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Design Dilemma
aoifenich

Stairway revamp

aoifenich
8 years ago

Hello. I'm about to repaint and revamp house starting with the staircase. It's the first thing you see when you open the front door - picture below. I'm going to paint the walls and banisters some nice shade of white, rip out the carpet, paint the stairs. But...how? I love the white and blue painted stairs in the other picture. My only concern is that with two small children I should really have a runner so that they won't slip on the stairs. I'd love to achieve the same vibe as the blue and white but with a runner. Impossible? I'm also including another type of staircase that I like (the yellow runner one). This post doesn't have a clear question - sorry! But if anyone has any ideas feel free to throw them at me. Oh, and don't talk to me about the floor tiles! They extend into the kitchen which is to the right and I hate them but I can't do anything about them for the moment. Any inspiration re runners which would achieve something similar to the blue and white below would be most welcome and appreciated!

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Featured Answer
  • PRO
    BeverlyFLADeziner
    8 years ago

    Once took a series of inexpensive matching woven rag rugs and used them down a staircase. Had to cut them, turn under the edge at the stair nose and staple them to the wood. But they have preformed well for years and the solution was very inexpensive.

    Comments (15)

    • User
      8 years ago

      You could achieve the blue and white look with a blue runner. Or a blue and white striped runner. I'm sure with all the design companies out there someone makes what you want. If you do decide to paint the stairs be sure to get a paint that is made for it. If you use a regular latex paint it will wear too quickly.

      aoifenich thanked User
    • tatts
      8 years ago

      I'd get rid of the newel post and mount the handrail to the wall. It looks, now, like that wall was added later. Nobody puts a newel post next to a wall like that,

    • aoifenich
      Original Author
      8 years ago

      Well Tatts, that thought wouldn't have occurred to me in a million years! Thanks. When I look at something every day I don't even think about it. It's a fairly old house that's gone through changes over the years so I must ask about the wall / stairs and which came first. But I have a suspicion that someone just went ahead and did indeed put a newel post next to the wall. So now, I have something else to consider. Great stuff.


      Oh, and Rollinggirl I appreciate the advice re special paint for the stairs. I'll certainly act on that.

    • aoifenich
      Original Author
      8 years ago
      It looks lovely Beverly. It's beyond my skill level but I might have to go that route. It seems to be hard to find a nice affordable runner. The patterns/colours I like all seem to be rugs...
    • Jennifer K
      8 years ago

      You might paint your stairs and then add an anti-skid treatment like this.

      aoifenich thanked Jennifer K
    • leslieejsmith
      8 years ago
      last modified: 8 years ago

      These are wood stairs I am guessing, and while I know I may be alone in this, I would skip trying to have carpeting here.

      I would paint the stairs, probably with two colors; the risers & the steps. Then you can do whatever you want, the skies the limit! Imagine the cool graphics possibilities or even just fun designs while kids are small...

      The only expensive thing I would do is remove the current railing (& newel post) and install a very clean, simple Low Profile railing on Both Sides, for safety. I am talking about the ones that are little more than a beefed up chair rail with extra curves to wrap your fingers around. Integrate them in with your paint scheme & it will look very timeless in style.

      Kids can learn stair safety, and having two places to hold on will help accomplish that.

      And P.S. you can paint on a non-skid runner if you think it is needed. But I wouldn't. So get some high quality painters tape and start designing!

      Best you you! It sounds like an awesome fun project to me!

      aoifenich thanked leslieejsmith
    • Valinta
      8 years ago

      mount handrail on wall as suggested, ditching the newell post.. Are your children small and not able to reach the regulation height of a wall-mount handrail?. If so consider a second smaller rail mounted lower until they grow.

      aoifenich thanked Valinta
    • einportlandor
      8 years ago

      I find carpeted stairs easier to slip on than wood stairs. With young kids, though, you'll want to consider the noise factor.

      aoifenich thanked einportlandor
    • aoifenich
      Original Author
      8 years ago

      Guys, this is an incredibly helpful discussion to me. Thanks to everybody - I didn't even know that anti-skid solution existed. As for painting versus runner, I'd love just the paint if I could get away with it and I also like the idea of the different colours on the risers and the steps (see other photo below).


      As for the noise factor with the kids, this is a small house and noise carries everywhere anyway so I don't think that'll bother me unduly. The stairs are a little steep and they don't tend to race up and down them. Safety-wise...The eldest is as nimble as a mountain goat and reaches the handrail but the younger one is very cautious on the stairs and can't reach the rail.


      But.. If I remove the newel post doesn't it have implications for the top of the stairs - see picture. Wouldn't the handrail just end before the top of the stairs is reached? I'm almost embarrassed to ask because my spatial relations are notoriously bad! Do set me straight gently!

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    • tatts
      8 years ago

      You can leave the handrail the same distance from the wall as it is now. Leave it connected to the newel post at the top; remove the newel post at the bottom, and add what's called a 'return' to anchor the bottom end to the wall. Then add a couple of brackets going up the stairs. The challenge is that the return should match the profile of the handrail, in order to blend, but check at the home center or a lumber yard/mill to see if you can match it (take measurements/drawings/close-up photos, etc.).

      As for painting the stairs--be careful with "fun" graphics. The treads and risers need to be clearly defined and regular. For example, a plaid or check that doesn't match the tread and riser exactly at each step is a trip hazard and may not meet building codes. People need to be able to see the treads clearly even without paying attention to them. Walking is an unconscious activity and we need to make it as easy as possible. Confusing patterns are a menace.

      In NYC, they put new edges on treads on one stairway at one train station that were designed to make them less slippery. However, they also made it more difficult to discern the edge of the tread. In 6 weeks, more than 1,400 people fell down those stairs. Then they redid them.

      Over 90% of injuries on stairs happen during descent.

      I highly recommend Bill Bryson's great book 'At Home--A Short History of Private Life'. The NYC anecdote above came from Chapter 14--'The Stairs'. Fascinating and amusing book.

      My house is 100 years old, so I feel your pain dealing with the changes and additions that happened over time.

      aoifenich thanked tatts
    • leslieejsmith
      8 years ago

      Yes of course safety is number one, I have tumbled down stairs twice in my life, carpeted and bare wood. (well, three times if you count when I was two & my big sister tossed me down- ouch!)

      I like that pic of the alternating colored risers, fun doesn't have to be silly or dangerous. Obviously a pulsar graph would be a problem!, so don't do that!

      As to the top and the continuity, please check around and see if there is a stair company in your town. A visit there with a pic of your situation to show might help you decide what transition makes the most sense and gives you the most space in your narrow stairwell. Stair companies also have websites for anonymous browsing too of course. There is more than one way to address that. And, don't be silly! Why would you know anything about the mechanics of stair building? :-) Best ...


      aoifenich thanked leslieejsmith
    • aoifenich
      Original Author
      8 years ago

      Ok. I get it now. This evening is turning out quite educational. There are no stair companies around here but we do have good carpenters who I trust will handle this issue no problem. Before this evening I wouldn't have even thought about changing the railing. And interesting to know how the brain interprets the steps. I'm definitely going to get that Bill Bryson book. I read two of his travel books in the past which I thoroughly enjoyed and then forgot all about him. And I need something new to read.

      Another reason I don't want to go too funky with the stairs is because it's a house that's small without a lot of storage space and it's a battle to keep it tidy-looking what with toys strewn everywhere. I'm not rocking a minimalist look at the moment! So I have an urge to simplify. To keep things as clean and simple as I can. Also the stairs is the first thing you see on opening the front door, so I'd like it to look calm and inviting.

      Those big sisters have a lot to answer for - mine threw me out of the pram onto a concrete floor apparently. She's warmed to me since, thank God.


    • jhmarie
      8 years ago

      These are my stair carpet treads just as another possibility:

      My pics -work in progress: · More Info

      aoifenich thanked jhmarie
    • aoifenich
      Original Author
      8 years ago

      Thanks for that jhmarie. I like how clean and fresh it looks.

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