Freshen Your Look - Staircase DIY

This is a project that takes some muscle but definitely doable for the beginner DIYer.  I was able to finish in 2 days.

Having lived in our "new" 1950's house for a whole month now, I just HAD to get rid of the carpet on the stairs.  It was stained beyond cleaning, and the hardwood was more true to the look of 1950. 

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Here is where the muscle comes in ...
ripping up the old carpet and padding
and pulling out a ton of staples!
Once you are clean and clear the next step is sanding.  This isn't hard but very dirty!

This took some extra time for me thanks to
some brilliant person that slopped paint all over the hardwood at some point in time.  Also, the previous stain was only half the width of what was going to show with my narrow runner, so I ended up applying a second coat on the unstained portion trying to darken it up and hide the obvious as much as I could.

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Oh and the staple holes!! The white risers had dozens of holes in each that needed filled before I painted.  I simply used some spackle I had on hand. It dried quickly and just needed a light sanding.

Here is where I saved money, and things get easier!  I found 2ft x 8ft runners on sale at Target last week and purchased 4 chenille
runners that resemble the look of jute. Some day down the road when I have some fun money I would love to invest in a real jute runner, but for now this will do just fine.

I used my stapler attachment for my air compressor but I'm sure you could do just fine with an electric one.  Get nice long staples!  I started at the top, and cut the binding from the ends of each runner, butting each one together at the back of a step. We LOVE the fresh clean look and the dog can still do the steps since we aren't leaving them bare.   Got the whole thing done just in time to host a New Years Even gathering with a few friends, and now taking today off!

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