How to renovate wooden stairs?

Wooden stairs are a unique decoration of each house. More and more people are deciding on this solution. Unfortunately, very often the stairs after long years of use do not look very good and are no longer practical. You can restore the wooden stairs to their former glory by renovating them.

Wooden stairs – beauty and functionality

Wooden stairs have long been associated with beauty and functionality. It is worth taking care of them in order to make them a 21st century solution. Wooden stairs are exposed to mechanical damage and dirt.

Scratches and holes (caused by woodworm) may appear after years of long and trouble-free use. Old wooden stairs may also creak, which often irritates homeowners. All these factors should influence the decision to renew them.

Renewal of stairs in a few steps

1. Before starting the work, prepare all the tools, viz:

• sandpaper,
• sander,
• roller,
• tanner,
• brush,
• varnish.

2. Removal of old paint

This is one of the most important stages. The old coating must be thoroughly removed. This can be done by means of:

• sandpaper or a sander,
• commercially available chemicals – they are irritating to the skin,
• a tanning device with adjustable power.

Professional stair restorers recommend scraper bars as the best tool for removing the old paint coating.

3. Dusting

The stair surface must be dusted before painting. It is best to dust the stairs using a vacuum cleaner, then wipe the stairs with a damp cloth, and once they are dry, you can move on to the next step.

4. Puttying

If there are deep scratches on the stairs, they can be filled with wood putty, when it dries, sand it down and dust it off.

5. Varnishing

Varnish should be applied with a roller, and in hard to reach places it should be applied with a brush. Apply 2-3 thin layers of varnish on the stairs. When applying the varnish on the stairs, follow the rule that only after the first coat is well dry, another coat of varnish is applied. After 24 hours from the application of the last coat, you can already use the stairs.

When choosing a varnish for stairs, do not be guided by its price. The varnish should protect the stairs for at least 5 years. Therefore it is worth buying a good quality preparation.

Choosing the right color

When renovating stairs, very often their color is changed to match the rest of the interior. The color of stairs may match or contrast with the color of the floor. When choosing the color of the varnish, it is worth to follow one of the rules

• the color of the stairs should relate to the decor of the rooms in the house,
• contrast only elegant, e.g. light walls and dark stairs,
• stairs a tone lighter or darker than the rest of the floor,
• stairs as an extension of the floor – color of stairs identical to the floor,
• color of stairs matched to the color of doors in the house

Renovating wooden stairs on your own is not difficult. All you need is a little time and work.