We are almost to the end, people! If you followed my last blog post then you went through steps 1-5 already. This post will show the complete staircase remodel before and after and how we finally get to the finish line! These next few steps are a little more tedious but it makes it all worth while!
So you’ve done the annoying stuff. Now is the time for it all to start coming together. These few steps are the ones that give you the momentum to take you to the finish line because you can start getting a glimpse of completion!
In this post we will go over gel stain, painting, and installing a runner. I will give you my recommendations for tools based on others reviews but also trial and error for myself.
This project was a little daunting for me because it was a pretty big undertaking for me and my husband, but we learned so much and we are so happy with the outcome. If you are feeling unsure or defeated let this be the sign you need to push forward and keep going! The end product is truly so satisfying and makes us so proud that we did this ourselves. And you will feel the same way!
This post is all about our staircase remodel before and after!
Staircase Remodel Before and After
Step one: Gel Stain
Supplies:
Shop Vac
Gel Stain in desired color (I used black)
Sock
Gloves
Rags
Before you start anything I highly recommend dusting and vacuuming your space. I recommend doing this before starting almost any step because seriously dust collects SO FAST!
Also, disclaimer – I kind of do my own thing a lot. I’m very impatient with certain things. So my “technique” is the quickest/easiest way that this could be done (that I have found) and a lot of this is I discovered because of trial and error.
So, first off, I used Minwax Gel Stain in Black. I’ve also used General Finishes before which worked really well too but Minwax is what they had at Lowes. A little bit goes a long way with this stuff.
Before I started I did my research (aka looked at a couple reviews/blog posts). There were a lot of recommendations to use a foam brush which is what I started with. I can see the benefits of using a foam brush if you are staining something like cabinets or a piece of furniture, but it was actually pretty difficult to use the foam brush on spindles with a lot of curves. I kept using the foam brush until someone suggested putting gloves on, then a sock on my hand and doing it that way. WOW – I’m not even kidding – doing it this way easily saved me hours of work. So, if you need to have a cleaner more precise finish a foam brush might be best but if you have a lot of crevices and grooves definitely use a sock.
I waited 8 hours in between coats. And let me tell you – after I did the first coat I was terrified because it looked horrendous. I thought that I ruined my stairs; But, after getting some words of encouragement from friends that had used this product before, I pushed on. After the second coat it looked a million times better (see pics below). I did a total of 3 coats and then just touched up a couple spots.
Step 2: Paint (optional)
Supplies:
Black Enamel in semi gloss
Paint Brush or roller
This step is completely optional, but I thought it was necessary for us. Since we were also changing the color of our stairs (risers, treads, skirtboard, etc.) we knew that we would either be painting or staining them.
After gel staining the railing and having it take 3+ coats, I thought that paint would be a quicker solution and also provide more coverage. That way we could do less coats. Yay!
The first option we chose was a matte finish enamel. We did not realize that the gel stain finish actually had a bit of a sheen to it. So once we started painting the stairs with the matte enamel we realized it did not look right. Not only were the two different finishes grossly apparent, but the matte finish made it VERY streaky. Part of the issue was that we were painting MDF which has absolutely no texture to it. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to throw a primer down but of course, I did not. So, onto our next idea…
The matte enamel looked terrible so I thought I would just go over it with the gel stain and it would look cohesive to the railings. No. I put the gel stain on and it looked horribly uneven and streaky. After having just used the gel stain, I know that this is part of the process. But, I really did not want to do 2 more coats of the gel stain to get the desired look. I had also already seen how easily the gel stain can chip (which is why clear coating is a MUST) and I felt confident that option 3 would be a better solution to everything…
Option 3 was going in with a semi gloss enamel. My reasoning for choosing enamel for the stairs is because it is more durable than regular paint. Stairs are definitely a high traffic area so this felt right. The semi gloss enamel was totally the right choice and looked great with the finish of the gel stain.
I just want to note that if we did not have the MDF and had all wood to work with, I do think the gel stain would have been a fine choice. I just did not like how it looked when applied to the MDF. That is why I say this step is optional – because you can totally use the gel stain for everything!
Step 3: Clear Coat
Supplies:
Polyurethane
Brush
I’ll be honest, I have not clear coated my stairs yet. But it really is a necessity. My stairs have already chipped because they are not clear coated yet, so MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS! There are different finishes that you can get just like paint : matte, gloss, semi gloss etc.
Step 4: Install the Runner
Supplies:
Rug pad
Staples
I will probably do a more in depth blog post on this whole step because it never hurts to have more detail.
First, I would measure to get a good idea of how much runner you will need. No, you do not need to buy an actual stair runner. A runner rug will do just fine! That is what we used and it’s been great!
Always error on the side of caution – buy more than what you need and you can always return.
Measure the riser, measure the tread and use a flexible ruler to measure the stair nose. Multiply this by how many stairs you have. Make sure you also add on your landing if you have one. Once you have calculated your runner length, you can purchase your runners. Most likely, you will not find a runner that will fit your calculations perfectly and you will have to make some cuts. Unless you get a custom runner made. Which, if you’re here for a DIY staircase makeover I highly doubt you’re going to be dropping that kind of money on a custom runner.
We decided to add a rug pad underneath for a little extra support. We ended up getting a couple 5×8 rug pads and cutting them down to size. It was cheaper for us this way. We cut them in half so that it was 2.5 x 8 which gave us 16 feet to work with from each 5×8 rug pad. We’re all about savin a buck!
Once those steps are completed, you are ready to start stapling. The staple gun we used is by Bostitch. It’s inexpensive and worked well!
Think really hard about where you want your runners to end and begin. Pay attention to what will be at eye level. We had two runners that we used and we knew that the way we wanted them laid out meant that we had to cut one and piece it together. It was super important that we made sure that this was done at a spot that was not super noticeable. We did not want the runners to have a raw exposed edge anywhere so we were mindful of everything to avoid this.
We followed a pattern on where to staple. It was a picture that we had seen online and it was a great way to secure the runner. Basically, you staple under the stair nosing on the both sides, one in the middle, and then one staple on each side between the middle staple and end staple. See the picture below for it to make more sense. We stapled the orange first, then purple and then blue to reinforce the top.
And this is the final product!
And that is it! I hope this post was helpful and gave you a little encouragement to start your won project! I have part one of this staircase remodel before and after linked below. Enjoy!
Other posts you may like:
Staircase Remodel DIY (Part One)
11 Absolutely Must See Cozy Kitchen Ideas
DIY Bathroom Makeover | Quick & Easy Tips To Bring Your Bathroom Back To Life
Warm and Cozy Home Decor | The Absolute Best, Budget Friendly Places to Find it