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Home » DIY » Home Improvement

DIY Staircase Makeover : The Lazy Way to do it!

December 11, 2017 By Anika Gandhi

A DIY staircase makeover that is quick and easy. Save time and effort with this special trick to fix and update the stair risers on a small budget.

You will also love how to add trim to bullnose windows and how to update cabinets without sanding using gel stain.

DIY staircase makeover from carpet to wood! Get ready to blow your mind!

I am so excited to share this DIY staircase makeover with you guys today!

This is how the stairs started out! See more before pictures of our new to us house here.

I have been dreaming of how to makeover my stairs and stair risers for some time now. I shared my favorite staircase makeover ideas with you a few days ago.

Stairs after removing carpet

When we got the house, we got rid of the carpet. The stairs had hardwood underneath but it was pretty beaten up and had to be replaced. 

We decided to install wood look vinyl to match the kitchen and the entryway. We ended up hiring out all the flooring installation and I talk more about it in this post. This is what we were left with after the installation. 

Staircase makeover idea that will blow your mind!!

UPDATE – Fast forward 3 years later, the vinyl plank flooring started to come apart. This time, we changed everything ourselves. Check out all the details on how to install vinyl plank flooring including on a staircase.

Nothing a bit of wood putty, caulking and paint couldn’t handle.

How to fix stair risers the easy way!

Or that’s what I thought… until I spent about 20 minutes filling a million holes and cracks in this little area…
I couldn’t imagine how long it would take to do 14 stairs – some of which looked like below because the hardwood treads had to be cut out. 

This is such an easy way to fix broken stair risers!

Quick stair riser update idea

The thought of spending an unknown number of hours fixing all those stairs was just what I needed to keep procrastinating on it…Until… I  had an idea!!

I could just cover it all up! I could rip up thin plywood and nail it on – instant smooth stair risers!

Plus I could paint it before attaching it! No need to tape and worry about getting paint on the new stairs! S0 that’s what I did!!

And guess how long it took! 2.5 hours!

That’s right! Two and a half hours TOTAL from start to finish!!! Plus only cost about $15 too! Of course, that is just for the stair risers.

***This post contains affiliate or referral links. It is a way for this site to earn advertising fees by advertising or linking to certain products and/or services. Please read my full disclosure here ***

Material Needed

  • 1 sheet of 7/32″ Plywood underlayment.
  • WORX BladeRunner X2 or table saw
  • Paint color of your choice
  • Paint Sprayer – My new favorite is this one.
  • Spray Shelter
  • Metallic Silver paint pen
  • 1 ¼” finish nails
  • Brad nailer
  • Caulking

How to update the staircase

I have a quick video showing you what I did. Of course, written instructions with more details follow.

Step by step tutorial

Step 1 – Measure and cut

  • Measure the height and width of each stair riser.
  • Cutt up the underlayment into strips for each riser using a table saw or a BladeRunner X2.

Tip – Number and keep track of each riser so you know exactly where it goes.

The secret to updating your stair risers quickly

Step 2 – Paint the boards

  • Prime and paint all the boards in the color of your choice. I used my paint sprayer. for a smooth finish but a roller works as well. Overall it is so much faster and easier than taping and painting the stair risers in place.
This is the fastest way to paint stairs and stair risers

Step 3 – Draw the pattern

This is obviously and optional step and you can pick any pattern or color you want to use!

To keep things neutral and simple because the decor in the space is still evolving and I want to see where it goes. So, I ended up channeling my inner Mandy Gubler to draw the stripes with a paint pen 🙂

Stair case update idea

I used 4 ” spacing between the stripes and a yardstick to make all the marks and draw the lines with a silver sharpie. Since the stair risers were laid out in sequence, it was easy to draw the lines to keep the continuity.

UPDATE – For my new stair risers, I decided to stick with the same pattern but used a black paint pen instead.

Step 4 – Attach

  • Once ready, attach them to the stair risers using a brad nailer and 1-¼″ finish nails. 
  • Fix up the edges and nail holes with caulking and wood putty and touch up with paint where needed.
Stair Riser update idea

That’s it!

A super easy and quick way to makeover your staircase

Clean bright stairs with a hint of personality.

DIY Staircase makeover idea!

I love the subtle look of the silver lines. They look bold grey in the day and shimmer at different angles as the light changes. 

Let’s talk time involved. I didn’t do everything the same day because of drying times etc but the total time for the project was just a bit over 2.5 hours.

Marking and drawing the lines was definitely the most time-consuming process. Everything else was super quick. It took about 30 minutes to rip up the plywood, 30 minutes to paint the stair risers including setup and clean up, about an hour to draw the lines and then another 30 minutes to nail the stairs and apply caulk. I had to do a few paint touch ups later which took about 10 minutes.

Over all it is SO much better than having to fill out all those holes and gaps and tape and paint!!

DIY Staircase makeover - Easy way to paint and update your stairs

Before I go, I leave you with a  side by side of the before and after – 

DIY Staircase update idea | Easy and quick way to a update staircase.

More makeover projects –

  • How to paint a colorful accent wall
  • Dining room makeover with accent wall
  • Board and batten wall makeover

« DIY Staircase Makeover Ideas – Inspiration and Plans
Ikea Duktig Kitchen Hack – Fun and Colorful »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mariele

    December 11, 2017 at 11:25 pm

    I love it, Anika!! Such a clever idea to use stripes drawn on like that… I initially thought you cut each piece at an angle and thought “no way that’s quick and easy!” 😀 Love the dark wood to go with it, too. Though I admit, I’m such a sucker for the grain on plywood’s face that I probably would have stained it, lol.
    That is a tiny little table saw!! It looks awfully handy, though. Now I’m kind of considering buying it… but it’s the brad nailer I really need, and $200+ is way out of my budget. 🙁 Do you know of any good but inexpensive ones? I was looking for electric, not pneumatic, but so far the only inexpensive brad nailers I’ve found have been pneumatic (which I’ve used before and am fine with, but the air tank is always at least $70).
    Also, have you tried the Crittur paint sprayer? I hear it works really well, too!
    Sorry for leaving such a long comment, I guess I just have a lot of questions! 🙂

  2. Jody

    December 12, 2017 at 7:13 am

    In my old house I had ripped out the carpet on the stairs also. This would have been so nice to have done to them.My new house will have a few stairs and I will keep this to do for them. You are a total inspiration. Thank you.

  3. Toni | Small Home Soul

    December 12, 2017 at 9:04 am

    This is genius! And it looks fabulous too. I love that it was only 2.5 to do all that work. It looks great and the white makes those new treads really stand out. I have to check out that saw, I need a smaller version than the one my husband has to do smaller projects.

  4. Constance Leach

    December 12, 2017 at 9:27 am

    I don’t have a staircase anymore, but am saving this post for friends! I love the “creative thinking” you used on this to help in the time factor. That is always an issue–especially if you are working on several projects in a home!

    Great job and I LOVE the subtle stripes,btw. They really give your stairs some great personality! That is what makes YOUR home unique! 🙂

  5. Rachel Lynn

    December 12, 2017 at 4:20 pm

    So Adorable! I have made over several staircases before, so I know how time consuming these can be. This caught my eye from our Tribe, and I just wanted to pop over an comment. Great job!

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