I love the newly black painted railing and hardware in our basement stairwell. I’m on a mission to makeover our fairly disgusting looking basement for as little money as possible. I started by painting the walls and ceiling this warm greige color. I scored a quart of mis-tined paint for $5 and used some of that to paint the railing and brackets. Spray paint would be easier for painting the metal brackets, but I bought that quart to paint some other projects and had some leftover so this makeover is practically freeeee.
How to Paint Railing Hardware:
- I removed the hardware from the railing.
- It was covered in gunk, so I gave it a good wash, lightly sanded, and wiped it clean.
- I primed the hardware with metal primer (from another project).
- Using a small craft paint brush, I applied a few, thin coats of my mis-tint paint, letting each coat dry 24 hours.
I can’t use spray paint until it gets a bit warmer here, so this was a bit of an experiment. But it worked well! I think the key was working in thin coats and using a VERY small paintbrush.
How to Paint a Wood Railing:
- I lightly sanded the wood until the glossiness of the former finish was removed.
- I cleaned it with a dry cloth
- I painted a thin coat of primer (which I also had lying around).
- Then I painted four thin coats of the paint.
- I used a foam brush to avoid brush marks.
Ta da! I love the “after”:
I’m into little details. We don’t always have money for major makeovers (although I’d love to gut the basement and start fresh). But I find the little things make the difference. When we first moved in, we removed all of the ugly brass door hinges and knobs (many were coated in chipped layers of paint) from interior and exterior doors. We gave the doors a fresh coat of paint, added new silver hinges and knobs and each door looked brand new. It made the whole house seem more updated.
More of the Basement Stairwell Makeover:
This little DIY is one of many I’ll be tackling as we work our way downstairs into the basement. But already the entrance to the basement looks much more inviting! See here for more before/after photos.
Much improved! Looks great against the wall colour too!
Thanks! I am loving the new wall colour; black and white both look good against it.
We have been painting our railings this weekend, too! Looks great, lady!
Nifty and thrifty! LOL I am always on the eye-spy for cheap and cheerful makeovers I can do in my place too. I have all that brass hardware you are talking about in a new build. It makes me crazyish. 🙂
Thanks! Darn that your new build has brass. But new brass is so much nicer than 40 years old, half-painted brass. I'm sure you place looks spiffy and chic. Brass and gold have come back "in" and can look really nice.
The updated rail looks super sleek and modern. It's amazing what a big change a little paint can manage. I love that you were able to re-use materials instead of buying new, it's both economical and environmentally friendly!
Thanks! I really, really try not to be wasteful. Some things have needed to be pitched (no one would take them – like our salmon pink toilet) so I try to make over anything with even a little potential 😉
Great update! I love little details like this that make such a difference for so little money!
I love projects like this. It doesn't always take a big budget to make a big difference! Looks great 🙂
Thanks! I also checked Lowe's today and a new railing would have set us back $30.00 (plus new hardware). Sweet!
great before and after!good luck with the rest of the basement:)Amy
I love cheap projects like this that make such a difference! And I'm totally spray painting our knobs!!
you are SO right about the little updates making a big statement, rather than blowing huge chunks of money on major renos. i LOVE LOVE LOVE little projects. i've been away from my blog for a number of months but i've been staying on top of yours.
I'm so glad to hear that! I've noticed you've been a bit absent.
Sometimes it's the smallest details that make us the happiest. Nicely done!
Looks really good for such an easy and thrifty fix.
The small details do count for a lot. Have been trying to fix up little things around the house as well. Which sometimes make all the difference. Great job!Anastasia at Decor is like butter
Nicely done! I'm in the process of painting all our trim and doors white, and I was just thinking that I really should paint the door stoppers white too. I considered painting our dated brass door knobs in satin nickel, but after seeing how pitted and beat up most of them are, I think I'm going to be stuck replacing them instead.
It's amazing how much different that $1 made to your staircase!I'm loving this.. it proves that you don't need to rip out a wall to freshen up a room. Great work =]
I'm going to start re-doing my lower level soon, and I've been thinking of replacing my railing. But seeing how much better yours looks with a little paint, I'm going to go the budget-friendly route too. Great idea!
Ah, the sweet smell of jobs being finished! Looking good!
You are so resourceful! Love the new look 🙂
The black rail looks very sleek and updated. I'm a big believer in using what you already have. Great job!
Looks great, love the black!
I just found your blog from ??? but I'm so glad I did! It's so nice to read a Canadian blog. I just did the "tour" and I love everything you've done. Beautiful work!