How To Give Your Old Stair Railings A Fresh New Look

A staircase is not just a structure that enables us to move between building floors. It is also a significant interior design element that deserves your full attention. It is not easy to trace back accurately the first set of staircases as they’ve been in existence for so long. They have been in usage since the times of various ancient cultures. It also has evolved and grown both in terms of designs and strength across multiple cultures.

The idea of a staircase is one that seems inherent to humans. A need for a staircase can be observed in the way our habitats are constructed. Still, you probably wouldn’t wish for an old, outdated staircase railing in your home. A staircase can make a strong decor statement, particularly the railings of a staircase. You may need to spruce up things to make your staircase look new, elegant, and befitting the overall mood and style of your home's unique appeal.

How Can You Give Your Outdated Stair Railings a Fresh New Look?

Below are some ways in which you can give your old and outdated stair railings a fresh new look.

1. Break out the paint

The very first way you can freshen up your stair railings is to break out the paint. The phrase “break out the paint” does not refer to some basic spray paint or classic coat of basic home white. It is actually being creative and letting your ideas flow when painting the railings. For example, once the railings have been primed and prepped for a fresh coat of paint, you can paint the balusters or spindles with different colors. This does not mean using various colors but choosing a few colors and alternating them. You can even choose a color and apply gradient shades, that is going, from light to dark or vice versa. Or you can go for a more conservative but classic choice of colors such as paint one baluster deep gray, the other one dark blue.

2. Consider custom upgrades

Due to its affordability and customization features (like molding into any shape), aluminum, a metal alloy, has become a popular material used in home decorating settings. So, a decent choice of material for your staircase is a brand new set of aluminum railing. It is cheaper than a wooden railing. Also, the rails can be carved to your specifications to make the whole railings set stand out. Doing this freshens up the look of your staircase and makes your home attractive.

3. Get rid of stains

A wooden stair rail is what you will find in most homes. You can spend a small amount of money on sandpaper abrasive paper meant for cleaning and smoothening surfaces) to get rid of wood stains. The process of scraping off the stains, using sandpaper will require a lot of time and effort, but it is an affordable way of giving your stair rail a fresh new look.

4. Replace caps placed on top of your rails

There is no need for you to purchase a whole new set of aluminum stair rails. You can simply replace the caps placed on top of your rails. It won’t cost you a lot for replacing these caps alone. Replacing them will make your whole rail set look new, fresh, and attractive.

5. New spindles

They are also called balusters. Spindles are the posts or poles of the stair railing set. If you don’t wish to replace the entire handrails, you can selectively remove the broken, weak, or old-looking spindles and replace them with new ones. Doing this will give you a fresh new-looking stair rail.

6. Handrail

You can freshen up the look of your stair rails by adding a simple handrail. The handrail doesn’t have to look flashy or sophisticated, particularly if the basement staircase is where you are adding the handrails too. A handrail made of fittings or metal pipes would be just perfect.

7. Tread replacement

Replacing the treads can be the action you need to take to turn your outdated and old-looking staircase railings into new and fresh-looking ones. It makes the staircase structure look appealing, as it brings out the beauty.

8. Glass it up

If you wish for more light around your home, you can consider removing your wooden rails for glass panels. Adding glass panels to a staircase makes your home space look cleaner, larger, and chic. However, you should be ready for extra cleaning tasks, especially if you have kids in your home. Glass panels are a little bit fragile; they can break if not handled with care.

9. Go horizontal

Stair railings don’t necessarily have to be vertical; even though that is how they are on almost every staircase. You can replace your vertical railings with horizontal railings. This change will increase the aesthetic appeal of your staircase. A note of warning here; don’t change to horizontal rails if you have children that love climbing. They will find horizontal rails easier to climb.

Conclusion

Staircase structures have been in existence for a long time. They enable us to move in between building floors or even floors within our homes. Staircases are a major part of the house's structure, and so they should be paid attention to.

When the design or colors on your stair railing become old or outdated, it can make your home look dull and unattractive. To increase the aesthetic appeal of that home, you must find ways of keeping the stair railings looking new and fresh. A fresh-looking stair railing will make the aesthetic appeal of your home come alive again.