Everywhere around you can’t help but see fabulous images of newly decorated rooms, restored furniture and freshly painted walls. As beautiful as they are, I can’t help wonder – How do these gorgeous interiors actually hold up over time?
Don’t get me wrong, I love a great before & after or a creative makeover, but some of my favourite posts in Blogland are the ones about how these gorgeous spaces and projects are holding up and what these amazing interiors look like a month/ a year/ an excessive party later.
After all, if you are thinking about painting your floors white, installing expensive bookcases or purchasing a budget kitchen, don’t we all really want to know about how things are working out and holding up in everyday life?
A little over a year ago we shared the results of our epic DIY Edwardian staircase restoration with you.
We were really happy with how the stairs turned out, but after having our project featured on Apartment Therapy, we gained quite a bit of criticism, mainly saying that the staircase wouldn’t look good for long, as it would get a lot of scuffing, get very worn and need constant repainting, etc.
So, if all of you sceptics out there are considering stripping, staining and painting your wooden staircase, but are worried about how it will hold up, here’s how we are getting on with ours.
Dust
Yes – of course, we have dust on the treads, but it’s really nothing major. Anyone who has hard floors in their home will know that you occasionally end up with dust bunnies in the corners of the rooms, but they really couldn’t be easier to clean away.
All we occasionally do is wipe the stairs down with a Swiffer. In less than 2 minutes they’re clean again.
Scuffs, Scratches & Chips
None so far! In general don’t wear shoes in the house, so that the stair treads aren’t exposed to a lot of dirt and rough surfaces.
Having said that, when we had the wall between the kitchen and dining room removed we had a lot of builders going up and down the stairs for a few days, with their big and fairly dirty shoes on. They still held up fine. Absolutely no scuffs or chips on the treads and just minimal dirt on the risers which can easily be cleaned away.
Dirty Risers
No problem at all except for when the builders were in and left a few dirty marks with their boots. Luckily it was easy enough to wipe away and for the more stubborn marks we just used a magic eraser.
White Paintwork
Still white, still no chips. All we’ve done so far is give it an occasional wipe with a damp cloth.
All in all we couldn’t be happier with the result and with how the staircase still looks a year later. We definitely have no regrets in choosing the stained and painted finish.
If you followed our staircase restoration process, you’ll know that we were planning on installing a runner up the stairs. Our plans haven’t changed, it’s just taking a bit longer than expected, as we can’t have one installed until we’ve had the staircase to the loft installed.
Do you have varnished and painted stairs? If so, are you happy with them? Do you also wonder what projects look like after some real-life use?
Hi. Which paint did you use ? Our painted stairs constantly need repainting.
Our treads are stained and varnished, they aren’t painted. Painted treads will almost always chip and mark which is why we always recommend using a high-quality stain followed by multiple coats of varnish. The risers and bannisters are painted in an oil-based paint which is generally more durable than waterbased (although a good quality waterbased paint will work just as well). We weren’t overly happy with the white paint that we used as it started to turn yellow after a while. Apparently, they’ve now changed the formula and it doesn’t do that anymore but we’ve not tested it since. The white paint that we used is Dulux Pure Brilliant White in Eggshell.
Cx
Perfect. This was just what I needed! Thanks for giving the “How it wears” version!
You’re welcome, Laura! Glad to hear you found it helpful!
Cx
Thanks for doing an update! I am redoing my staircase, and I also received a lot of feedback from people saying that it will just chip up after time. I also hear about dirt collecting, including when I redid our railings in white. I don’t find it to be a huge deal! These are surfaces that should be cleaned anyway, so I would prefer to be able to see it instead of the dirt hiding in something like carpeting. Your staircase looks wonderful and it is great to hear that it is holding up after all that hard work.
Isn’t it weird how people say that dust will collect because of the colour of something? Totally agree with you, Marysa – just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t have to be occasionally cleaned!
Our staircase held up beautifully even longer, although I should say that we did eventually install a runner. It had always been the plan and I think it really finished it off (apart from the fact that it was also less slippy then, too).
I’m sure your staircase will look amazing when it’s finished!
Cx
Hi I want to paint my treads on the stairs grey I have it Stain and varnish can you advise me what paint to used please
We always recommend staining rather than painting treads and then adding multiple coats of varnish on top to seal it as it’ll obviously be a surface that will have to take a lot of wear and tear. Ultimately, the type of (wood) paint you use is up to you, but if you do decide to paint the treads, I’d definitely recommend adding a few coats of clear varnish on top to seal the surface and protect the paint finish.
Hope that helps!
Cx
Omg thanks so much for post I’m currently ordering stairs for our 1988 house wanted mahogany steps and rail and was wondering about wear and tear. Do u prefer the runner for walking up and down thanks Teresa Ireland
You’re so welcome, Teresa! We love the runner as it makes it really nice to walk on, less slippy and a lot quieter, too!
Cx
Did you stain the treads and paint the riser? I want to paint the treads as well. (all White semigloss). Thinking of trying it on existing pine stair tread and risers or maybe retro to red oak or white oak wood. Very confused! :( please help!!
Thanks
We always recommend against painting the treads, Richard. Ours are stained and varnished. If the varnish should chip, the stain underneath will still be intact whereas if you paint the treads any scuffs and chips will be immediately visible and could leave your staircase looking a bit messy over time.
Hope that helps!
Cx
It looks fabulous, we also wanted to paint our new staircase but the decorator strongly advises against it. What kind of wood used in your staircase, pine, oak? Also, do mind sharing the brand names and shades of the color used.
Thank you, Faisal! Our staircase is made out of pine. In Edwardian houses, the staircase would have always been painted so we were keen to restore it to what it would have looked like. Having said that, only the spindles are painted – the treads are stained and varnished. I would definitely advise against painting the treads as the paint will probably chip and leave the staircase looking rather messy. If you stain and varnish them (like we did) there’s less chance of marks being visible.
We used a Fiddes Non-Grain Raising Stain in Mahogany to stain both the treads and handrail (I think we applied two coats). The handrail was then waxed & polished and the treads are varnished with Granwax Aquathane Floor Varnish in Satin – which is the same varnish that we used on all floors in the house.
Hope that helps!
Cx
Ok I’ll have to get some varnish after I touch it up. Thanks for the tip!
You’re welcome!
Cx
I just bought a house a month ago that has dark blue painted steps and while vacuuming today I noticed a bunch of scratches in the paint. Thankfully the seller left paint so I’ll have to touch up and we will need to adopt a no shoe policy.
Our steps were stained and then varnished which is always what I would recommend, Jenna. If the clear varnish chips the coloured stain underneath won’t get damaged. Obviously, your stairs are already painted so a no shoe policy will definitely help!
Cx
We painted floors and stairs white using a Ronseal diamond hard floor paint in our last house. It needed a lot of maintenance for chips and scratches and dirt. Yours looks great though. I am hoping in this new house to do something like this.
Good to know how things hold up over time, especially if you have kids and pets as we do.
Thanks, Mark! It’s always annoying when projects don’t turn out like you’d expect. We absolutely loved our staircase and it held up really well. I would definitely recommend using a stain and clear varnish in high traffic areas! If the varnish chips or scratches any imperfections won’t be visible as stain below will still be there!
Cx