Name: How To Paint A Stair Railing & Banister To Update That Oak - The DIY Nuts
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How To Paint A Stair Railing & Banister To Update That Oak - The DIY Nuts

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Skip to ContentTo TutorialLearn how to easily paint your stair railing with a brush and roller. This is a simple way to update your staircase for a modern look.*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own.&nbsp;This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.&nbsp;Read our full privacy policy.Painting your stair railing is an inexpensive way to give your entryway or hallway a brand new feel. Here are the steps we took to easily paint our oak stair railing and banister with a roller and brush.Table of ContentsA theme in our blog and life is that one DIY project always leads to another home improvement project. This was the case for the ugly oak banister and handrail. You can see how to paint bathroom cabinets using similar materials.Because we were getting around to doing a cheap DIY bathroom makeover upstairs, we also knew we had to update the railing right outside the door.&nbsp;Our oak banister and handrail were the LAST (I think) pieces of oak trim, molding, and cabinets left in our house.Due to the nature of railings, they get touched a ton. It is important that you properly prep the railing and banister before painting. The area needs to be cleaned and degreased well. We also like to use fine sandpaper to scuff up the surface before priming with an adhesion primer.This is annoying but not a total pain anytime you are painting something over the carpet. You can see in this image below how I was able to push down the carpet and tape under the base of the stair railing.When you are done you simply take the tape off and fluff your carpet. Just be careful you don’t drip on your carpet when painting.The most important thing is to choose a paint that is meant for moldings or cabinets and make sure to properly prime and prep your stair railing.At the time of our DIY painting project, we used Behr Latex Enamel and Sherwin Williams Proclassic line.However, we recently just discovered Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel paint. If I were painting my oak banister and railing today, I would be using the SW Emerald paint instead of the Proclassic or Behr latex enamel.You can see our cheap kitchen makeover and how we used this newer Sherwin Williams Emerald line to paint oak cabinets and why now would use them for our oak railing.Honestly, we had leftover paint from the bathroom vanity painting to help with the two-toned banister look I was going for. I have seen banisters with more of a black or darker gray top and bottom. I knew I wanted ours to be a little different. Therefore we chose to use this colored latex enamel paint for the banister.In the future, I may repaint the colored parts with a darker color. That is the fun part about painting projects: you can always change the color.SW Proclassic in Pure White was our favorite white paint for kitchen cabinets and moldings before we discovered SW Emerald paint. We have even painted our old oak mantel using these painting steps to help get rid of the honey oak and update our living room.&nbsp;Read more: Check out 11 other DIY projects that helped us get rid of that honey oak!We did not do this, nor do we think it would work super well. However, we have even seen on an HGTV post about using a sock on your hand to help you paint the spindles. I only see this as being super messy but thought we would share that idea if someone wants to try.If you are considering this, you would want to put a protective glove on before you put the sock over your hand. There are even painting gloves meant for easily painting spindles.*Some professional painters will recommend oil-based primers such as this one, as they do a better job blocking out color. However, we have always had great success with Sherwin Williams Latex Primer or this Zinsser water-based one. I love that I don’t have to worry about the smell especially because I was doing this painting project outside my children’s rooms as they were napping.&nbsp;We recently just tried Samplize and it totally beats having to buy individual paint samples. These 9″ x 14.75″ samples will get shipped directly to you and save the hassle of clean-up (we loved that).See our review to also get answers to frequently asked Samplize questions.Lightly sand the oak banister and handrail with the 220. This is just to rough it up a little. You really do not need to spend a ton of time on this.Use an old rag and wipe down the surface with a deglosser.Start taping out to help protect your walls and flooring. You can see that I had to try to push my carpet down and get the painter’s tape under the edge of the banister’s base.If you have some gaps or uneven spots in your woodwork, you may even want to use white caulk or wood filler to give it a more finished looked after painting.&nbsp;Use a brush and small roller to prime everything. This will take time. Let dry.The most important part when using any type of primer is that you fully cover the surface. It might not look that pretty, but you are trying to give your new paint a surface to stick to.Begin painting primed stair spindles white following the same steps as the primer. I was able to actually use the small foam roller on more parts of the railings than I initially thought.&nbsp;You will need at least 2 coats of white enamel on the railings. I spent a few hours during the week completing this project. You do not want to get lazy and have a ton of drips or start spraying paint around on your carpet, etc.&nbsp;Once the white railings are done and dry, begin to tape (use this brand) out the areas so you can have a darker outside.I was pretty impressed with myself when I came up with this easy idea. Use Press and Seal around the railing that was closest to the side so that the colored enamel paint does not get on the railing.It is such a simple and easy way to protect your white-painted spindles from accidentally hitting the finished part. Just make sure that you completely cover the railing.Using a roller and brush begin to put your first coat of colored enamel paint.You will also need at least 2 coats. I think I ended up doing 3 coats with this paint, especially because I knew the surface would be touched a lot.&nbsp;Let dry and remove the tape.Some of my paint lines were not as clean as I would have liked. I used white caulk to try to help some of the lines (especially the bottom edge in that groove) and a smaller painter’s brush to do some touch-ups. I do not blame the painter’s tape, just that the railings have so many little grooves and uneven surfaces that it was hard to get everything perfect.Clean your brushes and area and enjoy your updated banister.&nbsp;Now would be the perfect time to clean your carpeted stairs for a whole fresh look.Drumroll please…I just love looking up the steps and seeing a fresh banister and look. While I would not say this was the easiest painting project, it definitely gives you a lot of bang for your buck.And now I can honestly say, bye-bye to all the old oak items in our home. It is so crazy how just simply painting honey oak can really modernize your home without breaking the bank.If you love this painted makeover, you have to see how our oak kitchen cabinets were redone!While I was painting the railing, I was also priming and painting the handrail that is on the other side of our steps.We followed the same painting steps outline above and you can see how we were able to easily update our handrail as well.How has our painted stair railing and banister held up? It has been over two years since we painted this in our upstairs. The only spot that has wear on it is the cap on the newel post. It is the round part that the kids touch all the time. We now know we should have used Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel and this would not have happened.I do plan to repaint the wood sometime soon because of this and my color choices have changed a little. What kind of paint do you use on stair railings? My current go-to paint is Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel for cabinets, trim and handrails. Because the surface will touch frequently, using semi-gloss will allow you to easily clean while being durable. You will be amazed at the self-leveling abilities of this paint and the smooth finish you can achieve. How do I easily apply the paint? We found that using a brush and a small foam roller gave the smoothest finish. You can even use the small foam roller on the flat areas of the spindles. How had the painted railing held up? You can see how the one area that did end up with wear after 4 years on our banister and what it looks like now. Our paint color preferences have changed so you can see the black and white painted stair railing now.Follow us on Pinterest, Youtube or Facebook for more DIY inspiration!With a little elbow grease and hard work, we were able to cheaply update our stairway, by painting the stair railing, banister, and handrail.&nbsp;If you like this tutorial, make sure to give it 5 stars below 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩. It truly helps us continue bringing you more free and budget-friendly DIYs.from 1 votePrintPinRateClick here to cancel reply.This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.Great tutorials! I have honey oak all over my new house and dislike it very much. What do you think of heritage paint?Hi Candace. Thanks for the kind words! I haven't tried heritage paints yet. When I do, I am sure I will use them on a piece of furniture first to test them out. Good luck with your painting projects.We have a beautiful china dinning set with hutch look like new but I don't like the oak color, it's not matching with the new house style I moved in what can I doHey Lien. You have a lot of options. You could use a similar paint technique used to paint this railing or look into other decorative furniture paints that are out there like milk paint or chalk paint.Even though I love painting things, I would also consider stripping the hutch and restaining it to fit your tastes. You could also look into to gel stain to see if that would work. Good luck with your furniture makeover project!We had a professional painter give us a quote of over $3000 to paint our railings and bannisters. I did a little research on the project and came across your site. You made it seem very doable for the average person, so we tackled the project ourselves. We followed your steps. Bought the materials you suggested. The finished project looks fantastic. A professional couldn't have done any better. Thanks, Erin, for a great site.Hey Paul! I am so happy that your oak railing turned out so well! Great job and thanks for letting us know. We love when a little paint can really transform a space.Thank you Erin for the great inspiration and instructions! We love the new look of our newly painted railings.Hi Addie. I am glad that you love your new railing!!Hi! Love your project!I’m a total “beginner”. In our home, the previous owners poorly painted the handrail already with some super cheap white paint. I’d like to paint it black. Do I need to remove the white paint completely? (If so, how?) Or can I lightly sand and add a primer and then paint over the white paint? If I do this can I still use the degreaser on the white paint?Thank you!Hi Lyndsey. If the paint is chipping away and in bad condition, I would think it would be best to strip it away. You could completely sand the railing or also try a paint stripping product like Citristrip first before priming. Also, I always suggest that you go into a local paint store (like Sherwin Williams) and show them actual pictures of your project. They will have suggestions. Good luck with your railing project.This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.Hi, we are Erin and Eric. We are crazy about DIY projects. My husband and I love helping people make their house a home through projects you can do yourself!

Skip to ContentTo TutorialLearn how to easily paint your stair railing with a brush and roller. This is a simple way to update your staircase for a modern look.*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own.&nbsp;This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.&nbsp;Read our full privacy policy.Painting your stair railing is an inexpensive way to give your entryway or hallway a brand new feel. Here are the steps we took to easily paint our oak stair railing and banister with a...

How To Paint A Stair Railing & Banister To Update That Oak - The DIY Nuts

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