Easiest way to do stairs but still stylish?

[finallydecorating]

My hallway and staircase are in desperate need of some tlc!

I'd like to do a runner up the centre of the stairs but wondering if I'm creating a massive job for myself having to sand the sides of each step? (I assume people don't bother sanding the middle?)

I don't enjoy DIY much beyond choosing the new design and seeing the finished product! I don't have a lot of free time and I'm not very patient with prep, sanding etc.

Should I take the easy option and just carpet the whole thing? It's not the look I have in mind but maybe so much easier it's worth it?

Or pay someone to sand the stairs (and I paint them?)

WWYD?

This is the kind of thing I have in mind.

I’m in exactly the same situation. I think I would have to sand and paint, myself, it’s a very fiddly job. I live in an old house and I’ve not seen my hall floor uncarpeted and am quite apprehensive that if I rip up the carpet in the hall I’ll see a dire mess. As I write this I realise what a DIY coward I am, and also how I’ve got to the stage of not trusted tradies to do a decent job anymore…which is a stalemate situation!

Yes, I don't have tradies I know and trust in this town. I did in my hometown, but I just basically used all my dad's fantastic contacts that he'd built up after living there for decades, so it was easy!

I've had a few people in to do things here - plumbing and related decorating mostly - but none have been brilliant.

I've pulled up the carpet on mine (ages ago!) and they're wood painted at either side but not up the middle so they must have had a runner before at some point.

The paint is old and scuffed and they definitely need some attention.

Get an electric sander and go for it. Think how satisfying it will be once you have done. (Disclaimer I live a bit of DIY and am planning to do this to our stairs when we move next month)

Yeah, I really don't love DIY! 😅

And although you say "grab a sander" I can guarantee it's a bit more complicated than that! I expect it'll involve:

• research how to sand stairs
• buy or hire sanders (coz it's a fiddly job in places and will mean more than one type I imagine?)
• buy all the other tools and materials needed for the job (filler? What else? I'm sure there's more to it than simply sanding, there always is!)

Then

• sand (and fill and whatever other prep needs doing) hating every minute other than the first half an hour when I might trick myself into having some enthusiasm before the tedium kicks in!
• do this over several days (Google says it'll take 2 days but I don't have 2 straight days, it'll have to be done in bits)
• clean up all the mess and hoover after every time I sand, put tools away
• get it all out again next time and repeat

And that's before I even start painting (another tedious job that's always more complicated than it sounds!)

Any tips on making this process more bearable gratefully accepted!

I started sanding my stairs a long time ago and have given up! It was my intention to sand and then paint the stairs, as we don’t want a stair runner as our pets like carpet too much, and we can’t afford to have laminate flooring fitted.

I like DIY but hate all the preparation and I always underestimate how long everything will take! I really wasn’t prepared for the amount of dust, and I only sanded half of my stairs. I also got this awful vibration injury in my hand and arm that wouldn’t go away for a few hours from using the sander and this scared me. If I ever get my arse in gear to complete the job I’ll take a break after sanding each stair to avoid injury again.

Oh god that sounds awful. How's your hand and arm now, have they recovered?

hate all the preparation and I always underestimate how long everything will take!

I can really relate to this!

I think I need to get a quote for the sanding. It's probably going to be astronomical isn't it?!

I think carpet runners look nice but I’ve always been put off by the potential cleaning. I imagine the side bits will be constantly full of dust and bits and would need a lot of hoovering.

Yeah, good point.

If I do get a runner I'll get a lightweight handheld thingy to hoover the stairs with.

What do you have instead, full carpet or bare / painted wood?

I’ve got a full carpet, stripy in shades of black and grey. It’s good at hiding dirt!

OK, so to the internet tells me prepping and painting a staircase is about £400. If that's right, and if we do go for painted stairs, fuck it, I'll pay someone to do it.

They'll do a much better job than me and actually get it done quickly rather than it dragging on forever.

Full carpet is certainly worth considering!

You could always go for a full width edged carpet - the look of runner without any sanding!

I don't like runners on stairs with light or white paint as somehow the painted area is always dusty and dirty (past experience). Even after a day or two, and nobody cleans the stairs daily.