5 Ways to Makeover Your Staircase
Add distinction and character to plain old stairs with these 5 creative tips. -THE EDITORS OF THIS OLD HOUSE
See more staircase upgrade ideas at thisoldhouse.com.
1. Go Salvage Shopping
Wiring runs from the basement through the newel post to light this ornate, late-19th-century pot-metal salvage find. A unique way to illuminate a stairway for safety.
MORE:How to Use Salvaged Building Materials in New Construction
2. Library Landing
A long run of surface-mount, low bookcases transforms the space at the top of the stairs into a library. The second-to-last one on the right (not shown) is set on casters, so it can be pulled out to access crawl-space storage.
MORE:How to Build a Bookcase
3. Tear Out Old Carpet on Your Stairs
How to do it: Refinish the treads and paint the risers white-or get creative and paint a runner-like pattern.
Estimated cost: 1 gallon of white paint, sandpaper, wood putty to fill tack holes, 1 quart of stain, and 1 gallon of clear polyurethane, about $95; Lowe's
MORE:How to Paint a Floor
4. Under-the-Stairs Storage
Lighted built-in shelves hold book overflow from the office, which was made smaller to fit the staircase to the new upstairs rooms. Learn how to build under-stairs storage.
MORE:Built-in Storage Ideas
5. Change the Railings
The quartersawn oak railing on this stairway was crafted from a design the homeowner found in a book on Arts and Crafts houses; she drew it on a napkin for the carpenter to replicate.
MORE:A Beautiful, Remodeled 1910 Arts and Crafts House
See more staircase design ideas at thisoldhouse.com.
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A Year's Worth of Smart Home Solutions
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