Chalk Painted Stairs

I LOVE chalk paint!! I’m starting to run out of places to use it in my home!! When I got the idea to paint the 17 formerly carpeted stairs that make up my stair case, I’m sure my husband thought about changing the locks to the house!

Here’s a sneak peak of the finished project! I took this photo while my Christmas decorations were out. I love the look - years earlier I had painted my coat closet door with traditional chalk paint. I like the balance in the space that the black provides.

And I have to mention the star of the show in my foyer, the Peacock Blue (Sherwin Williams) color I used on the front door. That will be a post on another day! But love the pop of the bright color with the black.

My husband ripped all the carpet, padding & staples off the stairs while I was out of town. It was an awesome sweet surprise but I don’t have before pictures of the carpet since I wasn’t there, but that’s certainly not a bad thing! You can use your imagination of 17 stairs covered with beige 15 year old Berber carpet!

After some light sanding & lots of vacuuming I used a damp cloth & thoroughly wiped down all the stairs. Just so the entire staircase would look crisp, I started the project by painting all the trim work with 2 coats of white trim paint in high gloss. I didn’t worry about taping for this step since my trim was already white.

Next came taping off of the white trim. I always use green Frog Tape. This took a lot of time as tapping always does. but it is worth the time. Don’t take a short cut & use a cheaper type of painter’s tape. I wanted crisp lines where the two colors would be meeting & Frog Tape never disappoints!

I love the shine of the white trim in high gloss! It is very important to get the tape super stuck along the edges with no bumps. Be patient, it will all be worth it in the end!!

Also, I was very fortunate to have good quality wooden steps under the carpet. We weren’t sure what to expect & we were pleased to find that none of the stairs had to be replaced or repaired.

Next, the first coat of Graphite Annie Sloan Chalk Paint goes on. This was such an exciting point of the project! This is not a quick project, for starters only every other stair can be painted. This will allow everyone access up & down during the project. It seems to really make the project drag on, but it’s also going to protect your hard work & safer for everyone using the stairs!

Here’s a shot from upstairs looking downstairs & you can see every other stair of my total 17 have now been painted with two coats.

I also painted the riser behind each tread as I made my way up the staircase. I went ahead and gave a second coat before starting on the other stairs. This helped me keep track of which stair I was on & the completion of each stair by staying consistent with the process on each riser & tread individually. Oh & by the way, I started at the bottom & worked my way up the stairs.

Getting closer! By doing the risers as part of the every other process helped me complete the project much more efficiently!

Here were the tools that got this done for me!

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite. It took 2 cans to complete 17 stairs with 2 coats. And always my favorite Purdy 2” angled brush. I did some research & found the General Finishes High Performance in flat, clear finish to seal the treads. I didn’t want a shiny finish. I wanted a mate finish look as if it didn’t have a sealer.

I have to say after almost 3 years of wear & tear these stairs still look amazing! They aren’t scratched & are super easy to keep clean! Bye Bye carpet!!!

So now we use these steps for messages, greeting etc. It makes such a fun statement for our guests as they enter our home! We try to make the message match the occasion if possible. And yes, this particular time we gave ourselves a birthday dinner party with friends!!

We do verse of the weeks, sometimes or we might just leave a favorite one up for awhile. My husband is my scribe & has amazing hand writing & is very willing to join in on the chalk board fun!!

This was a big ask of hubby the amazing scribe, but ever willing to comply - this is a verse from one of our favorite praise songs!

We hosted a post missing trip gathering in our home & I just had to show off what he did for me here… this is the wall of our foyer just under the staircase (previously painted) Look at that print work… I told you he was awesome!! It’s a good thing, because I have more chalk walls in my house to share one of these days with you!!

Enjoy yourself some chalk painting & watch how it can restore your home & even your heart with some happy words written around!!

Blessings - Rhonda