1960s Staircase

[Stephisaur]

Morning All

We moved into a 1960s property at the tail end of last year and it needs a LOT of work doing (most of which we can no longer afford! Ha).

I'm trying to shift focus a bit and do some decorating while we save for the big works, so my attention has fallen on our stairs.

They're typical 1960s style and for now, they sort of need to stay that way. I just need a sounding board really as my husband is thoroughly uninterested!

I'm thinking of removing the white paint and bringing them back to the wood. I am looking to paint the verticals black (can't decide if they're metal or wood at the moment, I suspect metal).

Just after some ideas - is this what you would do? Do you have some fantastic low cost option that is better? Does anyone know what the verticals are called and I can perhaps get nicer ones?

Thank you in advance! :)

A picture would give people a better idea ?

@Diyextension Sure would! Too early in the morning for me 😂

What colour are you planning for the walls?

They’re called spindles

I rather like that sort of staircase personally.is it actually in a room rather than the hall?

@TwoBlueFish even though they're on the outside? I thought they might be but started to doubt myself!

@morelippy removing the delightful woodchip and going for a soft neutral. More than likely 'slaked lime' by little greene which is an off white. Had it in my old kitchen and really liked it.

Try a magnet on the spindles that will tell you, as for the wood it might be considerably less grief to replace the boards. Having sanded down an entire staircase ( 50+ years of paint) I will never do it again . If you replace the wood you can stain/oil/varnish to what ever you like and then it's sorted.

@Allthegoodnamesarechosen it's in the hallway. It's growing on me but needs some TLC (like the rest of the house)

@MissCherryCakeyBun hadn't even thought of a magnet! Will test later. Good idea with the boards, I'll look into it :)

I would do the stairs a slightly darker shade of the wall colour, leave the rail wood and paint the spindles matt black. Then pick up the matt black with picture frames

The F&B website is v good for suggesting toning colours in their range.. then just get them mixed in b and q.

That sounds really nice @morelippy

I’m in the process of redoing my 1920’s ish stair case. Oak cladding over the top of the actual stairs. There are too many layers of paint and the wood itself is full of holes and nicks and is very uneven. New bannister and spindles to replace what looked like a corrugated board made from woodchip. Everything stained in a dark oak with varnish on the top. For me the before and after could almost be from different houses, I’m really impressed.

There are many online shops to buy stair bits and bobs- spindles, bannisters, newel posts and cladding.

If the basics are sound though you can make a big difference with a coat of paint or sanding and varnishing.

@morelippy that's a great idea. I'm planning on doing that with the skirtings/architraves so would tie the stairs in really well. Thank you! :)

We need after picture!

We had almost that staircase, except it was open tread (no backs to the steps).
We got rid of all the stuff at the sides and sanded (or maybe stripped, can't remember) the varnish off the handrail. We then waxed it to give a much softer look - the wood itself is lovely. We put in brushed chrome spindles (from B&Q). It looks great.

The stairs themselves were also sanded back and then carpeted, but not all the way across so you can still see the wood either side.

Along with the parquet floor in the hall, it's the only bit of original 1960s left in the house, and I love it!

I’m guessing the vertical supports are metal , they look way to small to be wood. A heavy person leaning on that would snap them.

I really like it as it is and might just touch up the paint where it's painted (keep the wood bit wood)

You can bring in some mid century furniture pieces around it and that will make it look like a design choice and less like it's just old

I know that woodchip is truly out of fashion these days, but my goodness it does wear well. We have it on the staircase wall and it has survived all sorts of abuse. Had we removed it, I'd be forever filling and touching in dints in the wall. And I quite like it, yeah, I'm from the "era of no taste". Or rather "the era when taste never even got a look in" ,

And our staircase is very similar, except the bannisters have 1 big upright strut halfway along. Sapele wood, I think, which I don't think you can get any more either. And that doesn't show the bashing about either. A blonde wood or a light colour jolly well would.

Thank you all, some brilliant ideas to mull over!