Modernising Staircase

[nevercannevercanever]

I would really love to modernise the look of my staircase. At the moment is is horizontal white wood which has been painted many times. I like the look of stairs which have either wood or chrome looking bannister and glass inserts. Has anyone done this themselves or did you have someone do it for you? Do you feel it was worth it?

Here are some pics to show what it currently looks like and what I would like

Just me then

Tell us more about the rest of the house. Is it a 60/70s build with airy rooms to match? If there's a west coast vibe to the house? If so I'd leave the rails part as is but might change the landing.
So tell us more so we can suggest ideas!

Also does the staircase lead from the hallway or from an open plan room?

Will there be lots of finger marks with the glass?

If it’s a 60s/70s house I def wouldn’t change it. 90s new build you could consider it. It would be a job for professionals not something to try and DIY. Unless the whole house is in that style which is unlikely looking at the pics, then it can look rather like you have installed a bannister from an office block or doctors surgery.

We changed ours from ranch style like yours OP to glass.
DH did it himself, but he is very practical. We used a company called Stair Furb. We'd recommended them. We only needed 3 panels and a handrail and a base rail as we have no landing. It was about £600.
After removing the old rails it only took a couple of hours to fit.
I'm very pleased with it.
Happy to answer any questions.

That looks like it's original to the 1970s as others have already said.

What may be the simplest, and also very effective, thing to do is to simply strip the paint, maybe stain the wood, and then polish it.

Here are a few examples of just that

For some reason I can't attach photos so here are the links to the photos:-

staircase 1

staircase 2

staircase 3

I think it is original that came with the house. It is off a hallway rather than an open plan room. I like the ranch style.
I just wonder what quality the wood is underneath if we stripped it back. Perhaps a wooden bannister would look nicer than the chrome.
I have looked at stairfurb and like the styles they offer

@GlitterBicuits could go show me what your stairs look like now please.

Thanks everyone for your help so far.

I don't like all the chipped paint along the bannisters which always needs touching up.

This is ours. It’s a 60s house but fits with the style of the rest of the house. My DH did it and I love it.

@Checkingout811 that looks v nice. Where did you get the kit from? Which wood did you choose.

Good question do you get lots of fingers marks on the glass? My children are 9 & 11 so hoping they hold the rail as they are taller

I will PM you some photos tomorrow.
Ours were original mahogany. I know 60s/70s style decor is quite fashionable now but I loathe it.
Our room is so much lighter now. You might not see so much difference as yours are white.

We had exactly the same and got it replaced with white spindles and an oak bannister. 1k and about 4 hours work for 2 men. Totally worth it, very happy with it.

Sorry, I missed that you wanted glass inserts

@Jenjenn that's ok not really sure what I want so any ideas welcome

@GlitterBicuits thanks some pics would be great thank you

We did ours DIY with new spindles, total cost £160 + paint and accessories.

It was a lot of work calculating the angles etc, and DH didn't quite drill the newel post right from the cellar.

would you consider a metal rod and cable railing

stairsolution.com/services/modern-staircase/modern-railing-systems.html

We have rod and cable railing on our back deck and it looks really good and feels very light. I see a lot of rod and cable stairs on hgtv makeovers in the US and they look really good.

I'd be concerned about fingerprints/smudges on the glass. We have lovely perspex chairs at our island in the kitchen. they were exactly what we wanted but I will get rid of them eventually - am driven demented wiping off fingerprints.

Thank you @nevercannevercanever
We went for solid oak. We got the wood from Howdens and the glass was from a local company called SheffLock. The chrome brackets were from a local factory: b&M steels. The materials cost was around £1600.
My DC are 8, 3 & 1. It does get finger prints as my DC are young and my middle can’t reach the handrail but yours are older so I think you’ll be fine. In any case, they’re easily cleaned. I use the glass cleaning wipes from the Range and they’re fab!

@mareep that's very good value

@pallisers I had never seen those before so I will take a look

@Checkingout811 glad the fingerprints are easily removed

OP. Yes, we used Jackson woodturners in 2018. It's not our forever house, so didn't was to pay £££. Also bought a rotary saw, but we've used it several times since.