Five Ways to Seriously Improve Your Staircase on a Budget

The staircase is a key feature in your home that is essential to its structure, but stairs can often get overlooked in terms of design. However, as something that you and your household use in your home on a daily basis, the way that your staircase looks is important to the overall ambience of your home. An old-fashioned or scruffy staircase might bring down the overall appearance of your property, make a bad impression on visitors and potentially even reduce the value of your home if you decide to sell. And, aside from looks alone, older staircases are often potentially unsafe since they were typically designed and constructed during times of more lenient building regulations compared to today. Thankfully, there are several options to consider if you want to update your staircase on a budget.

Modernise Your Bannister

A modern bannister to replace older balusters or railings can instantly overhaul the look and feel of your staircase and significantly improve its appearance and safety. And the good news is that replacing the bannisters doesn’t have to be either an expensive or a big job. There are several options to consider, from replacing the newel pole at the end of the bannister to something that provides a more interesting feature to your staircase, or adding a glass balustrade to provide a look of modernity, openness and light to your home.

Glass can be an excellent replacement for wooden railings or even a wall that doesn’t really need to be there, as it can create the illusion of more space in your home and really open the area up. Check out the range of glass balustrades available at Majestic Stairs. You can find a wide range of products to improve your staircase and get the look that you want. Check it out at majesticstairs.com.

Paint Your Stairs

Paint can be a cheap and effective way to seriously transform and add some personality to your stairs. And you can paint almost any area of the stairs whether you just want to add a new colour or shine to the bannister and newel post or paint the entire staircase itself. If you would prefer not to use carpet on the stairs as they are a high-traffic area that’s often susceptible to a lot of wear and tear, you can paint the floorboards instead to add some interest but create a sturdier surface that’s bound to last longer.

Use specialised floorboard or wood paint that’s designed for heavy-duty use and apply a good varnish over the top to keep the paint from flaking and make it easier to clean. There are plenty of different options to consider when painting your stairs – consider painting a different colour on the top of the step compared to the bottom to add some contrast, or add a runner-like effect by painting the edges of the stairs white and a contrasting colour running up the middle.

Use an Interesting Carpet or Runner

Sometimes, a new carpet or runner can be all a tired staircase needs for a vast improvement. And, it can sometimes be the only viable option for a home where the stairs are manufactured from a material like concrete, MDF or plywood. Carpet comes in a huge range of designs and colours to choose from, whether you prefer something plain and simple or want to make a big statement with an interesting pattern or contrasting stripes. If you don’t want to carpet the entire staircase and your stairs are in good condition, painting the stairs and then adding a contrasting runner can create an interesting and unique effect. If you want to carpet your stairs, bear in mind how often they are used and invest in a durable carpet that is designed for use on stairs. A good quality underlay will also help ensure that the carpet on your stairs lasts longer.

Make the Most of the Wood

The big trend of using natural timber in interior design today has led to a lot of people ripping up the stair carpet to really make the most of the wood underneath. If you have wooden stairs, you know that they are made from a gorgeous, worn material that is timeless and will look great in any type of home whether you want to go for a more modern or more traditional style of decor. If you want to remove the flooring and make the most of the natural wood that your stairs are crafted from, you’ll need to ensure that the timber is treated to protect it from wear and tear. Wood stains, varnish, Danish oil and hard wax oils are excellent choices to keep your stairs in good condition and protect the wood from the high levels of use. Before applying a wood treatment, first, clean the stairs and go over them with fine-grade sandpaper, being sure to follow the timber’s grain.

Opt for Open-Plan

If you have an under-stairs cupboard that you don’t really need to use a lot for storage, consider removing it to add the illusion of more space to your home and create a modern, open-plan interior. You can use the space under the stairs for a seating area, a library, shelving units with books, plants and ornaments, or even a quiet area for studying or working from home. If you will be removing some key storage space from your home by going open-plan, you can still use it as a storage area by adding a cabinet, small sideboard, storage unit or a chest of drawers to the area so that you still have somewhere to keep your things in a clutter-free way. This can be a great way to keep things tidy since having things out in the open means you’re less tempted to simply throw everything into the cupboard under the stairs where they get forgotten about.

Your stairs are a key part of your home and can seriously impact the overall look and feel of the property. If your staircase is feeling a little tired and scruffy, there are some great ways to consider improving them on a budget.