Stairwell painting

Painting the stairwell in your home is not only important for maintaining your home, but is also incredibly important for its appearance. The stairwell connects one floor to another. Therefore, it is important to carry out this task neatly. In this article, you can read about what is involved in painting the stairwell. You can also request direct and no-obligation quotes from painters who would be happy to carry out this project for you.

Costs for painting stairwell

The cost of having a stairwell painted depends mainly on the time required by a painter and the amount of paint. If the staircase itself also needs to be painted, it is of course more expensive than if it is already carpeted. Look here if you want to know more about staircase painting and its costs. You also have the cost of painting the wall, possibly the cost of painting the banister and the bottom of the stairs above it or the ceiling. At a rate of £35 to £40 per hour, the total cost comes out to between £300 and £1,000.

• Painting price per hour including paint, materials and VAT: £35 – £40
• Average cost of stairwell painting: from just the wall to the total stairwell: £300 – £1.000

If you have a house that is more than 2 years old, then you can have your house painted cheaper. This is because the painting work will fall under the 9% VAT rate instead of 21%. That saves some nice money.

What’s involved in painting the stairwell

The stairwell consists of a number of parts. Of course, you have the staircase. The stairs are often carpeted or painted. In addition, you have the walls. These are often painted. There is also often a banister and, depending on the floor the staircase goes to, there is a plastered ceiling or the bottom of another staircase. If a staircase runs along above the stairwell, the underside of this is often painted. Each of these parts of the stairwell needs its own pre-treatment and paint. A professional painter knows exactly what is needed to apply the paint in the best way.

What types of paint do I need

When painting a stairwell, you need different types of paint.

• Ground paint for the stairs, banisters and ceiling
• Special stair paint or stair varnish for the stairs themselves
• Paint for the banisters, ceiling or stairs above the stairwell
• Wall paint for the walls, possibly mixed by colour

For the best results, it is wise not to skimp on the quality of the paint. You will benefit most from this in the long run as the staircase is often used and otherwise you will soon see traces of it. If you use a professional painter, he or she can buy the paint for you.

The right colour for stairwell painting

When choosing the colour of the paint, it is important to remember that the stairwell is the connection between the living style downstairs and the style upstairs. It is also good to realise that if you choose a dark colour, the stairwell could turn into something of a black hole. However, you can of course make use of an element that you darken. This can be done near the stairs, for example, where the walls would then be light in colour. Or if you really want to make your stairwell an eye-catcher, you can of course also give the banister a striking dark colour.

Challenges when painting a stairwell

When painting a stairwell, you will encounter a number of challenges.

• The parts of the stairwell are contiguous
• The stairs may be lined with carpets
• You can’t easily get to the top of the stairwell

Below is an explanation of the challenges and tips on how to solve them so that painting the stairwell succeeds as well as possible.

Paint the stairwell in sections

If the whole stairwell is to be painted, there is no getting away from the fact that the sections of the stairwell will touch each other. Make sure the parts have dried well before you start on the next part. A professional painter will always take this into account. It is often wise to first paint the wall before you start with the stairs, banisters and ceiling.

Painting along carpeted stairs

One of the biggest challenges when painting a stairwell is painting along carpeted floors. If the staircase is carpeted, you can’t just paint along this as the paint is difficult to remove from the carpet. Masking with painter’s tape does not work either. The paint will run down this. The best way to paint a stairwell along a carpeted staircase is to tape the staircase as well as possible and paint along a long ruler or glue comb. Just make sure the ruler is clean when you use it for the next job.

Painting stairwell all the way to the top

To get all the way to the top of the stairwell, there are a number of options. The easiest way is to set up a ladder, scaffolding or kitchen ladder that is lowered from the bottom and helps to get higher in the stairwell. If the distance you or a painter is short to get to the top when painting the stairwell is not that great, another option is to place something on a step, such as a stool or stack of tiles, to bridge the last bit. Whatever solution is chosen, it is important to make sure you are always steady when painting and bear in mind that you are working above your power so good balance is also essential. This will yield the best end result.

Paint the stairwell yourself or outsource

If you are handy with a brush then it is certainly quite possible to paint the stairwell yourself. Choose good paint, take your time to let parts dry properly, make sure you reach the top of the stairwell in a responsible way and be careful when painting along carpets. In many cases, however, it is wise to hire a professional painter. A professional painter often works neater and faster and you will get a better result, which means that your stairwell will last for years to come.