Affordable DIY Staircase Transformation From Outdated To Modern

Hey there! Are you in need of an affordable solution to transform your outdated staircase? Then you are in the right place! We completely transformed our outdated staircase from outdated to modern and I can’t wait to share how we did it!

This post is a bit lengthy but stay with me as I’ll explain the DIY process I followed as I transformed my carpeted stairs into a stylish and sophisticated finished product.

Read on to hear how we completed this affordable DIY staircase transformation for less than $800!

The backstory

We bought this house in March of 2023 and began renovations right away. Spoiler alert, we didn’t move in until the end of May due to renovations taking much longer than anticipated.

To summarize, we opted to change the flooring in our entire house. Given that my husband typically works over 60 hours a week, and I am at home taking care of three kids under the age of four, we decided to hire a flooring contractor for the job.

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We had decided to use Pergo laminate for the flooring throughout the house. However, our flooring contractor had advised us against using the same laminate on the stairs.

He pointed out that there may be color-matching issues while using separately sold bullnose pieces on the treads.

Additionally, he mentioned that the laminate pieces used on the stairs do not click in like the rest of the pieces, which may cause them to lift and separate over time.

One of the factors considered was that the spindles on the staircase are connected to the treads, which would require the removal of all of them to install new flooring, which increased the cost.

The downside TO DIY STAIRCASE TRANSFORMATION

We were not fortunate enough to find true hardwood treads underneath the carpet, meaning we had lovely particle board steps to work with.

The contractor quoted us a few options. One was brand new wood steps that could be stained to match the laminate we were using. The second option is to carpet the steps.

We suspected the cost of the custom wood steps would be high. Boy were we right, at $5,000 just for the staircase. The quote for the carpet came in at a whopping $2,500.

Which is insane for carpet on the stairs, especially for something we didn’t want for style or practicality purposes.

We decided to leave the stairs as they were and planned to figure it out later.

The flooring crew did demo the carpet for us along with removing some of the nails and staples.

All the flooring in the house, including the stairs, was demoed in early April.

We then had the popcorn ceiling removed and re-textured (this causes a huge mess and lots of debris all over the place FYI).

After the ceiling was completed, we hired painters to paint the ceiling and walls. I decided to have them paint the railing and spindles of the staircase while they were there, which cost us $600.

The plan TO tRANSFORM FROM OUTDATED TO MODERN

Fast forward to the end of May. We moved in with these “lovely” bare particle board steps (with random nails and staples included).

Did I mention at the time our kids were 4, 2, and 6 months old?

As you can imagine I was on a time crunch to get this DIY staircase transformation completed.

After doing some research, as you probably are now, I couldn’t find too much out there. Using the combined information I found, I decided to go for it!

My vision was black stairs with a neutral runner down the middle. I created an action plan based on that end vision.

To achieve the desired look, I needed to smooth out the texture of the particle board.

Painting over particle board as is would leave a textured and unfinished look. After seeing a few ideas out there I ultimately decided on spackle to smooth out the texture of the treads.

The process OF AFFORDABLE DIY STAIRCASE TRANSFORMATION

Remember how I said the carpet was removed, the ceiling was done, and then the painters came?

The painters we hired used sprayers to paint the railings and spindles. Unfortunately, this meant that they sprayed over all the debris that had fallen onto the treads from the ceiling.

As a result, I had to do twice the amount of prep work in order to get the stairs as smooth and clean as possible.

 If you have carpet on your stairs be sure to remove that and any padding, nails, staples, etc. before you begin!

Let’s prep

Before I could start spackling I needed the stairs to be free of any staples, debris, etc.

I went in with a putty knife and scraped my heart away. I also had to remove all the remaining nails, staples, and tack strips from the stairs – I used a few tools to get the job done including pliers and a nail remover.

This prep work took me a few days in between mom life.

Once it was as smooth and clean as I liked it, I began with my plan.

Quick tip- if you will be using a runner, now is the time to measure out the length you will need. Using painter’s tape start and the top of the stairs working the tape down and under the bullnose pieces along the riser and on the treads. Keep one continuous piece of tape going all along the stairs until you reach the end point where you want your runner. Then remove the tape carefully and lay it out on the floor, use a measuring tape to measure the length. Now you know what size runner to buy! Width is pretty standard at 2.6 but always measure your space to get the right size for your stairs.

Next, I had to fill all the imperfect areas and nail holes with wood filler. I did this on the treads and the risers where they would be visible on the sides of the runner.

After the wood filler was dry I then sanded all those areas and cleaned.

Have I mentioned how many times I have shop-vaced these stairs yet? At this point probably 10. 

Once smooth and clean, again, the fun began!

I tapped off the areas I did not want spackle or primer/paint on. This included the spindles where they sat on the treads, the edges of the stairs that but up against the walls, and the sides of the stairs that hung out over the walls.

Once taped I began spreading out the spackle with my putty knife, smoothing out little by little as I went.

The beauty of placing a runner was that only the sides of the stairs needed work, leaving walking space in the middle.

Once the first coat of spackle was dry, I went in with my micro sander and sanded as smoothly as I could.

This is where I messed up a little. Since the spackle is white it’s harder to see the little imperfections. I assumed the second coat of spackle, the primer, and then paint would help to even things out, but it did not.

If you are attempting this method, make sure to sand until smooth and you no longer see any imperfections (think no peaks or valleys). You also want nice and thin layers of spackle that you can easily control.

After sanding I made sure to wipe clean and vacuum up all that dust. The spackle dust is super fine and very messy!

I then applied my second coat of spackle and repeated the above process until smooth and clean.

Let’s paint

Once the spackle was completely dry and the areas were clear of dust and debris, I applied my first coat of primer.

I used Zinsser 123 primer and applied two coats using a small sponge roller. Using a 2-inch brush I was able to get between the spindles and the edges of the stairs. I primed both the treads and the risers. 

Once the primer was completely dry I began painting those same areas.

I painted the treads Tricorn Black using this paint.

I decided to go with a two-tone look and painted the risers a neutral color so I chose Accessible Beige using this paint by Sherwin Williams.

We used Accessible Beige for the trim and doors throughout the house so it tied in perfectly.

I allowed the first coat of paint to dry for 6 hours and then applied the second coat.

After the second coat was applied I then removed all the painter’s tape.

Once the paint was completely dry I went it with a small brush and made any touch-ups needed.

Let’s make it pretty

I waited a few days to allow for drying and then it was time for the runners!

My stairs are split so I needed two runners at different lengths. Found a great deal on this neutral runner in a pattern that matches my style and in the exact sizes I needed.

I also purchased carpet padding to place on the treads underneath the runner for a softer step. 

After measuring the space that the runner would cover on the tread, I cut the padding into smaller rectangles that would fit underneath without sticking out the sides.

Once those pieces were cut and ready, my husband began stapling the carpet padding in place.

Double-sided carpet tape would work here as well. We did find that a staple gun with a compressor worked the best for this job. 

We initially attempted to install the runner using a cordless 18-gauged staple gun, but it did not have enough force to fully embed them, leaving them exposed or bent.

Another tip here is to place a continuous piece of tape all along the path you want the runner. Similar to the measuring method for the runner, place the tape on one side of where the runner will be to use as a guideline, this will help your runner go on your stairs nice and straight.

Or if you have a laser level, you could set that up to give you a straight line for a guide.

Once all the padding was in place we began placing the runner.

Getting the runner on tight and straight is important.

We started from top to bottom, placing it along that tape guide and stapling along the edges of the runner and a few places in the middle of the risers.

You want to be sure the staples are going all the way through and not sticking up at all or you could potentially cause injury by stepping on them!

As you continue with the runner, you have to pull tightly around the curves of the bullnose and staple in the corner to get it snug.

If your bullnose hangs over the front of the stair DO NOT do an upwards shot with the staple gun or it can come through the top of the tread.

Continue pulling, straightening, and smoothing out the runner as you staple taking it one step at a time (literally). 

When we reached the end of the staircase, there was an extra inch of runner left at the bottom. To avoid damaging the carpet by cutting it too short, we decided not to trim it. Instead, we folded the excess carpet under and secured it with staples.

That was it – the stairs were officially updated and ready for use!

This process took me five days to complete. I worked on it during my spare time between baby naps and late nights, but I managed to finish it!

I can hardly believe I was able to transform those carpet-covered stairs into these beauties, and on a budget too!

We hadn’t exactly decided what to do with the landing area so we lived with two small entry mats there for a few months until we decided to put an ivory-colored carpet to match the runner. 

I was able to find a 4×6 rug for $20 that we cut to fit the space and stapled it down like we did the runner. 

So all in all, minus the tools we already owned and the money spent previously on painting the railings ($600), we spent around $200 to complete these stairs!

That completes this long-winded story of my affordable DIY staircase transformation from outdated to modern!

Wow, what a story! If you’re considering transforming your staircase, this may help. Although it was tedious and messy at times, the end result is amazing.

Paint colors:

• Tricorn Black on the treads
• Accessible Beige on the risers
• The wall color throughout the house is Alabaster

Tools and supplies I used for this project:

• putty knife
• pliers
• hammer
• micro-sander
• spackle
• shop-vac
• primer
• paint
• carpet padding
• runner
• nail gun
• air compressor for nail gun

Leave a comment below if you have any questions about the process. I would love to know if you tried this for yourself – you can do it!

If you are looking for more DIY inspiration check out my rustic coffee table makeover or this budget-friendly list of practical home improvements!

Every day I walk up and down those stairs I feel proud and so relieved they are completed. I am Rejoicing About that!

Happy Home Updates!