Tips for painting a wooden staircase yourself

Wooden interfloor staircases are common in private housing construction. Wood is an easy-to-work material from which you can make a durable and beautiful structure, but it requires special care.

To protect wood from rotting, drying out, and premature wear, it is varnished or painted. Moreover, for the steps you should choose especially durable paints that can withstand daily loads.

How to paint a pine staircase: choice of paint materials and technology

How and with what to paint a pine staircase? Perhaps the question will make the reader smile: is it worth racking your brains over such a simple operation? However, practice shows that the service life and quality of the appearance of the coating are directly proportional to the time spent on surface preparation and its application. Let's try to do the job according to all the rules.

The photo shows an interfloor staircase. Material – pine.

Problems

Is wood any different from, say, metal in terms of applying paint and varnish coatings? Does pine stand out in any way compared to other types of wood?

1. Unlike metal, wood is hygroscopic. Its surface absorbs paints and solvents just as well as water.
2. Moistening or applying a layer of paint means the pile is raised: the wood fibers change their orientation, and the surface becomes rough.
3. The wood texture itself is quite beautiful and can be used as a decorative element. Of course, in this case the final coating should be transparent or translucent.
4. Pine is distinguished by a large amount of resin that impregnates the material. Not all paint will adhere to the tarred area; what is equally important is that the resin content is uneven. As a result, the coating itself may become uneven.

Let us clarify: resinity is a property not only of pine. All conifers have it to one degree or another.

Choice of paint and varnish

How to paint a pine staircase? Or, if your choice is a varnish coating, what to varnish it with?

It is worth separating the working surface of the steps and all other elements of the staircase: they have completely different modes of operation. The steps are subject to severe wear and tear; In addition, pine, as we remember, is a species with low wood density. Stilettos or hard heels may well leave marks on it if the strength of the protective layer is low.

On the other hand, handrails and accessories for stairs (bowstrings, balusters) and the back side of the steps are practically not exposed to loads. Any coating will serve mostly decorative functions - of course, in addition to protection from rotting and moisture.

Hence the choice of materials:

• For the working surface of the steps, alkyd-based floor enamels are used - domestic PF-266 and imported analogues. Brand preferences are deeply subjective, so we will not name specific names in order to avoid accusations of hidden advertising.
• The best varnish for pine stairs (more precisely, for the surface of the steps) is polyurethane parquet . Its price is quite high; but it forms an extremely durable and wear-resistant surface.

Advice: it is better to choose matte or semi-matte varnish rather than glossy. It shows less visible signs of wear, which will inevitably appear in the center of the steps, even after a long time.

Painting balusters to look like marble video

Balusters and balusters and carved pillars of the Roman baluster type as an architectural form were common in the architecture of the ancient Greeks and Romans - both small balusters and large massive columns were an obligatory element of the front part of the building. Today, architectural standards do not require the mandatory presence of this kind of decoration, but balusters are often found as a functional element, since it is still impossible to make a porch, staircase or balcony without such elements. Vertical railings for stairs, terraces and balconies not only protect a person from falling, but also provide the necessary support when descending and ascending. In houses where elderly people and small children live, such support is necessary. Balusters are functional regardless of their shape. Based on their shape, railing posts can be divided into three types: 1. Balusters in the form of bodies of revolution. This form can be either a regular cylinder or a flowerpot of any shape. Such models are made on a lathe, each column looks like a finished element. This form is the most common. 2. Carved balusters, pilasters, carved for stairs

are made from boards and are mainly used on technical stairs, for example, to the attic. To decorate such models, figured through holes are often used. 3. Sculptural balusters have a complex, free-form shape and are made by hand or using a multi-axis machine. The materials for balusters are concrete, stone, polymer materials and, of course, wood.

Painting balusters to look like marble video

Wood balusters are practical, relatively inexpensive and durable under certain operating conditions. Wood is a very technologically advanced material, and therefore allows you to cut products of a wide variety of shapes, so that a carved support for a railing with a beautiful silhouette performs an aesthetic function without sacrificing functionality. Wooden stairs with balusters can be an effective addition to the interior.

Natural wood has a beautiful structural surface that looks great not only in a classic, but also in any other interior, and at the same time is a fairly durable material that can withstand serious impact loads, which means it can protect a person from falling from a height.

Painting balusters to look like marble video

Cooperation with the manufacturer is always more profitable. First, coat the balusters with water-based varnish

allows you to avoid paying for the services of an intermediary, which means purchasing the necessary building materials is 10-15% cheaper. If we are talking about a large batch, then the amount saved in monetary terms can be very significant.

If the buyer wants to buy flat balusters from the manufacturer, according to an individual project, then he should contact our company directly. The production area contains the necessary turning equipment, which allows us to manufacture products according to the provided technical documentation. By contacting us, you will receive the ordered products in guaranteed high quality and on time.

We work with all regions of Russia, our balusters can be bought in such large cities as Minsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Tyumen, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg), Chelyabinsk, Perm, Ufa, Moscow and other cities, and therefore worth seriously consider the possibility of cooperation with our company. We are ready to offer our clients the most favorable terms of cooperation, and therefore it is worth placing an order for the production of wooden balusters with us. The quality of our work has already been appreciated by the majority of our clients, who have become regular customers.

Our company offers to buy components for stairs wholesale at competitive prices, as well as buy handrails for stairs from the manufacturer.

Technology

So, we have decided how to cover a pine staircase. You can start working. Where to begin?

Resin

One of the typical problems of pine has already been mentioned: resin. The resin content of the fibers and, most importantly, the resin pockets. How to get rid of this scourge?

Acetone or turpentine can help. Both solvents are excellent at removing traces of resin and dissolving resin accumulations in pockets. For cleaning use ordinary rags.

Turpentine dissolves all natural resins.

putty

The optimal choice in our case is acrylic wood putty. Irregularities, cavities from knots and resin will have to be puttied 2-3 times with intermediate sanding: the putty shrinks when it dries.

If painting is to be done, the color of the putty does not matter; but when varnishing it is better to match it to the tone of the wood. The exception is the case when the final coating is dark tinted varnish: white patches on a light background under its layer will not be noticeable.

Grinding

A sander can be used on the planes, but the balusters, the surface of the steps between them and the handrails will have to be sanded by hand. For sanding, you will have to stock up on several types of sandpaper with different grits: trying to jump from 60 to 120 grit will only be a waste of time. You shouldn’t treat the stairs with zero polish: save it for interlayer sanding of the paintwork.

How to paint wooden stairs: painting method

There are several options for how to paint wooden stairs. The two main ones are coloring and tinting. When painting a staircase, the wood texture – that is, its pattern – is hidden. This is true if the staircase is made of wood whose design is not very beautiful, for example, pine or birch. Toning is giving wood a different shade while maintaining the texture of the material. It is better to use for stairs made from expensive elite types of wood - ash, beech, oak. For example, oak wood is incredibly beautiful - such a pattern should be emphasized with a more saturated shade, and not hidden under a thick layer of paint.

There are no exact rules on how to paint a wooden staircase, that is, in which cases it is necessary to tint and in which cases the staircase should be painted. When deciding how to finish a wooden staircase - paint or impregnation, be guided by your own preferences. Both methods allow you to give the structure an original appearance.

How to paint balusters on an open veranda?

A veranda with balusters is a home decoration. It makes the exterior more attractive and allows you to have a pleasant time with friends and family in the fresh air. In order for a structure to maintain functionality and beauty for many years, it must be properly processed. Find out what you can use to paint balusters on an open veranda and where it is profitable to buy paint and varnish materials.

Expert advice

Architectural elements made of wood require a protective and decorative coating. Under the influence of precipitation and ultraviolet radiation, natural material quickly loses its attractiveness. Varnishes and glazes will help extend the life of wooden structures.

Before finishing, the balusters must be cleaned of dirt and sanded. Irregularities, dust and dirt impair not only the appearance of decorative elements, but also adhesion. Then you need to apply an antiseptic primer to protect the wood from biological pests. After this, you can use the azure coating.

Belinka products

Don't know what to paint the balusters on your open veranda? Are you choosing high-quality protective and decorative coatings? Our online store offers a wide range of paints and varnishes from the Slovenian brand Belinka. They are considered one of the best on the market, as they are distinguished by high quality, environmental friendliness and durability.

Before applying the finishing coat, balusters should be treated with Base antiseptic primer. It provides reliable protection of wood from atmospheric influences, fungus and insects. Then you can apply glaze on it:

• Toplasur - a thick-layer coating with a glossy finish, emphasizes the texture of the wood and paints the material in the chosen color, protects it from moisture and UV rays;
• Lasur is a thin-layer glaze that does not hide the unique grain of wood, gives it the desired shade, and protects wooden elements from negative external factors.

Detailed descriptions of products and current prices for them are given in the catalog. Using the calculator on the website, you can calculate how much material will be needed for finishing.

To buy wood protection, add the selected products to your cart and fill out the electronic form. Delivery of orders is possible in Moscow and other cities of the Russian Federation. For any questions, please contact the manager by phone listed on the website.

Choosing what to cover the wooden steps of the stairs with

When choosing paints and varnishes for stairs, it is better to give preference to those paints that are specifically designed for wood - alkyd paints are the best. Among the brands we can mention the well-known Tikkurila or Betolux. Any impregnation will do; the most common are regular stain or Pinotex.

From all the variety of varnishes, it is better to choose polyurethane parquet varnishes - matte or semi-matte. Polyurethane varnish is quite expensive compared to other types of varnish for stairs, but provides maximum protection against impact and deformation and is the most durable.

Finally, another type of coating that is used for stairs is special oils. They simultaneously color the wood, protect it from rotting and moisture, and form a durable surface layer. We'll talk about how to paint wooden stairs with oils below.

Basic moments

Let's discuss a few questions that inevitably arise when building a wooden staircase with your own hands.

Choice of coverage

Is a surface layer necessary? Why are various oil- and wax-based impregnations worse than varnish or enamel? Can't you just cover the steps, bowstrings, balusters and handrails with stain?

Stain is definitely not enough. Any coating must create a barrier to moisture: fluctuations in atmospheric humidity, inevitable throughout the year, will quickly cause relatively loose pine to crack and warp. In addition, do not forget about rotting and woodworms.

Impregnation is quite capable of protecting the tree from most adverse factors. However, one trap awaits us here: oil and wax will not protect the surface of the steps from mechanical wear. Walking along the soaked stairs only barefoot or in soft slippers... are you sure that this is comfortable?

How to paint a wooden staircase correctly at home

Before covering a wooden staircase with paint, it must be thoroughly plastered, all debris and dust removed, and then coated with a wood primer.

1. Before applying paint and varnish, the stairs are puttied and cleaned with a grinding machine. You can also use regular sandpaper. After 24 hours we repeat the treatment.

2. The next stage is primer. It is done in two layers, also with a break of 24 hours.

3. Cover the stairs with paint using a roller or brush (a brush is more convenient) in 2-3 layers (each subsequent one is applied only after the previous one has dried). You can also use a spray gun, but it must be designed to work with viscous paints.

4. The final step is to apply clear varnish.

When tinting the stairs at stage three, instead of paint, impregnation is applied, which gives the wood a richer and deeper color.

For the treatment of stairs, specific compositions are also used - special oils, priming, tinting and finishing. In this case, there is no need to varnish the stairs - its role will be played by a solid finishing oil that can create a good protective coating on the surface of the wood. In addition, tinting oil is available in a very wide range of colors, which allows you to choose almost any color for the stairs. There is no need to tell you how to paint wooden stairs with special oils - just apply them with a brush in several layers.

Oils for stairs can be purchased not only individually, but also as a set, which significantly reduces the cost of painting stairs.

Coloring sequence

Before painting a wooden porch on the street, carry out the following steps, in the order given:

1. Repair of the building, all defects are eliminated;
2. Treatment of small defects using a putty solution;
3. Sanding begins after the putty has dried;
4. Cleaning the surface from formed debris and dust;
5. Coating with protective substances, each layer must dry;
6. Painting.

How much does it cost to paint a staircase yourself?

Let's roughly calculate how much it will cost to paint the stairs yourself. When choosing how to cover a wooden staircase, be guided, among other things, by the cost of the composition. There is no need to take, for example, expensive yacht varnishes - even for oak stairs.

If we take a certain market average cost of paints and varnishes, then the costs will look something like this (for a standard flight of stairs):

• 1 liter – 1,000 rub.;
• 2 liters of impregnation – 2,000 rubles;
• 6-7 liters of parquet varnish – 14,000 rub.

Thus, painting a wooden staircase yourself will cost you 17,000 rubles. In general, about the same amount (a little more or a little less depending on the model of the staircase) is the cost of factory painting of the staircase. For example, painting an economical staircase made of pine FAVORIT LMP-11 by the manufacturer will cost 14,900 rubles.

In ready-made staircase stores you can also buy pre-treated staircases - coated with oils and completely ready for installation. When purchasing such models, you do not have to spend additional money. Here is one of the stairs from our own production - this model is available in two different colors.

Types of paints and varnishes

To give the staircase a finished look, several types of paint and varnish coatings are used. These are varnishes, impregnations and paints themselves. The former emphasize the structure of the wood (tinting) or fix the result (transparent), the latter also emphasize the beauty of the wood pattern, but require additional fixation with a transparent varnish. The paints allow you to paint the stairs as you please.

Coloring is done not only for aesthetic purposes. On the floor, tongue and groove pine boards are most often used. Despite its strength, unopened wood wears out 5 times faster. This is due to the fact that dust and grains of sand become clogged in the pores, which over time destroy the structure of the floorboards. By painting a staircase made of pine or any other wood with varnish or paint yourself, you extend its service life.

stain

Stain is one of the cheapest compositions for covering stairs. Impregnation comes in different colors. It is designed to protect the wood and give it some shade. But it is better not to cover the stairs only with stain - after drying, you should use varnish.

It is customary to use a primer before applying varnish or paint, as it improves adhesion to the wood and makes the wood structure more uniform. If you tint the primer a little, you can emphasize the characteristic wood grain. The primer also contains substances that prevent the wood from rotting.

Clear/tinted wood varnish

Varnish is used to cover steps, balusters and railings. The colorless composition does not hide the wood texture

It is very important that the sanding of all elements of the staircase is carried out at the highest level. Transparent varnishes come in several types:

1. Latex. Non-toxic material, safe for humans and animals. When applied to wood, it forms a thin, durable, water-resistant layer. It has antiseptic properties - protects wood from mold and rot. Can be used both indoors and outdoors.
2. Water-based or acrylate. It has no unpleasant odor, is non-toxic, forms a fairly durable coating that is resistant to mechanical damage, and prevents the aging of wood.
3. On synthetic resins. Such varnishes dry quickly, are resistant to aggressive environments (alkalies, acids), and are used only for interior work. Do not use synthetic resin varnishes to paint steps. They are suitable for balusters and railings.
4. Yacht. There are different types, depending on the base - alkyd and its varieties (urethane-alkyd, alkyd-urethane) and acrylate. It is toxic, so when using it inside a living space, wear a respirator, otherwise the probability of poisoning is 99%.

Advice! Use clear yacht varnish to paint stairs only as a last resort. It is poisonous even after drying.

Tinting varnishes include oil-based compositions. With their help you can change the color of wood from pale yellow to rich brown. When choosing, you need to look at what percentage of oil is included in the composition. To paint the steps of the stairs, this parameter must be at least 65%. In this case, you will get a durable, wear-resistant coating. If the oil varnish contains only 50% oil or less, there can be no talk of any strength. This composition is suitable only for balusters and railings.

Wood paints

You can find a great variety of different formulations on sale. But which one is suitable for painting wooden stairs? To answer this question, you need to consider the types of paints used for wood:

Advice! Alkyd paints for wood give consistently good results. Choose them if you want to save a little money and get high-quality staircase coverage.

Paste for covering stairs

Paste is considered an unconventional type of coating. It consists of linseed oil and beeswax. The consistency of the paste depends on the hardness of the wood. If the wood is hard, then there should be four times more linseed oil than wax. For soft breeds, use two parts oil to one part wax. You can make your own pasta or buy it at the store.

Surface treatment is quite simple: the paste is simply rubbed in, for this you need to use a natural lint-free cloth - this will make the surface of the stairs a little matte, with a silky shine.

Comments: 7

Tatiana

1. Clear the work area - remove anything unnecessary from the stairs, such as carpets or runners. Cover all surfaces that you do not plan to paint with newspaper or cloth, and secure them where necessary with masking tape.

1. If nails or track holders protrude from the stairs, hammer them 2-3 mm into the wooden surface with a hammer and cover the top with wood putty to ensure a smooth surface.

1. If you are painting over old varnish, lightly sand the wood surfaces with fine sandpaper to help the new paint adhere better. If the old coating is in poor condition, wash it off with a special paint removal solution.

1. Vacuum the stairs and railings and then wipe with a damp cloth to remove all dust and dirt. Wipe dry and allow time to dry thoroughly.

1. It's time to prime! A high-quality primer will ensure good adhesion of the paint to the coating and its stability. Use a professional primer on all exposed and filled wood surfaces.

1. Once the primer is completely dry, you can begin painting. Start painting from the top of the stairs and try to thoroughly paint the wood grain. After 6-8 hours the next layer can be applied.

1. If you are painting the stairs and railings different colors, paint them at different times and allow plenty of time to dry. Use masking tape to ensure the boundaries between colors are clear and even.

1. When the paint has dried, you can lay down the carpets and runners again, or you can leave the stairs as they are - in a minimalist style and a new color.
2. These are general recommendations, and in order to decide in your case, you need to know: you have a new staircase or a staircase that requires updating, whether you need stripping, putty, sanding and in what volumes, the requirement for surface coverage, the frequency of using the stairs. Preferably a photo.

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Bureau9

Check out Belinka's products. https://www.belinka.ru/ Partners - adequate in work and consultation. Call them and they will give you comprehensive information. Good luck!

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loba_boba

The staircase is completely new, recently installed. Pine, two-march classic.

I would like the result to be something like the one in the photo below. And the main question is about the painting sequence. First the steps are dark, then the risers are white? or vice versa?

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