Software
Houzz Logo Print
sgrimes2012

Design help with split level entry stairs

7 years ago

I need some help determining what to do with our stair case in our entryway. Our main floors are a medium brown oak hardwood and our basement flooring is also a medium brown but laminate. We have got quotes to have the stairs re-finished to match our main floor flooring stain colour but its way out of our budget. We have to get this house ready to sell within the next few months (Military).


Can we paint these stairs and perhaps add a runner? If so, what colour paint do we do? I've seen a lot of black stairs but i think its way too dark for us. Would dark brown just look plain silly and obvious that it doesn't match our floors? Would white with a runner work?


Landing in entry is tile with off-white / cream undertones and a bit of grey veining. Walls are a very light gray.






Thanks in advance for the help!

Comments (11)

  • 7 years ago

    jeez, I wouldn't paint them. it's ok to let a buyer make some decisions, and I'd be way more bummed that you'd painted my steps for me than that I might have to change the look myself -- a less scary "update" to most than a kitchen, say.

    Steph G2012 thanked acm
  • 7 years ago

    I do appreciate that point of view! I guess my concern is that these stairs will be a detriment to selling my home how they look now but i can see how it could be looked at from the other perspective.

  • 7 years ago

    I'd leave them be! Let someone else put in a runner of their choosing. The stairs are in perfect condition as is.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    If you must install a runner no painting nessessary.

  • 7 years ago

    Oh my goodness. Painting that beautiful wood would be a crime, not an improvement. Let them alone and let your buyer decide.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    While this isn't a quite a "fix" there is a budget-friendly way to help tie all of the flooring finishes and colors together and give the entry a little more cohesion. Consider a small rug for the landing which is printed or textured in multiple brown tones similar to that of your flooring. The best option would be to find a rug which has the browns and a little bit of gray to bring in a bit of the wall and tile colors too. It may help to get two of these rugs so one can be placed at the end of the stairs at the basement level as well.

    Best of luck with your project!

    Steph G2012 thanked Nanke Signature Group
  • 7 years ago

    My boyfriend and I just bought our first house, we were sooo happy to find hard wood stairs underneath the nasty burgundy carpet. in the near future I would like to re-du them.. I you are a handy person it really isn't that hard to do it your self. You could always paint the risers white and leave the step wood colour. that will break it up a little.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    I would put bead board on the riser and then stain the tread as close to the color of the upstairs flooring as possible. Problem is, if you do that then you are opening a whole new can of worms of what to do with the railings.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Is there any chance you can replace the dark sill at the landing with the same wood as the stairs? A flooring company could do that for a small investment.

  • 7 years ago

    You're selling the house...leave it alone. Let the new owners do what they want with the staircase.