Colorful Modern Staircase Renovation Reveal
It’s done! (Well 99% done: I need to fill a new hole in the wall and add a piece of quarter round.) After 4 long months, I feel like I can count my staircase and hall makeover done!
Today I’m here with the whole modern staircase renovation reveal.
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DIY Staircase Renovation
It’s been a long journey. I started by painting the doors in the hallway black, then I hung wallpaper.
My son and I ripped down the old railings and removed the carpet from the stairs. From there, we repaired the stairs before staining and painting them.
I forgot to take a picture with the carpet on it, so this will have to do. The carpet was your typical builder’s beige complete with mystery stains.
Before the staircase renovation, the railings were very Colonial and way too traditional for my taste. You can also see a tiny glimpse of the cream-colored tile that always looked dirty. We were lucky that the treads were decent.
After, the staircase is modern and colorful with the addition of DIY railing and a fun runner.
We replaced the old tile with a pretty new grey tile that hides dog hair! (Anyone else’s doggy friend currently shedding like crazy?)
The staircase looks so pretty with the other rooms now. The runner was an inspiration point for the new paint color in the living and dining room.
I love how it looks between these 2 rooms now.
I wanted the stair railing to feel nice and open. My original plans were to use wire railing, but I feared it wouldn’t be to code. So I came up with an alternative that cost even less money. The DIY railing is made from hog pen fencing and lumber.Â
I wanted to cry a few times during the process, so I’m glad that the end results are exactly how I envisioned them. Visually, the rooms still feel open to each other.
I recommend that your dog match your home decor. Such a cutie! She likes to sit on the stairs and look out the windows. I think she’s pretending she’s people. 😉
I really love the runner with the wallpaper. Funny story about the runner. I bought 3 normal runners from RugsUSA during their black Friday sale, but I never opened them until last Friday when I went to install them.
We got one installed and I opened the other 2 and noticed that they were different. Luckily they’re the same color so they seem like they match until you look closely. It’s a happy accident and I like how unique they are.
I originally wanted to plank the stairwell walls, but my husband refused because he didn’t think it was “worth dying to have some stripes on the walls.”
That’s how I got him to do the tile. 😉 So instead of planking the walls, I’m going to create a gallery of bad art.
My beloved paint by numbers are hung now, but I have a lot more bad art in my crawl space. The kitschier, the better! Walking down these stairs every morning is so delightful!
We removed the old handrail and replaced it with copper pipe. This was installed a few hours before writing this post, so it’s not in all of the pictures. This copper pipe handrail was one of the easier DIYs.
Isn’t it pretty??? I’m going to let it patina and get even prettier!
This might be the best thing that we have ever created. It’s thrilling to see your vision come to life. All the heart-eye emojis!
Colorful Modern Staircase Renovation Reveal
Every tutorial about this modern staircase makeover.
Learn how to remove carpet from a staircase.
Read more about how to remove a stair railing and how to fill holes before staining your wood staircase.
Learn the correct order for painting and staining stairs.
Did you know that you can use regular runner rugs for a stair runner? Read my tips and tricks.
This gorgeous modern railing feels so open and airy. Learn how we built it.
Copper pipe makes a great hand rail. Learn how to make your own.
Wallpaper is perfect for boring hallways. Learn my tricks for installing wallpaper on a wall full of doorways.
Read more about how to paint your doors.
Other staircase renovation posts:
- Painting doors black
- Wallpapering
- Carpet demo
- Prepping the stairs for stain
- Staining and painting the stairs
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Emy is a vintage obsessed mama of 2 DIYer who loves sharing affordable solutions for common home problems. You don’t need a giant budget to create a lovely home. Read more…
i LOOOOOOVE it! love the color of the runners and may have to do this in my playroom staircase- so good! and i can’t wait to see the railing post; they look awesome! i’m currently updating ours but just with paint- i don’t have the skills to build a new one!
Thanks Cassie! The runners were pretty easy to install. And I love how they look so much. I think this staircase tested our DIY building skills and was so close to being beyond our skills. 😉
Can’t wait to see your playroom stairs!
I love this redo! Love the colors as well. I have been thinking of redoing my stairs and love the copper pipe handrail…may use that! Also, love the color of the aqua walls in the living area. I would love to know what color that is. I love the look of it. Thanks!
Thanks so much Bev! It’s Sherwin Williams Cooled Blue. I love the color so much and highly recommend it!
I LOVE the mismatched (yet matching) runners… and that your dog matches your home decor! ha! Oh, and the bad art… awesome!!
I just found your blog via Cassie Bustamante, and it looks like it’s just my style!! I’m off to check out more of your decor ideas!
Tania
Thanks Tania! I was so upset when I saw that I had ordered mismatching runners, but they turned out so unique. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Love! Your taste is absolutely exquisite. Especially love the wall of “bad art.” Bad art is the best!!!! Where are you finding the paint by numbers? (Or did you paint them yourself?)
Thanks Leslie. I’ve been collecting the paint by numbers at flea markets for years. I only buy them if they’re super inexpensive or if I love them.
You guys are very clever. Love the railing and how you made it. And the color of the runners are perfect for you. It really does tie the rooms together. Well done.
Thanks Susie! Can’t wait to read your post on your staircase!