Do you have a stairwell in your home that is starting to look its age? Are the walls scuffed and the carpet worn? Is it begging for some attention? If so, here are some tips to give it a refreshing, new look.

Study the walls. Could they use a paint job? If so, prep, prime and paint them. When selecting paint, keep in mind that light colors will maximize the space and lighting, while dark colors may close in the space and make it difficult to see. As for the paint finish, flat will be cheaper than satin and semi-gloss, but will not clean up as well. If you expect lots of fingerprints, then you may want to pay a bit more for a satin or semi-gloss finish.

Along with the walls, you may also need to work on the banister. First, repair any spindles that are loose and then prep, prime and paint or sand and varnish the banister. If painting the banister, use satin or semi-gloss paint to make the cleaning of fingerprints easier.

With the walls and banister complete, you can move on to the floor. Take a look at the carpet. How worn is it? If it’s in decent shape and you have young children who could take a tumble, you might want to keep it and have it cleaned. If it is really worn and you can’t afford to replace it, then your best bet might be to remove the carpet and paint the stairs instead. For this, you will want to prep, prime and paint the stairs as you would any other surface. Keep in mind when selecting colors that you will probably want to paint the risers the same color as the trim and the treads brown to give them the appearance of wood. If you are an excellent faux finisher, you might even want to paint the treads to resemble wood.

Once you have painted the steps, you can leave them as is or add a runner down the middle. If you are really handy, you may be able to install the runner yourself. If not, you might want to have it professionally installed. Should you decide against a runner, you might want to add some sort of tacky surface for traction.

After you have completed the actual steps, you can start decorating the stairwell. If you already have some prints in place that you like, you may just want to give them a good cleaning. If you have a blank canvas, go ahead and add some prints, photos or other items. If you have a collection of hats, fishing lures or some other treasure, this might be a good place to display it. Finally, study the freshly painted steps. Do they seem plain? If so, add some stencils on the risers. Complete the look with a matching stenciled border on the walls.

Depending upon your stairwell, there are many more finishing touches you can add from additional artwork to shelves to greenery. The sky is the limit as long as you don’t do anything that will risk the safety of others. Don’t trade out a good overhead light for a nicer, dimmer one. You will put anyone who uses the stairs at risk, especially older family members.

Once you have completed your new stairwell, do what you can to keep it in good condition and free of clutter that could result in accidents. Spot-clean the walls, steps and carpeting as needed and repair any spindles that come loose on the banister. Wipe down the banister often and stash a basket near the bottom of the steps for items that need to go upstairs. That way, they won’t get placed on the steps where someone could trip over them.

Turning your stairwell into an attractive, safe area that everyone can enjoy takes some effort, but it is effort well spent. Enjoy the process of transformation!

source : www.novanewsnow.com