How to makeover a handrail from painted to stained and call it your own. We went from barn red to crisp white and dark stain on the stairs down to the playroom:


I used the same handrail, stripped off all the red paint, applied stain and poly, then reattached with new hardware.
One minor change – there was about 12″ of railing sticking up into midair at the landing? I’m guessing this might have something to do with code but I choose to cut it off:
The vertical paneling on the walls is painted Benjamin Moore gray owl:
And I used standard handrail hardware from Home Depot in oil rubbed bronze:
Getting rid of all that red really makes a huge difference:
The space is finally feeling complete now that the handrail and stairwell is done:
How to makeover the handrail:
1. Remove old handrail and hardware.
Here I cut off about 12″ that was extending too far up onto the landing:
2. Using chemical stripper remove old paint:
3. Sand smooth and hose off:
4. Apply Minwax Jacobean stain:
5. Apply Minwax clear semi-gloss polyurethane, two coats sanding in between:
6. Reinstall with new hardware.
The whole makeover looks great Jaime! I'd love to redo all the banisters in our house at some point. They're the standard red orange wood stain with gold hardware. yick!
It all looks so beautiful!
Looks amazing, of course!
What a huge difference! It looks amazing.
I just wanted to tell you that I am a loyal follower and constantly amazed by your talent and vision. YOU ARE AWESOME!
love this! Featuring you on the blog and sharing on FB tomorrow! Thanks so much for linking up with OPC and the DIY village to support Habitat4Humanity. Hope to see back tomorrow night. facebook.com/oneprojectcloser
That before and after is AMAZING! I want to update my stair railing. What great inspiration.