AFTER: STAIRCASE
At my old house we gave this staircase a much‑needed DIY makeover. The photo above shows the finished result. The stairwell started in pretty sad shape — our last home was a 1930s English‑style house that required a lot of cosmetic attention. I shared more about that house elsewhere on my site, but this particular transformation happened before I started blogging and before I owned a digital camera, so I never posted it at the time.
I never showed you this makeover because it happened prior to blogging and before I had a digital camera.
The original before photos were misplaced during a move, but I finally found and scanned them so you can see the contrast. Remodeling fans might recall recent conversations about painted steps — while black steps are popular, I chose red. Why not show off my red ones?
Brace yourself: the before photos are rough. I don’t even have a picture of the wheelchair lift and the nasty carpet that were in place when we bought the house. The wallpaper and carpet were so dreadful we ripped things out almost as soon as we closed on the place.
It was truly awful — the wallpaper and carpet smelled terrible and looked even worse. There’s no delicate way to describe it: just YUCK.
This was not a quick weekend DIY. It was a major, messy renovation, bordering on insanity — not the kind of project most people want to tackle.
This part of the house featured a back staircase that led down to the family room and the laundry area. For some reason I dreamed of walking down red steps with a white railing while doing laundry, and I was determined to make that vision real.
Before we could paint, we had to strip a lot of wallpaper. My mom kindly suited up and helped tackle the awful paper and odor. She was a tremendous help in rescuing the house one stairwell and hallway at a time — the residence had another equally ghastly staircase elsewhere.
My mom has a knack for transforming neglected houses. She’s rescued many homes over the years, and those dramatic before‑and‑after stories always amaze me. We borrowed a wallpaper steamer for this job because the paper was stubborn and the task was far from easy.
The hallways were layered with wallpaper — one hall connected to another with more of that lovely gold pattern — and looking back I sometimes wonder why we bought a house that needed so much work. At the time it seemed like an adventure; afterward I cringed at how bad it had been. All those stories are part of why our next home purchase felt different.
Ta‑da. Below you can see the finished red staircase and the dramatic before‑and‑after transformation. I walked those stairs many times carrying piles of laundry. It was also on these stairs and down in that laundry room that a memorable little incident occurred — a reminder that older homes come with surprises.
I really adored those stairs. My fascination with staircases goes back to my childhood home — stairs can be unexpectedly beautiful with a little care. I took the after photo right before moving, which is why the wall lacks artwork. For many years I lined the stairway with framed pictures of my children, and walking past their baby and school photos on the way to the laundry often made me pause and reflect on how quickly they were growing up.
I regret not taking a better photo of the family photo wall before we moved, but you can catch a glimpse of the hall and stairs from other angles in the family room pictures I do have.
If you worry that painted or wood steps show dust, they do — but it’s not unique to painted wood or dark colors. Dust happens everywhere.
Wiping the steps with a cloth cleaned them up easily and was far simpler than vacuuming carpeted stairs. Dusting became part of my weekly routine and was oddly satisfying: I enjoyed seeing the clean, polished stairs after wiping them down.
Now that I live in a house with carpeted stairs, I find myself lugging a vacuum up and down instead. I’m still not a fan of carpet on stairs, but for now it remains because of our dog, Winston. I’ll explain that story another time.
PS. A fellow blogger recently completed her own stair project and did a fantastic makeover — she’s been a big inspiration to many DIYers. I always appreciate seeing how others tackle the same challenges and love swapping stories and tips about stairs and small renovations.
(A reader also sent a great before‑and‑after photo of a black stairway makeover; such photos are motivating reminders that bold paint and elbow grease can make a huge difference.)