Tired of the look of your stair railings and banister? Learn how to paint stair rails and balusters for an inexpensive fix that you can do yourself!
When we installed new hardwood floors, I was shocked at the price to replace the balusters, railings, and steps. $200 per step and the railings would add several thousand dollars to our project. That was pretty far outside my budget, so a $50 can of paint looked mighty enticing for painting railings and the balusters.
Step 1: Cleaning and Prepping
Painting railings and balusters is exactly one of those projects where it was just too much work to pull out and reinstall easily. So it understandable to paint them in place.
First, everything should be cleaned thoroughly with a degreaser that won’t leave a film. TSP works very well for gummy messes, but other readily available cleaners work just as well. Use a microfiber or tack cloth to remove any dirt, debris, and grime.
As with any DIY project, preparation is key to success!
Do I need to sand before painting stair banisters?
Hand rails are probably one of the most high trafficked surface in your home. Therefore, they NEED to be as durable as possible. I recommend that the rails and balusters be sanded to achieve a proper bond. Hand sanding all of this is certainly the worst part of the job, but you really just need to “rough-up” the surface.
- There is no need to remove all of the previous varnish and stain. Just remove the glossy finish.
- Start by using 120 and move up to 220 grit sandpaper
- Flat surfaces can be sanded with an orbital sander to make it faster an easier.
- Sand in the direction of the grain always.
How to Paint Stair Railing and Spindles
Stairwell railings are high-traffic areas. They will be touched, leaned on, and maybe an occasional child who seems to think they some new style of jungle gym (or is that just mine?!).
What is the best paint for stair railings?
The most durable paints will be a satin or high-gloss sheen. Believe me, you do not want a use a very flat paint like chalk paint (unless you use a protective top coat like polyurethane) on a high traffic piece such as a kitchen table or these stair railings.
Anyways, the best paint for painting railings, in my experience, is Benjamin Moore Advance. It does not require priming! It levels beautifully without brush strokes (with my favorite brushes that you can get at Michael’s for under $10).
Even after a few years of use, the paint looks almost perfectly new!
Since these stair railings and banisters have some detail to them, I used my favorite one-inch brush to make sure the paint was even, stroke free, and got into all of the crevices. A larger brush will also work.
I taped off the spindles first to get a nice edge. Then after a few days of letting the black paint dry, I taped off the rails and painted the spindles.
All-in-all, it took me about 4 days to do the railing above, two long hand rails attached to the walls, and two smaller sections of banister on the opposite side. I am so happy with the results!
Paint Curing Time
In my experience, BM advance does cure pretty fast. In the dead of winter (low humidity), the Benjamin Moore paint cured in only a few days. However, don’t depend on those results. I pleaded with everyone in the house not to touch the railings for a week until I was sure they would be able to withstand it. True cure time can take up to a month or more if you live in a high-humidity region.
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Jennifer says
Hello!
What colour of white did use for your spindles?
Thank you!
Rachel says
I used the pre-mixed Benjamin Moore Advance White in a quart size.
MArbour says
I am getting ready to do a project like this with my stairwell. Did you sand before painting?
Rachel says
Yes, we hand sanded the rails.
Nicole says
Hi! Getting ready for this project.
Any tips on covering and prepping the carpet. That’s my biggest worry to not ruin or spill on the carpet stairs. Thank you!!
Rachel says
I used painters tape on the carpet edges and newspaper or construction (brown) paper coverings for things like spraying walls.
heather green says
HI Rachel do you need to seal it with a top coat?
Rachel says
Nope, not really. For this particular project, as long as the bannister is prepped well and the paint bonds well, the paint that I used is very durable and well sealed on it’s own.
Kimberly says
How did you deal with painting the underside of the railing? Was it hard to keep it from dripping? Was it hard to keep it off of the rungs? I can see the underside of my railings. I would have to paint them.
Rachel says
I taped around the balusters when I painted near them.
Kimberly Garvey says
But was it hard to keep it from dripping when you painted underneath? Thanks for your response.
Rachel says
Not really. The paint I used is generally thick, but I was also careful and didn’t glob it on the brush.
Kimberly says
Thanks for your instructions and advice. I just finished the stairs and they look AMAZING! You were right on about the kind of paint to buy, And no it didn’t drip while painting the underneath part. It didn’t drip much at all.
Collette says
Thank you for inspiring me. I followed your recommendations exactly and love my progress so far!
Jessica says
Hi, This looks beautiful! Can you please share what the Benjamin Moore black paint color is that you used? Was it black beauty? Thank you!
Rachel says
Great question! My particular store had pints of pre-tinted black, which is what I used. I don’t believe that it was tinted with any particular color, because the can just says black on it.
Sandy says
Hi Rachel – Thank you for the tips. I am wondering if the Benjamin Moore Advance Black paint that you used was Satin or Semi-gloss.
Rachel says
Hi Sandy, good question. The Advance was a Satin.
Melissa says
Beautiful! I started this project but I think messed up as it doesn’t look “perfect”. I’ll have to do it all over again. What kind of white did you use for the spindles? And did you have to use painters tape to tape near the corners/details so the paint doesn’t spill over?
Rachel says
Oh, I am so sorry that your project did not turn out how you wanted. Since I painted mine in two tone, I painted the white first and although I was careful, I didn’t tape around them. When it came to the black, I did tape around the walls and also the bottom and top of the spindles to prevent oopsies. I just used bright white from Benjamin Moore Advance. I hope you find the look you are wanting! The biggest tip I have is using a good brush and thin coats.
Kim says
I used a black onyx satin on my rail and love it.
I did prime as it was new wood then used 2 coats of paint.
Though I did notice looks like someone may have bumped something hard into it and have to repaint a tiny spot. Thinking of putting a hard clear coat on top but am reading many of them yellow over time. Did you use a top coat or is no one hitting things against your rail 😊
Mine is a short set of stairs and its the cap I painted. Like on top of a very short wall.
Rachel says
I feel like no paint is truly boy-proof, but durability is super important to me in my home of rowdy boys/dogs/DIY. I painted this 3 years ago now, and I have 1 small scratch ( probably from metal hangers). However, this is one of many paint projects from myself and clients, and I have put a poly coat over BM Advance as well. If I do use a poly, I usually spray 2-3 thin coats or brush only one. There are a lot of misconceptions about polyeurethane vs polycrylic, yellowing, etc. You can see more about what paints I use and whether a top coat is needed here: https://www.cravingsomecreativity.com/best-paints-for-furniture-painting/ and here is my absolute favorite poly topcoats (most guaranteed not to yellow ever)
Lindi says
Hi there! Just wondering if you used a polyurethane top coat and if so, how many coats?
Thanks!
Rachel says
Many of the paints that I used are formulated to be durable without a top coat. If I do use a poly, I usually spray 2-3 thin coats or brush only one. You can see more about what paints I use and best topcoats for painted furniture here.
Susan says
The handrail attached to the wall, did you remove it or pain it attached to the wall?
Rachel says
We did remove the handrail on the back wall to paint it. It was impossible to get around every side smoothly without removing it. I painted it in the garage on two sawhorses.
Patti says
What brushes did you use?
Rachel says
The benjamin Moore paint that I used is excellent at self leveling. Generally speaking, my favorite brushes are these taklon ones. They are soft and flexible and most importantly, inexpensive. I buy them at the craft store like Michaels or Joanns, and they are a lot less than on Amazon. You can also get wider ones generally for painting. I also have this very nice brush, but I wouldn’t recommend something that expensive unless you have lots of projects. A Staalmeester is wonderful lifetime-quality brush.
CA says
So I’m about to tackle the same project on my identical staircase. How is it holding up now a year later? Why did you decide to paint blank instead of stain? Ty!!
Rachel says
It has been almost 2 years now and it is holding up excellent! It’s actually perfect except one white swipe I have on it. Whatever it was didn’t scratch the paint on the railings, it seems to have transferred paint from something else. The main reason I painted rather than staining at the time is because I didn’t want to sand as much, especially since everything was done in place. These railings have almost no flat areas so it was all done by hand. With paint, I only needed to scuff the surface rather than stripping or sanding down to prep for stain. Strippers also generally have a lot of fumes which would work against doing them in place. However, we have to rebuild an upstairs railing in the future so I have considered taking the entire banister out and staining it to match the floors then.
Barbara says
I have one that goes horizontal that is on a small step up in our den. I want to update it and redo it with something else. Any ideas?
Rachel says
Hi Barbara! Many readers send me photos of their projects for ideas so that I can get a real sense of what direction they want to go. It would be hard to know what would work for your particular situation, but feel free to email me at Rachel@cravingsomecreativity.com and maybe I can generate some ideas. I am actually remodeling two sets of stairs this summer for my parent’s house so I have been deep in looking at all kinds of stairwell and step ideas. Hope I can help!
Joni says
I am getting ready to paint my banister and know from experience how hard it is to keep people from touching it while it dries and cures. Including myself. Do you have any tips or ideas on how to visually remind everyone to not touch it? I would like to put three coats of polyurethane on so it needs to be hands off for quite awhile.
Rachel says
Great question! I will say that paint and poly definitely dry and cure faster in low humidity conditions, like the middle of winter. Summer curing noticeably takes longer, but after a few days, light touching shouldn’t be a problem either way. For example, I left my cabinet doors open for about a month after poly to avoid surface to surface contact, but we used them as normal. However, I understand that several coats takes a while to apply, so you are definitely right that it would take a while. Unfortunately, I don’t have any great ideas on a physical reminder, outside of a wet paint! sign. However, you could add the polyeurethane by section if you have a large bannister. For example, do all 3 coats of the handrail (the area most likely to be touched) at the same time to keep the amount of “open time” to a minimum, then go back and do the parts that are less likely to be touched (such as the ballusters).
tiffany says
Beautfiul! Do you know what color your WALL paint is?
Rachel says
Thank you so much! If you are referring to the wall on the stairwells, that is Oatlands Subtle Taupe at Lowes. Most of my house is painted with that and Asiago. The blue color on the dining room wall is Aquatic Edge, also from Lowes.
Pat says
Looks beautiful, about to paint mine the same. What sheen did you use for the wall paint in the stairwell?
Rachel says
I am a big fan of eggshell for interiors. It’s enough sheen to make it more durable than a matte usually is, and you can wash any marks off easily. But it isn’t shiny like a satin or semi-gloss. It also hides imperfections pretty well.
Lacey says
I love this! What color black did you use fro BM?
Rachel says
I am not actually sure that it has a name as it would be difficult to mix a pure black. They didn’t mix it in store for me, so I think it was just Advance Satin Black and White. Hope that helps!
Ginger says
Thank you so much for this idea of the two tone. My stairway looks exactly like your before. I also had new hardwood grey floors put in an luckily my son is in the trades so “no labor”!! But painting is my job, he refused to paint!!! So I’m in the process of painting the bookcase shelves on each side of the fireplace in living room and window frames and stairway is next. A lot of work but seeing the change from the old fashioned wood color to white changes the whole room!!! I’ve been working on this project for three months (from working full time to getting a new grandson in the same time frame) it feels like it is taking forever but perfection takes time lol.
Rachel says
Oh you are so right about perfection taking time! I’ve been renovation for a long time now, but I can remember in the beginning stages I was catching myself thinking that it would be like all those tv shows and done in an hour! I just laugh at those thoughts now. And you are very lucky to have a wonderful family that will throw in some free labor for projects! I bet your project looks amazing and what a big transformation.
Offrs says
I seriously can’t believe what you accomplished in this room! You completely transformed it, and I am SO impressed!!
Rachel says
Thank you!