Painting staircases and banisters

The staircase is the hardest-working piece of joinery in the house, and the most visible from the front door. Each part has its finish: treads and risers take our Decorative Floor Satin Paint, made for footfall; the string, balusters and handrail, Multi-Surface Eggshell or Satin; and a wrought-iron banister, Satin or Gloss over our Multi-Surface Primer.

The English classic, pale risers and dark treads, Grosvenor Square and Bond Street, remains the easiest to live with: dust barely shows and the hall gains light. A whole staircase in one deep tone, Downing Street or Market Green, against Cadogan Stone walls gives a hallway a townhouse air. The colours below are the ones that stand up best to feet and time.

Recommended finishes

Treads & risers

Decorative Floor Satin

Banister & spindles

Multi-Surface Dead Matt Multi-Surface Eggshell Multi-Surface Satin Multi-Surface Gloss

Also suitable: Metallic Paint

Primer

Multi-Surface Primer

Our advice

A staircase, done well

Every other tread, top to bottom, and a floor paint given time to harden: you keep using the stairs while the work is done.

Varnish and wax gone: the floor paint finally has something to grip.

Prepare

Take back what gets walked on

Pull up carpet, staples and nails, then sand the treads with an orbital sander, 80 then 120 grit, to strip varnish and wax: on a tread, paint only holds on clean, dull wood. Fill holes and splits with wood filler, sand again, vacuum, then wipe with a damp cloth.

Balusters and handrail are sanded by hand with 180 grit; an iron banister is wire-brushed and given our Multi-Surface Primer. On bare tread wood, apply our Multi-Surface Primer before the floor paint; on sound, previously painted stairs, sanding is enough.

Grosvenor Square on the risers, Bond Street on the treads and banister.

Paint

Every other tread

Start at the top: handrail, balusters and string in Eggshell or Satin, risers next, treads last. Paint the even treads first, in Decorative Floor Satin Paint, let them dry, then the odd ones: you step over the wet treads and the stairs stay in use. Two thin coats beat one thick one.

Allow 3–4 hours between coats and a week before laying a runner or coming up in outdoor shoes: floor paint reaches full hardness in seven days. Risers in Grosvenor Square, treads in Bond Street, handrail to match the treads: the trio never dates.