AFTER: STAIRCASE
At my old house, we gave this back staircase a much-needed DIY makeover. The photo above shows the finished result. The stairs began in rough shape — our 1930s English-style house needed a lot of cosmetic attention. I’ve shared more of that home elsewhere on the blog.
I never showed this project earlier because the makeover happened before I started blogging and before I owned a digital camera.
The original before photos were misplaced during a move, but I recently found and scanned them so you can see the full transformation. I decided to share now because Remodeling Guy sparked a conversation about painted steps.
Why not show off my red ones?
Warning: the series of before photos is not pretty. I don’t even have a photo of the wheelchair lift or the nasty carpet that were there when we bought the house. The ink was barely dry on the contract before we began ripping things out.
The wallpaper and old carpet were awful — they stunk and made the space feel oppressive. It was the kind of project that was far beyond a simple weekend DIY. Working in that environment felt borderline insane.
This staircase led down to a family room and laundry area. For reasons I can’t fully explain, I dreamed of bright red steps with a white railing leading to the laundry room. I was determined to make it happen.
Before painting, we had to remove layers of wallpaper. My mom saved the day, bravely taking on the stripping despite the smell and grime. We borrowed a wallpaper steamer for the job because it was a serious task. There was wallpaper in this hall and in the connected hallway — more than enough to make you wonder what we were thinking when we bought the house.
My mom is amazing at rescuing houses; she turned several ugly houses into lovely homes over the years. If I can find photos of those projects, I’ll share them. For now, this staircase is a small example of her handiwork.
Ta da. Below is the finished red staircase and the satisfying before-and-after result. I used those steps for years, hauling laundry up and down. The laundry room was also the site of one memorable “rat incident,” a curious little story from that time.
How I adored those stairs! I have always loved staircases — from the first two-story house my parents bought to every home since. With a bit of care, stairs can become a striking and functional feature of the home.
The after photo was taken right before we moved, so the wall was sparse. For years I displayed framed pictures of my children up the stairs; each trip down for laundry meant a small reminder of how quickly they were growing. Sometimes it made me teary, in a good way.
I regret not photographing the family photo wall before we left, but you can catch glimpses of the hall and stairs from the family room angle.
If you worry painted wood steps get dusty — they do — but that’s partly just the nature of dust in a home. Wiping them with a cloth cleaned them easily and was far simpler than vacuuming carpeted stairs. I actually looked forward to that quick weekly ritual of wiping and admiring the clean, fresh steps.
Now that I live in a house with carpeted stairs, I miss the ease of a quick wipe-down. For now I keep the carpet for practical reasons relating to our dog, Winston, which I’ll explain another time.
PS. A fellow blogger completed a wonderful stair makeover that inspired me — she did an amazing job, and I admire her work and hustle.
A reader also sent a before-and-after photo of a black stairway makeover that I enjoyed seeing; it’s always inspiring to see how a staircase can be transformed with paint and a little effort.