How To Paint A 2 Story Stairwell

When I last left yous in my hallway, I had finished painting the stairs and needed to figure out how to paint a stairwell that is ii stories loftier. I figured it out! And I've got all the info. for you today.

collage showing how to paint a stairwell

I should have painted this wall before I painted the stairs. That would accept been smart, merely like painting the trim before the treads and railing on the stairs. I don't always do things in the right order, but I'm however making progress getting things done and making my domicile more than beautiful on a budget .

Concluding time I paid someone to paint this hallway. This fourth dimension, I knew my upkeep meant I needed to DIY it. Simply how exercise you paint a stairwell without spending a fortune on specialty ladders or scaffolding ?

I'm going to show yous too as give you the step by step tutorial so you tin can tackle this project. Equally always, I'm going to keep it real with yous to make your project easier.

And if you lot're struggling to detect time to tackle the DIY projects that you lot want to, I've got 2 resource for you. Starting time, you can sign upwards to get the Mom To Practise Listing . That'southward what I use to keep upwards with the massive to-do list nosotros all have as moms. Then I also utilize all the organization I teach in the Real Organized Mom class. With those 2 things, I'm able to find time to take a break here and there and to arts and crafts or take on a DIY project….even as a single mom. Y'all can do information technology too. I promise.

How to Paint A Stairwell

tools to use for painting a stairwell without a ladder or scaffolding

Supplies

Pigment
Paint tray
Paintbrush(chapter link)
Drop textile(s)
Painter's tape(chapter link)
Extension pole(affiliate link)
Corner Painter(chapter link)
Border Painter(affiliate link)
Sponge

before painting a stairwell

Before we get to step 1, here'southward what my hallway looked like. It'due south a 2 story wall over the stairwell. I had painted the downstairs part of the hallway when I did the hallway makeover . I stopped right at the corner that y'all tin meet at the bottom of the stairs and moved on to removing the carpet and painting the stairs . Now information technology was time to terminate things up.

Pace one: Prep

TIME:10 – 15 minutes

Prep your area. Comprehend everything with drop cloths.

Encompass all of your stairs, railings, and floors. You lot'll most likely have some drips with this job, so information technology's important to cover everything.

Step 2: Grit walls and corners

TIME:5 – 10 minutes

Dust the walls and corners. No matter how make clean you continue your house, your alpine walls are going to take some dust and spider webs.

Put a cloth on your extension pole and go over the walls and corners to get rid of the dust and cobwebs.

Footstep 3: Cutting in ceiling

Fourth dimension:Volition vary based on the size of your wall. Mine took me nigh one.5 hours.

loading tool with paint for cutting in a tall wall

Cut in on a high wall without a ladder or scaffolding is a pain. I'one thousand not going to sugar coat it, information technology's the worst part of this job.

And information technology takes forever.

Ok, now that I've been honest with yous, let me tell you how to do information technology.

I had searched for info. on how to do this and establish ideas that required buying a special ladder or scaffolding. I didn't want to spend that money, and I also didn't want to end upwardly with the equipment.

Finally, I institute this video on YouTube, and I figured I'd give it a try. It just cost a few extra dollars for the tools, and so there wasn't much risk.

tool to use for cutting in when painting a stairwell

You'll need the Shur Line Edger Pro (affiliate link). If you watch the video on this page that should exist playing at the bottom or side of the screen, it goes into more visual detail than I tin can in writing .

Carefully load the edger with paint. Make sure not to overload it.

Disengage the wheels at the meridian of the edger when you load pigment.

Yous desire to load merely the centre of the edger. That style, yous won't terminate up with extra pigment running downward your wall, and you won't end up with paint on the ceiling.

cutting in when painting a stairwell

Recollect to re-engage the wheels on the edger tool earlier yous get-go painting and utilize your sponge to clean the wheels if needed .

Then you take to movement information technology back and forth slowly at the top of the wall to cut in.

It's not quick work.

It takes patience.

cutting in when painting high walls

TIP: When you purchase your extension pole, make sure you purchase one that is longer than yous need and don't skimp on this tool.

Y'all need a potent, sturdy extension pole.

I bought the longest and most sturdy one they had at Lowe's. As you lot can meet in the pic above, information technology tended to bow a little bit when I worked on the highest parts of the ceiling. A longer and stronger extension pole would take made my task easier.

Step 4: Cutting in corners

Fourth dimension:Volition vary based on the size of your wall. Mine took me near 20 – thirty minutes

how to load the corner tool for painting a stairwell

To get those tall corners, I decided to try the Shur Line Corner Painter(affiliate link). It was pretty cheap, so I figured what the heck, why not give it a endeavor.

You tin can load the entire tool this fourth dimension. Try not to overload it, so you don't end up with drips, but more paint on the tool makes it work improve. So, endeavour to detect that balance between non enough and too much pigment.

I institute that this tool made more drips, and I had to exist a chip more careful with information technology than the edger tool.

cutting in corners to paint a stairwell

Use the tool to cut in the corners. I found that I could get right into the corner, simply the edges didn't work equally well. I evidence this in the video, but I did the center and and then went back and used pressure level on 1 side and then the other to get the coverage I wanted . That actress step makes the rolling a little fleck easier.

As a side note, yous tin see from the flick above, painting a hallway with no air vents is HOT work. Exist prepared for that if your hallway has no vents.

Footstep v: Rolling the wall

Time:Will vary based on the size of your wall. Mine took me almost 1 60 minutes

Rolling a hight wall with paint

Now it's time to roll the paint onto the wall.

rolling in to paint a stairwell

Toward the top of the wall, you'll want to be super conscientious that y'all don't push button the roller as well high. That'll bump into the ceiling leaving a nasty chip of paint that ways you'll accept to paint the ceiling.

rolling a tall wall

For rolling, there isn't a lot that is unlike from rolling a typical wall to paint a stairwell.

The main thing is adjusting your extension pole to the different heights as you work your way down or upwards the wall.

finished painted stairwell

Done!

The pictures make it await easy.

Information technology'due south non easy!

Trust me! I did it, and I saved a ton of money by doing information technology this manner, but I'd choose non to paint a stairwell again for a long time.

grey painted hallway

My stairwell is narrow and small-scale, and then it's hard to photograph. I thought yous might like seeing the pictures of the hallway at the acme of the stairs that I also painted.

It has our cat box, canis familiaris bed, and a bookcase.

I've got a DIY in the works with my youngest daughter for something prettier for the cat box. I'll have that for you in a couple of weeks once we go it done.

grey painted hallway with white bookshelf with rainbow decorations

We put our books in rainbow order a while back. It makes it fun to look at. ? ?

white bookshelf with rainbow decorations

This summertime, my girls and I had a craft solar day. Nosotros each fabricated a rainbow craft. I had seen some cute ideas on Instagram, and we used the inspiration for our crafts.

Information technology certain makes it more colorful and fun! Nosotros dear it!

collage of how to paint a stairwell

As a final note, this project, unlike and so many others I share with y'all, isn't one you're going to be able to fit here and there among your busy family life.

You'll demand to block off a twenty-four hours to paint a stairwell. Distressing! I simply don't run across a way to break it up, every bit I tin usually figure out.

It took me iii hours for the first coat(considering I had painted the offset coat for the upper part of the hallway before) and about four to 4.5 hours for the second coat . Y'all could attempt doing the cutting in at the ceiling in one session, the corners in another and the rolling of the walls in another, but I'm not sure that your end outcome would look as good with the paint drying and curing . I think you lot might end upward with lines and even some dissimilar coloration of pigment since the paint will settle and non e'er mix upwardly precisely the same .

Despite using a high quality paint + primer, I had to do 2 coats to get good coverage. The awkwardness of the cutting in and the bending of rolling the walls left some splotchy paint on the first coat, so I had to do two coats .

In total disclosure, I've never been able to paint a room in ane coat. I don't know how people practise information technology and get good coverage. And then, if you lot're more patient with the process and someone who tin can paint a room with one coat of paint, you may exist able to do finish in one glaze .

I'g not trying to discourage yous from tackling this project, simply trying to be realistic, so you know what you're getting into and how much time to plan. As I said already, I'd recommend setting aside a day for this project.