How to refinish painted stairs

Stripping paint — A daunting task for sure but well worth the outcome! These 100 year old farmhouse steps had gouges, exposed nail heads, and layers of hideous, brownish-orange paint. I started with a sander and 60 grit sandpaper and ended up using a paint stripper.

I started with a sander and 60 grit sandpaper but after spending more time than I care to admit on one step, I decided to use a chemical paint stripper. I let it sit for the recommended time and scraped the layers off. When I realized that many of the treads, particularly those at the bottom had too much damage to be refinished, I decided that refinishing the edges only and having a stair runner installed was the most economical way to go.
After I stripped the layers of paint off, I sanded with 120 grit sandpaper.

The floor on the landing was badly damaged as well and also had layers of paint on it. So I picked out a laminate flooring and decided to stain the stair treads the same color. The laminate I chose is Mannington Historic Oak in the color charcoal
Since the laminate is weathered, I selected 2 stains that closely matched and mixed other colors to match. There are a couple coats of stain with a little light sanding in between coats. I also watered down some white paint and washed it in to some of the open grain.

staining stairs
mixing stain to match flooring

After I finished staining and after the 8 hour recommended drying time, I put on 2 coats of polyurethane that is specially formulated for floors. I gave it couple days to harden and then taped off the stained areas and covered it with newspaper. Since the sander and stripper caused some unevenness in the risers, I used woodfiller and sanded with 120 grit sandpaper. I then applied 1 coat of stain blocking primer and 1 coat of satin white paint.
Last, we chose a carpet and had it installed by a local flooring company.

Receive the latest news

Don't Miss Anything!

Get notified about:

  • Sales
  • New Products
  • Our Portfolio
  • Tutorials