post gives you the inspiration to create a truly fabulous feature in your hallway. Visitors to your home won’t give a second thought to where your stairs lead but instead will wonder how you created the eye-catching piece of design!

Happy decorating,

Neville