Thinking of painting your staircase banister? DO IT ALREADY! I contemplated painting mine for a couple of years. The honey-colored stain was getting dingey and worn from years of use – not to mention it totally clashed with our dark stained floors. But I worried that it wouldn’t turn out or I wouldn’t like it, and of coarse – painting wood! Eek. That’s the great thing about design, though – if you don’t like something, you can always change it! So, I finally just went for it and I am so happy with the results. 

I live in a home built in the late 70’s. There are so many things I love about living in an older home including the quality of the construction, the classic style (some not so classic, but those can be fixed), and the quirky details just not found in today’s modern builds. 

Our home has a classic wood banister that was stained a medium honey tone. To update the look for a more modern feel, I went with jet black paint. If you are doing this DIY style, it’s important to prep your banister properly and use the right paint.

I did this project over a long weekend. It was a bit of a painstaking process, but totally worth it. Don’t want to go the DIY route? A local painter can take care of the job for you. 

Follow these simple steps to update your banister:

1. Lightly sand the entire banister with 150 grit sandpaper.
2. Follow up with 220 grit sandpaper for a smooth finish. It’s ok if it’s not sanded down to bare wood. You just want a smooth surface and something for the primer to stick to.
3. Tape off all spindles. This is worth the time!
4. Put down painter’s tarps. There will be drips…
5. Paint banister railing with a coat of primer.
6. Now it’s time for the black paint! Make sure you purchase a quality paint. I like Sherwin Williams All Surface Enamel paint. I purchased black with a low sheen. It’s important to use paint that has enamel so it hardens and can take the wear and tear of a high traffic area.
7. Use a good quality slanted brush. You may want a large and a small one to get into all the nooks and crannies. For the best coverage, I suggest three coats. Follow the paint instructions on how long to wait in between coats. To achieve the smoothest finish, make sure not to go too thick with each coat.

Because our home is more on the modern traditional style, we kept our white spindles. If you want to go even more contemporary, consider changing out the wood spindles with iron ones. A fresh new carpet runner will help complete the look (on order – will post an updated pic once installed!). 

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