Give Your Stairs A Major Design Upgrade Without Any Demo Or Sanding

A stairway is a functional element that can also add or subtract from your home's aesthetic. Many front doorways open up to the view of a stairway, so maintaining it can make a good impression. Due to daily foot traffic, your once-vibrant stairway may become worn down and need a fresh coat of paint. How do you know if your stairs need a new paint job? Look out for chips and cracks that can happen with age or from a prior poor paint job. Pets and foot traffic can leave scuff marks, and stains can set in from water damage or general wear over time.

Re-painting your stairs can add value to your property, create a dynamic focal point, and protect the stairway's underlying material — that is, if you do it correctly. Whether working on the interior or exterior of the home, a proper paint job usually involves certain preparation steps, such as sanding. In Wazhomedecor's video, the Instagram user (named Michelle) was able to transform their stairway in a few simple steps without sanding beforehand.

In this short video, Michelle starts by priming the stairs with Retique It Light Wood Color Liquid Wood and follows it up with a coat of Varathane Kona Stain. They apply two coats of black paint and seal it in with Varathane Matte Polyurethane. While the final result looks beautiful, one should bear in mind why sanding may be necessary and consider which products are best to use.

Skipping sanding may not always be the best idea, as most experts advise sanding the stairway to some degree before painting. It's essential to creating roughness or traction for paint and primer to adhere to. Sanding helps to level the surface and remove imperfections like scratches and dents. The process can also help remove years of built-up grime and dirt. With foot traffic on stairs, you likely have more dirt and bacteria than on other surfaces. Even if you use staining instead of painting, sanding is a necessary step. If you skip the sanding prep, your stair surface may not absorb staining well since the process helps open up wood's pores. Existing scratches will also stand out with new staining.

Before you start sanding your stairs, sweep away dirt or dust. Cover nearby furniture in tarp or move items into another room to prevent them from getting covered in sand dust. You also need to protect your eyes and lungs from the debris, so wear goggles and a mask. It's best to use a mechanical sander or heavy-duty sandpaper as you follow the grain of the wood on the stairs. One caveat is to only sand spindles, handrails, and bannisters by hand. When manually sanding hard-to-reach places on the stairs, you can reinforce the sandpaper strip using duct tape to prevent it from ripping.

In their video, Michelle uses black paint, but consider the best colors for your staircase. Even if you're painting your stairwell on a budget, aim for high-quality paint. It lasts longer and you need less product to cover the same amount of space. Letting your wallet trick you into buying a cheap brand will likely result in peeling after only a few months. Floor paint is usually best, such as a premium floor enamel. Using a semi- or high-gloss finish paint makes your stairway more durable and easier to wipe clean. Consider Benjamin Moore Floor & Patio paint that comes in over 3500 colors and dries in four hours.

The products from the video won't break the bank, as 32 ounces of Retique It Light Wood Color Liquid Wood are available for $49 on Amazon, and over 68% of the paint's reviews are 5-star. This product gives your project a surface layer of wood so it can take staining without sanding. Many customer say that it's easy to use and dries quickly, but some complained about how well the stain color shows up.

Then, Michelle uses the Varathane Kona Stain, which has a 4.5 rating on Amazon. You can use it on all interior wood projects, including furniture with only one coat. Many reviews praise the coverage and ease of application, but the quality of the stain color appears mixed. The final sealant, Varathane Matte Polyurethane, costs about $24.