8 DIY Paint Projects for Your Stairs

Stop and stare at these stunning DIY staircase designs from HGTV Magazine — all created with paint! Read on to see the elevated ideas, and get inspired by all the pretty paint colors.

First up, playing with color. Design blogger Morgan McBride used paint to brighten up the stairs to her kids’ third-floor playroom in Charleston, South Carolina. “Adding the rainbow makes it a fun gateway.” Morgan says. She chose seven colors and used one on every other step; she painted the steps in between a 50-50 blend of the colors above and below.

Paint colors: Evening Slipper, Spring Stream, Green Neon, Smiley Face, Toucan, Coral Fountain, Top Tomato, all by Behr

When homeowner Gemma Newberry pulled up the carpet on her Harwich, England, pine staircase, she found an old painted runner. “The house was built in the Edwardian era, and it was a big trend then,” she says. She recreated the look using white paint on the sides and balusters. “It adds so much character, especially with the warmth from the wood.”

Paint color: Pure Brilliant White, Dulux

The pretty pattern on these steps pulls double duty in designer Jennifer Thomas’ Henderson, Texas, lakehouse: “It adds interest while camouflaging the worn parts of the risers.” She used chalk paint to fill in a star tile stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils. “The matte finish resembles the tile I used as inspiration.”

Paint colors: Charcoal and Chiffon Cream, Rust-Oleum

Artist Nicole Miller dreamed up this mural for a friend’s salon in Key West, Florida. “It’s an experience the entire walk up. As you climb you see things that you didn’t notice at first glance,” Nicole says. She painted this freehand, but you could use a stencil if you need a guide. Get one that’s several feet tall, then cut it into pieces to fit each riser and stick them on with repositionable spray adhesive.

Paint colors: Watermelon Punch, Crème de Caramel, Alfalfa Extract, Bold Avocado, Cupcake Pink, Amber Autumn, all by Behr

For this Cape Cod, Massachusetts, home, designer Jocelyn Chiappone made a runner using blue and white paint. “It’s the perfect crisp, coastal combination, and the stripe adds a graphic punch,” she says. The cabinet/floor paint is sealed with polyurethane to make it more durable: It’s a high-traffic area that sees lots of sandy feet in the summer.

Paint colors: Wimborne White, Farrow & Ball; Van Deusen Blue, Benjamin Moore

Homeowner and decorator Maggie York worried a carpet runner would be a tripping hazard for the kids (and goldendoodle Woody) in her Illinois farmhouse, so she painted one. The beige and white color scheme picks up the subtle geometric wallpaper.

Paint color: Maison Blanche and Pure White, Sherwin-Williams

To create an ombré effect on the stairs in this Los Angeles townhouse, designers Ashton Egbert and Kathleen Nixon mixed increasing amounts of white paint into blue for each riser.

Paint color: For a similar look, try Inky Blue by Sherwin-Williams as the base shade.