Thursday, January 14, 2010

The Evolution of the Stairs



I finally got around to painting the stairs! It was a job I was dreading but now that it's done, I can't help but ask myself why I hadn't done it sooner. Well, I know the answer to this...I've been busy doing other things.

I painted everything Simply White by Benjamin Moore except the stair treads which are painted Bennington Gray, also by Benjamin Moore.



This is what the stairs looked like when we bought the place. Miraculously, they haven't changed much in terms of the bare bones. There have been a few treads replaced, a new railing installed on the upstairs landing, and an electrician wired in a light fixture. But other than that, all they've required is a fresh coat of paint.

But a space can change dramatically through changes that are made elsewhere. This is the case with our stairs. After the dormer and six new windows were added upstairs, they saw their first breath of sunlight...oh, happy stairs.

27 comments :

  1. Ph Trina! You've inspired me!!! We've had JUST THE PRIMER on our stairs for over a month now!! We just need to add a couple more coats but haven't gotten around to it.

    Yours look beautiful!!!
    xoxo thank you!!

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  2. what a huge difference..light and new paint can make...

    Allison.


    p.s your house is amazing
    www.littlethistles.blogspot.com

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  3. I never thought it was possible for stairs to be beautiful...but you have changed this girls mind! Love all the white! ~mary~

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  4. Trina - those look heavenly. It's miraculous what a little white paint can do.

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  5. What a huge difference it made. They look wonderful.

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  6. love the stairs... they look great... x pam

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  7. Love it -- what a difference! Your stairs look awesome.

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  8. It's so bright there now- just wondering, did you use porch paint? I painted mine last year and they were a little slippery at first. I went back to Lowes to see if there was something I could do about it and the guy told me that I should have used porch paint. ??? I had never heard of doing that. The grey is such a pretty color. I used a dark mahogany brown but it shows way too much dust!
    Sarah

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  9. Oh they look beautiful Trina, you've done a great job there...Mel xxx

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  10. They look wonderful and the light pouring down them is just wonderful. Beautiful. Hugs, Marty

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  11. They look wonderful and so much happier with the sunlight! I love the color Simply White, all the trim in our house and our kitchen cabinets are that color and I'm painting an old bucket bench with it right now!

    Great job! Kat :)

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  12. The look is so clean and fresh. I love your style! It is just beautiful. All the best, Lori

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  13. Your stairs look great and I love the color combination. I think I'm going to have to copy you :). Ours are just muslin (an old Martha Stewart color) and so hard to keep clean.

    Daryl

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  14. This looks so great. What a difference natural light makes. That's what is missing in parts of our current home.

    I just love your blog. Thank you for sharing everything you do.

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  15. They look lovely and fresh with the white on the risers and the sun shining down on them.

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  16. OH MAN.......I have three staircases to paint and I just want to wait until all the other stuff is done - but now you've got me thinking......maybe

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  17. Ahh....what a lovely and clean staircase! I've yet to restore mine...which is covered in l100 years of layers of gross lumpy paint! In your original picture, are the walls plaster or wallpaper?

    : )

    Julie M.

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  18. Looks great. Funny how seemingly simple fixes can take so long!

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  19. beautiful!! what hard work - and what a huge reward!

    Have a sweet day ~

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  20. Beautiful. It would also look great to put numbers on the front of those steps. I have seen it done all over blog land.

    Heidi

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  21. I truly believe white aint can cure anything!!

    Thanks for the photographic evidence :) Looks fabulous

    jules

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  22. Hi Sarah, We used porch and floor, which is both an interior and exterior floor paint. The sheen is pretty flat so they haven't felt very slippery at all. xoTrina

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  23. Hi Julie, The walls are the original plaster on the lower portion of the stairwell wall. Drywall was added to the upper half of the wall (from second floor flooring and up) when they installed the new dormer. xoTrina

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  24. Hi Trina,

    I think we are all in agreement here when we all say what a difference a coat of paint makes. The stairs looked dark and plastic before and now they look as they should look and in keeping with the house. Yes, maybe when we don't get to things as quickly as we'd like, it makes us appreciate it more when it does get done. Job well done.
    Have a wonderful weekend.
    Take care
    Janine
    XXOO
    Tasmania, Australia

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  25. They look beautiful! I'm in the process of painting the stairs in my old, rustic country house as well. It is a daunting task that takes such crisp precision!

    I stained our treads ebony and am going to paint the risers white. I have the priming finished, but it took forever and a day! The thought of adding those additional coats of paint to it is a bit intimidating.

    Yours look so beautiful though, so I'm feeling renewed motivation. Thanks for the timely post!

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  26. You have a lovely blog. I started painting my hall which has our stairs in it without any thought of what I was going to do with the stairs. I'm now done everything but the stairs and thanks to your blog I'm not scared to go ahead with them. Thanks.

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  27. This may be a dumb question - our treads are white & they get so scuffed up with heel marks... Does anyone have a recommendation on how to avoid the many scuff marks? Possibly a shelac over the paint? I love your blog! :)
    ceddins965@yahoo.com

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Thank you for leaving your thoughts. Kind regards, Catherine

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