Should staircase balusters be white or dark?
I’m planning to re-stain my staircase treads, risers and handrails a dark brown like this inspiration pic. (They are currently a medium brown stain that is too warm for the renovated space and they will need minor patching.) Adjacent walls will be white. There will be a rug runner on the stairs that will likely be shades of brown with some contrast to the stair treads. The runner is subject to change over the years.
The staircase is in a hall about 7-8’ wide (with staircase on one side) and cannot be seen from any room. It is a straight 13 tread oak staircase - no fancy curves, no extra landings.
I like the square balusters. In all the pics I’ve found, the balusters are white. I was thinking they should be oak stained dark like the treads. I like the rich dark stain for this. The other option is black iron balusters, but I never really bonded with those.
What color should the balusters be? If they are dark, will there be enough light white wall showing through, or will it read as a dreary dark staircase?
I’m thinking about doing a closed outer string (?), which should match the balusters if they are wood. The inner string against the wall would be the same color as the outer string. (This stringer stuff is new terminology for me.)
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3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoThank you for the comments.
Another option I thought of is to try and make a two-toned staircase, with lighter wood handrails and balusters that match the wood-look porcelain tile that will be throughout the lower level. The treads and risers would still be dark. That might lighten up the whole area.
Regarding the outer string, I may not have used the proper terminology. I think I can trim out/clad the existing edges of the treads. I won’t change the supporting structure. I won’t remove any treads or risers or change the structural stringers (which I assume are underneath the stairs). I just want to cover the tread and riser edges and a portion of the wall below them. They are not done well. I know it will be tricky around the bullnoses. I have trimmed out a stairway wall before without affecting the supporting stringers.I know I have to strip and stain all the wood. I plan to replace the balusters, and the handrail is not a big deal to replace if necessary since I need a second handrail for the wall side anyway. I plan to strip and stain all the interior doors too. This will be one of the later projects that I take a lot of time with. It will be worth it to see all the beautiful dark wood, which will be a showpiece of this house.
3 years agoI had a new oak staircase installed, and my carpenter spent a lot of time matching the stair stain to our Italian porcelain tile wood look floor. You mentioned, your flooring is also woodlook porcelain. I attached some pictures. Best of luck on your journey!
kelli_ga thanked kculbers- 3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
Wow, kculbers, that looks beautiful!
kandrewspa, it’s a Cape Cod style house in the woods in rural farm country. Built in the 1980s so it’s a contemporary house. My style is more contemporary. Anything Joanna Gaines would probably work.
The interior doors are 6-panel stained wood - not my favorite, but too nice to change.
Here is an inspiration pic of the exterior. My house is simpler architecturally (and still needs a lot of work, so no pics of the house yet). Very few windows. The staircase does not have much natural light.
- 3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
I just received the black stair runner rods I ordered. I like them! They don’t offer a lot of help securing the runner (too loose for my rug runner), but at least they cover up the staples and give the staircase a little retro farmhouse style (IMO).
I played with the rods vertically to see how black iron balusters might work. That might be a good solution, not only because they would go with the rods, but also because they open up the space. 1/2” or 5/8” black balusters instead of 1-1/4” wood balusters would let a lot more of the white walls show through. I could even get simple balusters with feet. The handrail would be nice enough without knots or decorative pieces, but feet would be nice especially if I made the stringer trim white like in this pic. The staircase rarely is viewed from the side anyway since it is just in the hallway.
kandrewspa