It's up to you- it appears that this rail may be stained while the balusters are painted.

Yes, this railing is stained and the ballusters are painted. This can be a nice way to brighten a stairway as well as modernize it. However, it is better to do this if your trim surrounds, baseboards, etc. are also white, otherwise, the spindles end up looking too "loud" and out of place.

I actually just finished painting a railing and ballusters (black railing and white ballusters). The gentleman at the paint store was able to advise me on the best paint to use for the product (it was an oil base, so a royal pain), but the finished product looks fabulous!

Thanks. That's good to know. May I ask how you prepped your staircase beforehand? Were you able to do this job yourself?

I probably should have prepped it with some sort of primer or liquid sander (for longevity's sake), but laziness got the best of me, and I just slapped the paint directly onto the wood. :) We'll see if we end up having any problems with peeling or chipping as time goes by.

And yes, I did do the whole job myself. Painting each thin spindle is time consuming and a pain in the neck (I ended up having to use a tiny watercolor brush to finish the spot where each spindle meets the railing). But, again, the end result was well worth it!

P.S. The black oil-based paint seemed to be nearly impossible to clean out of the brush. For subsequent projects where I've used this product, I've purchased inexpensive brushes so that I can just toss the mess when finished. I've also worn rubber gloves, as it was equally impossible to get out from around my nails!

I think the chance of chipping is low since those parts of the staircase are not really handled. The railing, which is touched all the time, painted in oil is a good idea for high durability. I must say that I did start cleaning the staircase with Mr. Clean cleaning pads (the little white ones) and they completely took off any grit and a surprising most of varnish. Did you have to do anything with your steps? And if you're not using a runner do you find it slippery?

Wow, that's funny...I had the EXACT same experience! I used the Mr. Clean "Magic Erasers" to get some black marks off the steps (which are unfinished wood with varnish) and the same thing happened. Would love to know what kind of chemicals are in those things...!

No, we don't have runners, and yes, they are slippery...I have commented to my husband on numerous occasions that we should look into some runners before one of us takes a header down the steps.

I had the WORST stairs in my house. I ended up hiring a company to replace and tighten the treads and stained everything. Then after a few years the bannister started looking blah. I got a super fine grit sand paper and did the banisters myself and then added a light honey oak stain and (spar) varnish (Yes the stuff they use on boats. I have not had a problem since and they take beating.

Plus the US Government is doing away with oil based paints. So for those projects around the house that require a heavy duty paint it's best to stock up now.

Painting your stairs is very tough to do. You really need to hire a professional, and please - don't "stock up" on oil-based paints, there is a reason why we are doing away with it, it harms our environment, and the off gases are harmful to your health. There are green alternates to oil based paints, but you need to know how to use them. I would save up and hire a professional to paint/stain your stairs. Or, save more and have the stair rails, posts, spindles replaced. Give the existing to a charity like Habitat for Humanity. Good luck with your project!