In most homes, the stairs in the main living area of the house will be either carpeted, covered with hardwood flooring or vinyl flooring material.
The basement stairs however, are a different story. These are usually painted or, have been left unpainted (as in the case of a new house). Exterior steps too, such as those leading to a porch or deck are often painted and will need repainting from time to time.
Painting stair steps requires a special paint, made specifically for foot traffic and a little know how to make the job go smoothly.
Preparation
If the house is new, or the stairs are newly installed, you may simply need to clean the steps in order to prepare them for paint. Use a "5 in 1" tool or putty knife to scrape off any mud or drywall compound that might have dripped on to the stairs during remodeling or construction.
After scraping, use a vacuum to thoroughly remove all dust and dirt. Normally, this is clean enough for most situations, but if your steps are really dirty, you can wash the steps down with soap and water, allowing them to dry completely after rinsing. Complete drying will usually take about 24 hours if painting with a latex paint - longer if using an oil paint.
Gray wood
Wood that has weathered or been exposed to the elements for a period of time will turn gray. This dead, gray wood surface must be sanded down to fresh clean wood prior to painting for proper paint adhesion.
Paint
My favorite paint for steps, either interior or exterior, is the Sherwin Williams Porch and Floor Enamel. This product can be used directly on bare wood without the need to prime, and can be used indoors or outdoors. It comes in a low (satin) sheen, and is water based. It can be tinted to a variety of colors to suit any situation. This product is made for foot traffic and will not quickly wear away under foot as a standard house paint would.
Color
Probably the most common paint color used on steps, and basement steps in particular, is the standard floor medium gray. You can tint the Porch and Floor Enamel to most light to medium colors as desired (see label for maximum tint) for a more decorative appearance. Porches and steps on the exterior are often painted in various shades of brown as well. You should keep in mind that very light colors (off whites) will show dirt, and for this reason, may not be the best color choice for your steps.
Painting sequence
Stairs need to be painted in a sequence, or you will not be able to paint them in one continuous application, and you may even get trapped in the basement for instance, until the paint dries, if you paint out of this sequence.
- Start with the stringers. The stringers are the sides of the staircase. Paint these first, starting at the top of the stairs and work your way down the stairs. Usually, the stringers are painted with a brush. Use a 2” or 3” latex brush (nylon / polyester bristle mix) - if using my recommended step paint.
- Next, paint the risers. The risers, as the name would indicate, are the vertical pieces of the stairs that your toes will bump sometimes as you walk up and down the stairs on the treads. Paint the risers starting at the top of the stairs, working your way down to the bottom.
- Lastly, you will paint the treads. The treads are the steps themselves. You will reverse the painting order with the treads. You will paint the treads (in most cases- but not always as in the case of exterior porch steps) from the bottom up, to prevent trapping yourself in the basement (until the paint dries on the treads).
- The treads can be painted with a brush, but if you are painting from the bottom of the stairway, up to the top, you may find it easier to use a mini roller with a long handle. The long handle will not require as much bending over at the waist, making it a bit easier to apply the paint to the treads.
Allow the paint to dry (4 hours if using my recommended Porch and Floor Enamel), before recoating. Recoating is necessary for good coverage and durability. On the second coat proceed in the same manner as the first coat, except when it comes to the treads. On the second coat, you may want to add some slip resistance texture into the paint (on the treads only) for best results. There are sand additives made for floor paints, but most of these are very coarse, too coarse for my liking. The additive I like to use on stairs and floors is called SharkGrip, which has a finer grind than most floor texture additives. The finer grind makes for easier cleaning and better wear in my opinion. Simply add the texture to the paint in the prescribed amounts per the product label, and mix thoroughly. You may apply the textured paint in the same manner as you did the first coat, with a roller, or a brush if you’d prefer.
Allow the paint to dry per product label before subjecting the steps to foot traffic. There are various degrees of cure and hardening. With my favorite step paint, light foot traffic is OK after 24 hours of dry time. Heavier traffic is better withstood after several days of curing time.
Related Articles: Painting Wood Floors, Porches and Steps
Weathered wood does not accept paint very well, and the paint bond will be weak if you don't remove the gray, dead wood cells prior to painting.
Exterior steps can be quickly prepared with a pressure washer to remove the weathered, gray wood prior to painting.
On the interior (as well as exterior if you’d prefer), instead of pressure washing , which isn’t uaually practical on the inside of the house, you can use an orbital sander to remove the dead gray wood, and resurface the steps down to fresh clean wood.
How to Paint Stair Steps
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