How to paint a wooden staircase: types of paints, tips, recommendations. How to paint the stairs inside the house: choice of paints, varnishes, polishes, enamels and impregnations

During use, stairs are constantly subjected to various tests. Temperature changes, exposure to sunlight, humidity, all affect the service life of the product. An excellent option that does not require special skills and knowledge is painting the stairs. It will protect your product from problems. The procedure for painting stairs can be done even with your own hands.

Only, at first glance, it seems that the procedure for painting a staircase is simple. In fact, this is a complex process that requires compliance with its own technologies and rules. But to achieve the desired result, you need to spare no time or effort.

Do-it-yourself painting of stairs is now popular, since the cost of work for painters is very high.

To make the staircase look like new after renovation, the owner needs to choose the right tools and materials. It is also necessary to carry out the restoration of the stairs in the house consistently and correctly.

Sequence of actions you need to know:

Choose the right paint or varnish;
Prepare tools and materials for work in a timely manner;
Before painting, you need to clean the surface (grind or putty);
We cover the stairs with primer;
First we paint the railings, then the steps;
Finally, coat it with varnish or polish.

The choice of material also depends on the location of the stairs. If the staircase is located outside, then you need to choose paints and varnishes based on natural ingredients (drying oil). If the surface will be washed frequently, we use alkyd paints. Stairs located inside the house are painted with oil paints.

How to paint a staircase in a house: types of paint and varnish coatings

Before we paint the stairs, we find out what material it is made of. Mostly it will be wood or metal. Concrete, glass, stone and other building materials could also be used in the construction of stairs.

How to paint the stairs in the house? It is better to approach this event creatively. The choice of material will depend on the staircase design style you choose.

When finishing a wooden staircase, the choice should be made in favor of materials that emphasize and preserve the naturalness of wood. There are a variety of them.

For painting wooden stairs the following can be used:

Oil or alkyd paints;
Enamels that add attractiveness to the product;
Varnishes that highlight the structure of wood.

The ladder can be metal. You can paint such a staircase with various compositions. These are alkyd-based enamels, nitro paints, and oil paints. To paint the stairs, you can let your imagination run wild and use different coatings.

How to varnish a staircase: secrets of the material

If you want to highlight all the beauty of natural wood, you will need varnish. Varnishes are solutions that, when applied, form a film on the surface of the product. And it, in turn, protects the staircase from negative influences.

Many experts know how to varnish a staircase. This can be done in two types of varnish: transparent or opaque.

The opaque coating is applied not in one, but in several layers. Therefore, the stairs take on a dark shade. This is done to eliminate all wood imperfections. A clear finish, on the other hand, is applied to highlight the natural beauty of the wood.

There are several types of paints and varnishes that can be used to paint stairs:

Alkyd;
Formaldehyde;
Alcohol;
Nitrocellulose.

A polish can be applied over the varnish to enhance the shine of the wood. However, all varnishes are highly toxic, and when using them, it is necessary to use safety glasses, gloves, and respirators.

What kind of paint should be used for the stairs inside the house?

One of the important elements of the interior decoration of the house is the staircase to the second floor. Timely care and painting contributes to the longevity of the product.

The paint for stairs inside the house must be of high quality and safe. Colors can be varied, depending on the design of the room. It is better to paint the stairs in colors that will distinguish them from the walls.

Shades can be very diverse. These can be tones that fully match the tone of the wood, or bright, saturated colors that highlight the staircase from the entire interior. Once you have decided on the color, you can move on to choosing its type. You should choose light paints that allow the wood to breathe, as well as quick-drying ones without an unpleasant, pungent odor. Oil paints have these qualities.

Types of oil paints:

Alkyd paints. They have a rich color and are easy to use;
Pigmented paints. Help hide wood defects;
Urethane-alkyd. Such paints can be applied without first cleaning the surface.

Also, for painting indoor stairs, enamel paints are used. The enamel dries very quickly, has no toxic impurities, and has excellent protective properties.

Do-it-yourself painting of stairs (video)

There is quite a variety of colors that can be used to beautifully paint a staircase in a house or country house. They differ in type, color and structure. What color you should paint your stairs depends on the interior style of the house itself. Painting the stairs can be done using the services of various construction companies, but to save money, you can do it yourself.

Any staircase structure needs to be resurfaced from time to time. And if you consider that the staircase is also an element of the interior, then it is extremely important to choose the right paint and varnish product. Let's look at the most popular paints and varnishes, and also figure out how to paint the stairs to the second floor without involving specialists.

Before you start acting, you need to mentally draw a picture for yourself that should turn out in the end. This will help you choose the right paint or varnish. When choosing a product, you should also take into account the advice of professionals:

If your staircase is made of high-quality wood with a beautiful natural pattern, then you should not paint it over. It is better to emphasize this advantage with a semi-gloss or matte varnish.
To avoid destroying the wood texture, do not use primers. Buy “light” types of paints that allow the material to “breathe”.
To paint staircase elements indoors, choose products that dry within a short period of time and do not leave a persistent and pungent odor.
Long-term protection of the staircase from external factors, as well as its beautiful appearance, can be ensured by using only abrasion-resistant varnishes and paints.
Use additional means of protection against fungi, mold, and insects for processing.
It is not recommended to cover steps with glossy enamel. Otherwise, you will not walk on them, but slide.

What can and should be used to cover a wooden staircase?

When you walk into a building materials store, you start to get lost. Therefore, it is important to know not only the types of these products, but also their features. The most common paint and varnish options for painting stairs are:

dye;
impregnations and stains;
oil.

Paints

Today there are 3 types of them:

Lucky

Varnishes are used to highlight the natural beauty of wood. When choosing the appropriate type, pay attention to the features of the construction material and its operating conditions. Varnish coatings, like paints, come in several varieties:

Alcohol. This coating protects the stairs from biological and mechanical damage. But its significant drawback is the low degree of moisture resistance. Therefore, it is better to use it as a base layer to give the wood the desired shade.
Alkyd and alkyd-urethane. They are used for external and internal structures. A solid transparent film with an inconspicuous tint serves as a reliable barrier against moisture and other negative factors.
Formaldehyde. The design will become more resistant to wear. The resins included in the composition improve the adhesion of the varnish to the wood. The only drawback is toxicity and a characteristic odor, which quickly disappears, but requires wearing a respirator during application.
Polyester. After hardening, they form a hard, durable film that protects the stairs from moisture and other negative influences. If you want to make your design shine, use polyester varnish.
Epoxy. These are two-component solutions that are used with hardeners. They prevent the destruction of the structure under the influence of moisture, alkalis and provide it with mechanical strength.
Polyurethane. They are characterized by a high degree of wear and resistance to mechanical stress. The high price of varnish is justified by its long service life and high performance characteristics.
Yachting. The hard and durable varnish coating has good elasticity. This means that when the structure is deformed, the varnish layer does not peel off or crack. Thanks to its composition, yacht varnish is wear-resistant, has good resistance to fungi, has increased resistance to UV rays, and is moisture-resistant.

This type of impregnation is characterized by antiseptic properties. Varnish is often applied over the stain as an additional layer. But at the same time, you need to pay attention to the compatibility of these funds.

Under the influence of stain, the natural color of the wood becomes more saturated, and the texture of the wood becomes more contrasting.

For wooden stairs, the best impregnation is oil or wax based. Sometimes the stain may contain a dye that gives the material a certain color.

The palette of possible colors is very diverse and depends on the taste preferences of the owner of the house or cottage. But first of all, you need to start from the style of the interior.

The staircase can be of any shade, ranging from muted to bright radiant colors. But most often they prefer a single color.

But sometimes there are more original designs that include up to five shades. They often experiment with contrasting colors, painting the steps in one tone, and the railings and handrails in another. It looks very impressive and original.

To avoid mistakes when choosing a color, you must take into account the following recommendations:

when using several colors, it is recommended to paint each part before assembling the entire structure;
to get a dark shade of the stairs, mix the impregnation with the topcoat. This will allow the product to penetrate the structure of the material, which will ensure that the color of the product is preserved for a long time;
To lighten wood, translucent glazing compounds with light coloring pigments are used.

Treatment of softwood stairs

Staircase structures made of pine differ from products made of beech, larch, oak or other types of wood in that they require additional processing.

Before final processing of a wooden pine staircase inside the house, it is necessary to de-resin it for a number of reasons:

The resin substance protruding from the wood forms a film on the surface of the material that prevents paint from penetrating into the fibers. As a result, layers of paint will chip off during use, worsening the condition of the stairs.
Areas with resin begin to darken over time.
Coloring substances are deposited in an uneven layer on the resin surface.

Resin removal refers to the process of cleaning the surface from excess resin. To carry out this procedure, you will need solvents.

For coniferous trees, a 25% acetone solution is ideal. To apply it use a brush. The surface of the material treated with the solution is washed with warm water and allowed time to dry completely. If there are very tarred places on the structure, they should be removed with a knife. The resulting depressions are leveled with putty.

To prepare a solution for degumming, you need the following ingredients:

1 liter of hot water;
potash – 50 g;
baking soda – about 50 g;
grated soap – 40 g;
acetone – 1 glass;
alcohol – 10 g.

Painting a wooden pine staircase is done after the wood has completely dried. As a rule, 1-2 days are enough.

What is the best way to paint a pine staircase?

The optimal means for covering a pine flight of stairs are enamel paints, as well as alkyd and polyurethane yacht varnishes.
To preserve the beautiful structural pattern of wood, diluted products are used.
To hide defects in the material or give it a new shade, the paint is not diluted before application.
In order for the coloring matter to lay down in a beautiful, even layer, the surface should be cleaned of debris and dust.
Pigmented dyes are used to mask defects on steps.
For previously painted structures, urethane-alkyd solutions are used.

Step-by-step instructions for painting stairs

Sometimes they resort to the help of specialists from construction companies for painting. They, of course, know their business and do the work with 100% quality, but you will have to fork out a significant amount for their services.

If you are not ready for this, then you can do everything yourself. Just be extremely careful and strictly follow the instructions:

Before starting work, remove debris, dirt, and wipe off dust not only from the structure, but also from the room in which it is located.
Fill any existing chips and cracks with wood putty.
Allow the putty to dry completely for 1 day, and then smooth out all imperfections with sandpaper or a sander.
Remove any debris and dust that has formed, as even barely noticeable particles of dust will spoil the appearance of the stairs.
Apply primer or stain to the flight of stairs twice at intervals of 24 hours.
Before applying paint to the surface of the material, it must be mixed well - this will break up the clots and lumps that have formed there.
The dye can be applied with a spray gun, roller, or brush. Avoid the formation of frozen paint droplets.
To prevent cracks from forming on the stairs when the dye dries, the air in the room should be moderately humid.

With these simple steps you can easily update your staircase.

Stylish options for painting stairs in the interior

Wood is rightfully considered the most popular building material for the manufacture of stairs of any design. But when arranging flights of stairs, it is necessary to take into account that each type of lumber is processed differently.

For example, the structure of coniferous materials contains resin, which negatively affects the paintwork. Therefore, you not only need to know how to paint a wooden staircase, but also what paints for wooden stairs are best to use for a particular type of wood.

There are two traditional types of timber coloring:

opaque;
transparent.

Coating wood with a transparent or translucent varnish allows you to highlight the natural beauty of the wood. Treating wood with opaque compounds allows you to create a uniform colored film on the surface of the material, the shade of which will correspond to the declared dye.

How do professionals paint wooden staircases, and what paint should be used to paint a wooden staircase in a house so that it fits harmoniously into the interior of the house?

The retail network offers a varied selection of high-quality paints and varnishes and additional materials for processing internal and external wooden structures - these are:

varnishes;
paints;
enamels;
stains;
polishes.

In order to confidently navigate the variety of the above dyes and know the best way to paint a wooden staircase in a house, you need to familiarize yourself with the approximate characteristics and properties of paints and varnishes. This way you can understand what paint or varnish needs to be used to finish a particular structural element of a flight of stairs.

Lucky

Varnishes for wood finishing are divided into five main categories according to their composition:

nitrocellulose;
alcohol varnishes;
oil varnishes;
polyurethane;
acrylic varnishes.

Nitrocellulose paints and varnishes

Nitrocellulose varnishes are a composition of varnish colloxylin, various resins and low molecular weight plasticizers in combination with volatile organic solvents. They are distinguished by the speed of drying and the increased strength of the applied coating.

They are highly resistant to seasonal weather conditions; thanks to this property, nitrocellulose varnishes can be used for painting wooden exterior stairs.

Hints: for example, if you decide to paint the wooden porch of a residential building, then the question: how to paint a wooden staircase on the street must be divided into two components. The first component is the choice of paint or varnish for exterior work, taking into account the coloring of the parapet of the flight of stairs. The second question is how to paint the steps of a wooden staircase, and it is related to the choice of paint or varnish only for the steps of the flight of stairs, since the operational requirements for covering the steps differ from the requirements for the staircase railings.

Solutions of plant resins in alcohol solvents (usually ethyl alcohol) are called alcohol varnishes.

The most popular alcohol varnishes are:

shellac;
rosin;
carbinol.

Alcohol-based varnishes dry quickly and are easily polished to a mirror shine. The main disadvantages of alcohol-containing varnishes are their price, low moisture resistance and negative frost resistance. They are used only for painting work in dry interior areas.

Oil varnishes

Oil varnishes are based on vegetable oils and resins of synthetic or natural origin that have undergone heat treatment.

Varnishes are available in two coating options:

glossy oil varnish;
matte oil varnish.

The most popular varnish is with a matte finish. After the coating dries, depending on the chosen dye, a transparent yellowish film forms on the surface of the material. The disadvantage of oil varnish is its slow drying, which significantly lengthens the time of finishing the elements of a wooden staircase.

Paints and varnishes based on oil solvents have low moisture resistance and low resistance to variable mechanical loads. Therefore, the use of oil varnishes for finishing work is limited to internal staircase structures.

Polyurethane varnishes

Polyurethane varnishes are compounds of high molecular weight resins that form durable coatings with high performance characteristics: wear resistance, resistance to chemical and active mechanical influences. Widely used for painting steps and railings of outdoor wooden stairs.

Acrylic varnishes

This is a special type of paint coating - a combination of a plastic dispersion with a synthetic acrylic material dissolved in water. The composition of ready-to-use acrylic varnish includes additives of an antiseptic and a plasticizer, which gives strength and transparency to the finish coat.

Their composition may include:

single-component;
two-component.

Two-component acrylic varnish is a combination of acrylic and polyurethane binders. Acrylic varnish is unique in its technical characteristics and universal in its use. Here's how to paint the steps of a wooden staircase so that they meet the most stringent operational requirements.

In addition, the surface covered with acrylic varnish dries quickly and serves as reliable protection for wooden stairs from mechanical damage.

Special compositions for wood processing

No matter how beautiful the natural structure of wood is, over time and under the influence of external factors, wood and the varnished surface of stairs lose their presentation and attractiveness.

To extend the life of wooden stairs or maintain the original gloss of the varnish coating, special compounds are used:

primers;
antiseptic compounds;
stains;
polishes.

For example, how to paint a wooden staircase in a house before the final clear coat with colorless varnish in order to change the visible structure of the wood (tint) to suit your individual preferences. The most acceptable option is stain.

Stains

Stain (stain) is a special liquid (impregnation) to give the wooden elements of the stairs the required color. This is usually the color of noble wood species.

Stains differ from varnishes in that the active elements of impregnation penetrate deep into the structure of wooden structures and paint them from the inside, preserving the natural texture and pattern of the fibers of the material. The process of painting a wooden staircase occurs without the formation of a surface film, unlike painting wood with varnishes or enamels.

Stain or stains are:

water;
alcohol;
based on nitro solvents (nitrous).

Nitrate and alcohol stains are characterized by protective properties, while simultaneously performing all the functions of antiseptic impregnations.

In a subgroup of such stains there are compositions that do not color the wood, but serve solely to protect it. This makes it possible to use a colorless transparent varnish coating after tinting and antiseptic protection of wood with stains.

Water-based stains are rarely used for painting stairs. They are used mainly for painting small parts of wooden structures.

Alcohol and nitro stains dry quickly, are easier to work with and have a rich range of colors for the dyes used. Available in the form of a dry powder or a ready-to-use liquid solution.

Polishes

Polishes are special liquids based on resinous substances used for polishing the varnish surface of wooden structures. After covering the flight of stairs with paint or varnish, you can refine the glossy base by rubbing the wooden surface of the stairs to a mirror shine with polish.

Polishes are produced:

alcohol;
on a nitro basis.

The most popular are alcohol polishes. Polishing a wooden staircase with alcohol polish is carried out using a cloth swab moistened with polish.

For polishing surfaces varnished with nitrocellulose varnish, only nitro polishes are used.

Paints and enamels

Paints are suspensions of pigments or their solutions with fillers dissolved in drying oil, oil, latex, etc. Paints, when used, form an opaque, durable, uniform film on the surface of a wooden staircase.

Tools for working with paints:

brushes;
rollers;
spray;
solvent;
clean rags.

The names “enamel” and “paint” are not identical. Enamel is a mixture of inorganic dyes with fillers and additives dissolved in film-forming varnishes, which after drying create a glossy opaque film with a variety of textures. In terms of parameters such as elasticity and coating strength, enamels are superior to oil and water-dispersion paints.

And again the questions - how to paint a wooden staircase in a house and what paint for the steps of a wooden staircase is most acceptable? Or maybe enamel is better?

We will consider these and other questions regarding paints and enamels further in the following sections, and for a more visual demonstration, watch the video about painting a staircase in this article.

Paints: properties, material characteristics

Wooden stairs are painted with a variety of paints and enamels. The purpose of the staining procedure is to cover the surface of the wood in order to protect the wooden surface from harmful influences, or to imitate any valuable type of wood.

Paint for wooden stairs inside the house can be:

oil;
acrylic;
nitrocellulose;
enamels.

Oil paint for wooden stairs

Oil paints are characterized by good adhesion to a wooden base, and provide reliable protection of wood from various atmospheric influences. The surface of a wooden staircase, painted with an oil paint composition, is distinguished by a durable smooth coating with a beautiful semi-glossy sheen.

Can be used both for indoor wooden stairs and for outdoor wooden stairs. But with one caveat - do not use oil paint as a coating for the steps of internal and external stairs.

The service life of a coating painted with oil paint is 10 years, provided that the painting was done on a new, clean wooden surface, and the original manufacturer's instructions were used when performing finishing work.

Acrylic paint for wood

Acrylic paints are synthetic compositions based on polyacrylates. The binding components are water and coloring pigments. When moisture evaporates, particles of plastic polymers create a stable and elastic film on the surface of the wood.

Acrylic paints are odorless and, despite their water content, have increased moisture resistance and resistance to temperature changes. The surface of the staircase, coated with acrylic paint, is easy to clean with any cleaning products.

Acrylic mixtures are easily tinted, do not burn, dry quickly and are not susceptible to ultraviolet rays, which allows their use for painting external wooden stairs.

Acrylic synthetic compositions have a long service life (more than 15 years) and are much cheaper than other water-based paints.

Nitrocellulose paints

Nitrocellulose paints for wood are easy to use, increased wear resistance and excellent coating quality. High surface elasticity, heat resistance, moisture resistance - this is not a complete list of the advantages of nitrocellulose paint.

When applied to the surface of the stairs, a thin, almost transparent film is created. The complete drying time for a nitro paint surface is 2 hours. Nitrocellulose paints can be used both outdoors and indoors.

Enamels

Enamel is very similar to paint and differs only in its composition. It is a combination of fillers and pigments dissolved in a mixture of artificial polymer. The enamel coating of the stairs has an expressive shine and is more durable in comparison with a similar paint coating.

Enamels are applied using a brush or spray. Wood enamels are used only for interior work. Drying of the enamel coating should take place at an air temperature of at least 20°C for 72 hours.

Finishing wooden stairs

The process of finishing wooden elements of stairs includes the following operations:

mechanical surface treatment (grinding, etc.);
coating wooden stairs with special compounds (antiseptics, primers);
painting surfaces.

Wooden stairs in the house are often made with an opaque coating. This is not the norm, but just a widespread tradition.

Because transparent coating with paints and varnishes requires hard wood with careful selection of elements in terms of texture, color and quality, which is slow and expensive.

In addition, when choosing what to paint the wooden steps of a staircase in a house, it is better to choose an opaque coating. An opaque coating is applied to the surface of the stairs in several layers, which allows you to hide all the defects made during the manufacture of the steps. Especially if these steps were done independently.

Stairs made by yourself can combine two types of coating. For example, the railings are painted with enamel, and the steps are varnished, or the same parts are varnished in two different shades.

Grinding

Before painting a wooden staircase, it is necessary to carry out the following list of preparatory work:

remove lint (tears) from the front surface of the wood;
putty (for opaque coating);
primer;
antiseptic treatment.

After this, sand the surface of the wooden staircase using sandpaper attached to a wooden block or using an electric sander.

Tips: Use an electric sander carefully - applying too much pressure while sanding may only enlarge the imperfections you were trying to remove.

Glue a piece of sandpaper onto a wooden block 10–15 cm long and get to work. For ease of work, make three bars at once: with fine, medium and coarse grain.

Sanding the parts of a wooden staircase is carried out along the grain, and not across it. The surface of the sandpaper must be periodically cleaned of wood dust.

The wooden surface of the stairs, intended to be covered with transparent varnish, must be impeccably flat and smooth. Therefore, after sanding with sandpaper, the surface of wooden workpieces or structures is wiped with a coarse woolen cloth.

Upon completion of sanding, thoroughly clean the surface of the stairs from wood dust and small inclusions.

Staining wooden stair structures

One of the simplest, and therefore most convenient, dyes is stain. However, you need to know that stain stains different types of wood differently. This depends on the difference in the content of a chemical substance such as tannin in the structure of the tree.

For example, if you stain the base of an oak staircase, the wood will turn dark brown. At the same time, a staircase made of pine or maple will have a yellowish tint.

Tips: special attention should be paid to coniferous wood: the resin of such wood strongly absorbs stain, which leads to uneven coloring of the wooden surface. Therefore, to stain the surface of coniferous materials, it is necessary to remove tree resin from the base of the product being processed.

There are several methods for applying stain to the wooden base of a staircase:

trituration;
spraying;
using a roller or tampon;
using a brush;
immersing parts in a stain solution.

In the case of using the first method, they cover the surface of wood located horizontally with stain and rub it evenly over the entire plane of the product (for example, the steps of a staircase). The grinding method is used mainly for porous wood. For this method, stains that take a long time to dry are suitable.

Spraying method - stain is applied to the wooden surface of the stairs using a spray gun. This procedure for applying the composition is intended for staining vertical surfaces. The coating is smoother than with the rubbing method.

Staining a wooden surface with a swab or roller allows you to obtain a better, uniform coating. The roller is used for large areas, the swab for small parts. Instead of a standard tampon, you can use a sponge or piece of rags.

Painting horizontal or vertical staircase structures with stain using a brush allows you to obtain a more contrasting color coating than when using other covering methods with the same number of applied layers. Immersion is used only for staining individual small parts of the stairs.

Alcohol stains are applied to the wooden surface of the stairs by rubbing in two layers. The initial layer is applied along the wood grain, the last layer is applied across it.

Upon completion of applying the planned layers of stain, the surface of the stairs is wiped with a clean cloth. After drying, the staircase parts are cleaned with fine-grained emery cloth.

The surface prepared in this way can be opened with a transparent colorless varnish. This must be done, since stain does not form a protective film on the surface of the wood, but only tints it with the desired color and in rare cases can serve as an antiseptic.

Painting wooden stairs with paints and enamels

Wooden stairs are painted with various paints and enamels (see the chapter “Paints and enamels”). Based on their properties, they are divided into paints for interior and exterior use.

For example, paint for a wooden staircase in a home can only be used to paint indoor staircase structures. When using this type of paint for exterior applications, the finish will crack, peel and eventually fail.

The following tools are used for painting:

brushes;
sponges;
rollers;
foam swabs;
spray guns.

In addition, for small parts, dipping individual products into dye is used.

Painting of wooden structures should begin with treating the surface with a primer. The choice of primer brand depends on the composition of the paint or varnish for the finishing coat and the operating conditions for the finished base.

Wooden stairs must be painted from top to bottom. This is very important if finished steps are being painted, but there is no second staircase in the house. Do not paint wooden staircase structures in sections. The result may be a non-uniform coating of different color shades. Paint drips during the painting process are removed with a clean damp rag.

Traditionally, there are several methods of painting wooden stairs with paints and enamels. The most common is monochromatic painting of structural parts (see photo).

The highest quality and most durable coating is obtained when painting stairs with a spray gun. If brushes or a roller are used for painting, then you need to finish painting the wooden surface with long strokes over the entire plane of the product.

The most difficult method of painting a wooden staircase with a brush is:

Paint for wooden staircase structures should be applied to the surface of the flight of stairs using a free forward movement of the brush along the thread-like fibers of the wood in one direction.
After completing the painting of each layer, you need to wait a little, and without dipping the brush into the paint, adjust your strokes and remove paint drips, if any.
When using a sponge or swab, paint must be applied to the surface of the wood at least three layers. Due to the high labor intensity of the process, this method is rarely used.

There is also a method of painting wooden surfaces with a two-color texture. Using paint or enamel in two shades, a design is created that imitates the structure of wood or represents any abstract composition. The main paint color is used for the background, and the second color is used to apply a texture or image to the background surface.

In addition, paint to create texture or image can be water-based, but in this case the painted surface of the stairs must be varnished using a spray gun or a soft brush. After this, the base of the steps or stair railings is dried for at least an hour, then the surface is lightly sanded and varnished again.

Nitrocellulose paints dry quickly (20–30 minutes), which allows you to quickly paint parts of a wooden staircase. Thanks to the speed of paint drying, you can not only save time, but also reduce the risk of dust and insects sticking to the painted base.

Alkyd enamels and traditional oil paints are the most popular for painting both interior and exterior wood staircase structures. Oil paints are familiar and familiar to us. Alkyd compositions have positive performance characteristics and are more modern.

Varnishing wooden stairs

Before varnishing a wooden staircase, the following preparatory work must be done:

grinding;
primer;
waxing.

To sand the surface of the stairs before applying the varnish coating, fine-grained sandpaper is used. The grinding technique is described above.

Priming of wooden structures can be done with stain or a special primer using the same solvent as the future varnish coating. The type of primer should be selected individually for each brand of varnish or vice versa.

The varnish coating of the stairs is characterized by the following parameters:

brand and type of varnish;
coating method;
number of layers of varnish.

The quality and durability of the varnish film depends on the correct choice of the brand of varnish used.

The procedure for applying varnish to a wooden staircase is as follows:

The varnish is applied to the prepared dry surface of the stairs in even layers using a brush, swab or spray gun. Volumetric parts are varnished with a spray gun or brushes.
The ends and edges of a wooden staircase are varnished using brushes of small diameter. In some cases, with a transparent finish, it is possible to use putty of the same color as the future coating to eliminate minor wood defects.
Before completing the opaque finishing of a flight of stairs, you can easily use putty to remove chips, dents, etc.
After sanding, priming and putty, several circles of paint are applied to the surface of the wooden structure.
To obtain a durable and high-quality varnished coating, one pass of varnish is not enough. After the first layer has dried well, the varnished base must be sanded with fine sandpaper to create a perfectly flat and smooth wood surface.
After sanding, use a clean rag or dry brush to clean the surface from wood dust and apply a second layer of varnish, diluted a quarter with solvent.

In painting work on wooden stairs, oil-based and synthetic paints and varnishes are most often used. They are used for the installation of paint and varnish coatings on wood both indoors and outdoors.

The most common brands of varnish are:

Oil varnishes— suitable for varnishing any type of wood. Oil varnish coating is the most durable, waterproof, with a strong, pleasant shine. The varnish composition is applied in two layers with a swab or brush. The drying time for the coating is 48 hours.
Oil-based pentaphthalic varnishes (PF) are used to cover the surfaces of stairs painted with oil compositions indoors. Before use, dilute with solvent or white spirit. To apply pentaphthalic varnish to the surface of the stairs, use brushes or spray guns. Drying time 36 hours.
create a more elastic, but less moisture-resistant coating than when using oil varnishes. The shine of alcohol varnish is the softest and most subdued. The most common are shellac-based alcohol varnishes.
If it is decided to carry out varnishing with nitrocellulose compounds, then it is better to choose glossy varnishes. When using them, the surface is of better quality. Nitrocellulose varnishes are applied to the surface of the stairs in several layers - with a brush, swab or spray gun. Nitrocellulose varnishes form a high-quality waterproof base with a high gloss.

Nitrovarnish must be applied in even layers, and any subsequent layer must be perpendicular to the previous one.

Then, after applying the final layer, the surface of the stairs is left to finish drying for a day. Next, it is sanded with emery cloth, wiped with a clean rag and polished.

We analyzed a variety of paint and varnish materials that can be used to paint the surface of wooden external and internal stairs. We looked at how to paint a wooden staircase on the street and what paint to paint a wooden staircase in the house.

When choosing varnish or paint for finishing the stairs, do not be afraid to experiment. It is important that the coating meets safety requirements and fits harmoniously into the interior of your home.

Stairs are very sensitive to the negative influences of the environment. And even if they are located indoors, they are still regularly exposed to changes in humidity and temperature; in addition, during cleaning, owners usually use detergents, which also have a negative effect on them. Therefore, in order to extend the service life of the structure, it is necessary to protect its surface with a reliable coating.

The most reliable and proven method of protection is painting. Moreover, every staircase needs it, regardless of the material from which it is made, be it metal, wood or concrete, since they all have their own weaknesses.

However, in order for painting to really cope with the tasks assigned to it, it is necessary in each individual case to choose the right type, since there is a large assortment of coatings on the market and they all differ in their properties. This article is dedicated to this topic.

Basic requirements for paint

When choosing paint, first of all you should pay attention to the material from which the staircase is made, in what conditions it is used, what requirements are imposed on the coating, and what you want the structure to look like in the end.

As a rule, the coating for stairs should have the following properties:

Good adhesion to the base;
Water resistance;
Resistance to temperature changes;
Wear resistance;
Radiation stability;
If the structure is located outdoors, then frost resistance is also important;
Anti-corrosion properties (for metal stairs).

In addition, sometimes other requirements are imposed on paints, for example, fire retardant properties are sometimes important. In this case, specialized compounds are used, such as fire-retardant paints for metal Polistil.

Types of paints

So, today, as a rule, the following types of paintwork are used for painting stairs:

Alkyd enamels;
Water-dispersible acrylic;
Polyurethane;
Oily;
Transparent varnishes.

Of course, there are other types of coloring compositions, however, the above types have recently been the most popular. Now let's take a closer look at the features of these coatings.

Alkyd enamels

This type of dye is one of the most universal. Do-it-yourself painting of stairs with alkyd enamels can be done, regardless of the type of material from which the structure is made.

In addition, the coating has some other advantages, in particular, these enamels are distinguished by their decorative properties - .

These compositions are based on alkyd varnish, to which various solvents, fillers and coloring pigments are added. The filler is usually granite or marble chips, as well as quartz sand. It should be noted that the filler is much finer than regular sand.

Sometimes manufacturers add additional substances to the paint that give it one or another property. For example, the composition may contain antiseptics to protect the wood from the formation of fungus and rotting.

In addition to the fact that these coatings meet all the above requirements, they also differ in the following properties:

Elasticity;
Durability;
High drying speed;
Do not crack;
They don't sit down.

Thus, alkyd enamels are excellent protection for metal, wood or concrete surfaces. Moreover, painting the stairs can be done both indoors and outdoors.

The only drawback of the coating is the strong toxic odor, which gradually decreases as the paint dries.

Advice!
To dilute thickened alkyd enamels, you can use white spirit.

Acrylic paints

Water-dispersible acrylic paints have become the most popular lately. Their main advantage is environmental friendliness. The composition is completely odorless, since ordinary water is used as a solvent, and acrylic resins act as a binder.

Thanks to this, before painting the stairs in the house, your loved ones don’t even have to leave their home.

In addition, acrylic compositions have other advantages:

Excellent covering power.
They dry quickly - the hardening process lasts as long as the water evaporates.
After the composition hardens, a plastic coating forms on the surface.
Initially it has a white color, which allows you to achieve any shade by adding colors.
The composition does not fade or fade in the sun.
It has good moisture resistance, resistance to temperature changes and frost resistance, so it can be used for external stairs.
You can use acrylic paint to paint a metal, concrete or wooden staircase yourself.

Note!
Before purchasing acrylic paint, you should clarify the scope of its application, since usually these compositions are narrowly targeted.
This information is contained in the instructions on the packaging.

Polyurethane coatings

Polyurethane coatings are also very popular, which can be used to treat both wooden and metal surfaces. Due to their good resistance to mechanical loads, painting of staircases is usually done with these compounds.

When the paint, which is based on polyols and hardeners, dries, a durable coating is formed on the painted surface, which is highly resistant to atmospheric influences. Thanks to this, polyurethane compounds can be used for outdoor use.

Among other advantages of the coating, the following points can be highlighted:

Resistant to mineral and organic oils, acids, gasoline and oxidizing agents.
Excellent adhesion to the base.
After drying, a wear-resistant, elastic and at the same time hard film is formed on the surface.
The composition is non-toxic.
Does not fade in the sun.
Has good frost resistance.

Therefore, if the staircase will have high traffic, you can opt for polyurethane paints.

Advice!
For coating exterior metal stairs, Zinga conductive paint is also an excellent option.
It provides a high level of corrosion protection and has a long service life.

Oil paints

This type of paint is used less and less, as it has gradually been forced out of the market by more “advanced” compositions, which we discussed above. But, despite this, even now you can find use for oil paint. For example, this composition can be used to paint a pine staircase, especially if you are not sure that the wood has dried well.

This is due to the fact that oil paint and the resin released by coniferous wood have almost the same composition, due to which the coating will adhere well, unlike many other paints. In addition, external metal structures can be coated with oil paint.

True, before painting a metal staircase, it needs to be treated with a primer so as not to encounter corrosion in the near future. Another advantage of these paints is their low price. They are much more affordable than the ones listed above.

In the photo - covering the stairs with transparent varnish

Clear varnishes

Finally, it must be said that when processing wooden stairs, transparent varnishes are very popular. Like paints, they can have different characteristics that you should pay attention to when purchasing. In addition, some of them contain pigments, which allows you to give the surface a certain shade and highlight the texture of the wood.

As a rule, such coatings are used for interior work to preserve the natural appearance of the stairs.

Conclusion

Today there is a large selection of paints, which allows you to select the composition in accordance with all the requirements for the coating. Therefore, before making a choice, you need to think carefully about the operating conditions of the ladder.

The correct choice of paint will significantly extend the life of not only the finish, but also the structure itself. Additional information on this topic can be obtained from the video in this article.

Painting stairs is a process that requires a careful and thoughtful approach, as well as compliance with some mandatory technological steps. It is not surprising that experts estimate that such work is not cheap, which is why many home owners decide to paint the stairs themselves. In fact, it is quite possible to do this - however, in order for a staircase painted with your own hands to be used for a long time and not require re-painting after just a few months, you need to get acquainted with some advice from professionals and strictly follow them when performing the work.

Why do stairs need to be painted?

Before you learn how to paint a staircase correctly, you need to understand: why is this being done? Many people believe that by covering a staircase with paint or varnish, they are solving purely aesthetic issues, giving the staircase an appearance that is completely consistent with the surrounding interior. In fact, painting stairs has another, much more important side - it protects the material from which the stairs are made from external influences, and therefore extends the life of the product.

What does the paint coating protect the staircase material from?

First of all, painting stairs protects them from mechanical influences: we constantly walk on stairs and the steps get worn out and dirty. The top layer of material, such as wood, is damaged by the soles of shoes and, of course, by sharp heels.

Regardless of whether the staircase is located inside or outside the house, it is affected by air humidity and temperature changes. In addition, a wooden staircase can be located in a place in the house where direct sunlight will fall on it, leading to drying out and this is also a reason to protect the surface of the staircase.

Materials for painting stairs

Before painting stairs at, you need to choose the right materials that will not only give this element of the interior or exterior of the house an attractive appearance, but will also provide excellent protection from external influences for a long time.

When choosing a paint coating, the material from which the staircase itself is made is of great importance. Just knowing that the staircase is made of wood is not enough; you need to accurately imagine what type of wood was used in the manufacture of the product. The fact is that different wood “behaves” differently when painted. For example, if your staircase is made of coniferous species - spruce, fir or pine, then the wood will absorb paint unevenly, so it will need to be applied in several layers. In addition, coniferous wood emits a lot of resin, which interferes with the adhesion of the wood surface to the paint coating and this should also be taken into account when choosing paint. But hardwoods behave differently when painted - they interact well with the coating and absorb it very evenly, so painting such a staircase requires less paint consumption.

Dye

When choosing a paint for finishing a wooden staircase, it is best to pay attention to the color that most accurately conveys the natural shade of the wood in order to preserve the natural appearance of the wood as much as possible.

The type of paint you choose depends on where exactly the staircase is located. If it is located inside the house, then you can use oil paints based on artificial drying oil or cellulose materials to paint it. But if the staircase is located outside the house, then the only option is paint based on natural drying oil.

Lucky

A colorless varnish coating has one undoubted advantage over paints - it does not “hide” the texture and natural beauty of wood, but, on the contrary, emphasizes it. In addition, coating stairs with varnish does not cause any difficulties, and varnish dries faster than paint.

Modern manufacturers produce two types of varnishes:

alcohol-based varnishes;
nitrocellulose varnishes.

Alcohol-based varnish is a resin mixed with an organic solvent. This varnish can be used exclusively for painting stairs located inside the house, since under the influence of low temperatures and precipitation, the coating of such varnish will quickly become unusable. For street stairs, it is best to use nitrocellulose varnish, which contains colloxylin, as well as plasticizers, which make the material significantly more durable.

When painting stairs, there are two main ways to do the job - painting with a roller or with a brush. Using these tools, you can give your staircase a completely new look by painting it, or highlight its natural beauty by using varnish. And in order for the work to be of the highest quality and convenient, you should listen to some advice from experienced craftsmen:

It is best to paint or varnish a staircase one step at a time, after which you need to wait until the painted steps are completely dry and begin finishing the remaining steps. In this case, the ladder can also be used while it is being painted, which eliminates the possibility of any inconvenience for family members during finishing work.
When painting stairs, it is better to use oil paints than synthetic ones. And the point here is not at all about the environmental purity of this or that paint and varnish material: it’s just that oil-based paints more reliably protect the surface of the stairs from external influences than oil-free paints and varnishes.
It is best to coat metal staircase structures with bitumen varnish, which adheres to the metal surface in the form of a black film and perfectly protects the structure from moisture.
Enamel paints should not be used in rooms with high humidity - for example, in bathrooms or kitchens, since the shiny film that forms on the surface of the enamel is destroyed by exposure to dampness.
After treating the wooden surfaces of the staircase with stain or impregnation, it should be coated with colorless varnish. The only exceptions are the most modern impregnations, which have all the necessary protective properties and excellent decorative characteristics.