You just got a new house and you are so happy with it, finally you have the house of your dreams. How are you going to furnish it? It is already completely clear in your mind, the kitchen, the bathroom, the layout of the rooms, everything will get a refurbishment turn. Only the stairs and the hall you are not sure about.

Do you recognize this thought? Yes that is not surprising because for many people who move into a new house, the stairs are often the setting post. Usually there is no budget and the stairs and the hall have to wait a while.

To give you a little insight into what is possible for giving your stairs a metamorphosis, here are the most used ways.

The walls and floor of the hall is often not the problem, these can be provided with wallpaper or a layer of wall paint, the floor can be laminated that is nice and easy to clean. Upholstered stairs are a bit different.

Why not just paint the stairs? Of course that is possible and that is also a trend at the moment, take a look on pinterest where so many examples are given of what your stairs can look like after a fresh layer of paint.

What is the main reason why you want to cover the stairs, I think the main reason is the appearance of your stairs.

It must look good in your interior, but the upholstery of your stairs also ensures that no wear occurs on the steps and gives a good grip when climbing stairs.

What types of stair coverings are there and what are the advantages and disadvantages of these?

Traditional floor covering
Installing stair moons
The classic stair runner
The stair renovation transfer step
Lacquered and painted stairs

Traditional floor coverings as stair coverings
This is the most common way to give your stairs a new and fresh look. Many stairs in the Netherlands are made of a cheap type of wood. The material is soft and prone to wear. This is why a floor covering is often chosen. There are many different types of floor covering for sale and also especially for covering the stairs, it is extra strong against wearing out.

You can also choose to provide the sides of the stairs with a carpet, so that the stairs blend in nicely with the wall finish. Carpeting your stairs is not a job you can do yourself. You really should leave this to the home upholsterer, they have the right tools and a lot of experience in this.

The upholsterer mounts a semicircular lath at the front of the stair step so that the floor covering runs nicely around the stair step and the corners do not bend as a result.

Do you have an open staircase? Covering this is a lot more difficult and therefore also more expensive in terms of costs, also remember that your stair step looks a lot thicker than with a closed staircase. Choose a strong cover that is easy to clean, think of cat and dog hair, if you are allergic to this, choose a hard top layer and no stairs.

Do not opt for a low-pile stair covering because they quickly become slippery and do not provide sufficient anti-slip effect when walking down.

In summary:

Advantages
Nice color overall
Contact sounds none
Old stairs like new again

Cons
Maintenance sensitive
Wear spot arises in running part
Allergies possible
Not to do yourself
Not good anti-slip

Installing stair moons
You know those crescent moons that you can buy as a set of 15 pieces in the hardware store, everyone sells these moons, in various qualities and price ranges.

Why would you choose these stair moons, of course that will have to do with the price because you can buy these for a few euros also applying it yourself is handy you have quick results, just go to the hardware store and n one day you are done.

If your stairs doesn't need a heavy paint job, you can suffice with a coat of paint and then the stair moons over it and you're done. So it's a quick and easy way to give your stairs a new look.

Keep in mind that the moon is in the middle of your step, the running part is more towards the wall, which makes it easier for the moons to curl at the ends when you walk on them.

So it is not the most ideal stair upholstery. If it is a temporary solution for the real hall renovation, the staircase moon can be an excellent intermediate step. If you also have a staircase to the attic, where the washing machine is located, installing a staircase moon is a great idea for this staircase. Then choose the slightly more expensive sisal model, which is nice and strong and easy to clean.

In summary:

Advantages
Fast and easy
Not very expensive
Walk away sounds
Many different colors

Cons
Running part not optimal
Sides can curl
Moderate appearance

Upholster your stairs with the classic stair runner
Back as a trend is the classic stair runner that you used to see everywhere in the mansions in the big cities.
A stair runner as upholstery is very chic and can be combined very well with different styles such as a Shabby Chic or a Vintage look.
The stair runner sits exactly in the middle of your stairs and is held in place with stair rods. You can buy these in different versions.

If you want to apply a stair runner as a covering for your stairs, you should also have the home upholsterer do this, it is not really a job for the do it yourselfer. You need special tools for this and the runner has to be sewn by hand, which the home furnisher does on site.
If you think you can do this yourself, you can buy stair runner on a roll in many versions.

In summary:

Advantages
Strong quality cover
No contact sounds
Many different colors
Good anti-slip

Cons
It is not cheap
Not to do yourself
Stairs must be painted

The staircase renovation transfer step
Something trendy for the last 10 years has been the emergence of the transfer step as a covering for your stairs, a new transfer step is placed over your existing step, say the step over step system. You will understand if you have provided the stairs with a floor covering several times that the quality of the stairs will decrease and because of this wears out.

Then there will be a moment to place a new staircase, or choose to re-cover the completely old model staircase with this renovation product. In the beginning there was the Portas brand with a step over stairs of a laminate type and in a few decors such as oak and beech wood look, then the staircase renovation expert Upstairs took care of the enormous growth in this product.

The laminate version has now been supplemented with a vinyl version or a PVC stair covering, for better anti-slip and less contact noise when walked on, something that does take place with staircase renovation. There are many designs that are indistinguishable from real wood.

In summary:
Advantages
Beautiful designs
Your stairs like new
Sustainable
Covered the entire staircase

Cons
Ain't cheap
Contact Sounds
Not suitable for rental house

Lacquered and painted stairs
Repainting a staircase doesn't have much to do with covering your stairs or you have to see the paint layer as a covering ;-)

But I want to mention it anyway, because it is increasingly being done as an interim solution. If your budget is exhausted when you move and you want to save for a staircase renovation, applying a new paint wearing course is a good interim solution.

In recent years, people increasingly opt for painted or varnished stairs. A painted staircase looks nice and sleek, is easy to clean and therefore very practical.You can give the older stairs in your house an extensive paint job or, if it has already been painted, with a new coating.

Certainly if you have a rented house, then an expensive investment of a staircase renovation as new cladding for your stairs is not an issue. Many housing associations or house landlords do not think it is good if you start sawing or milling in the stairs, etc.

For the group of people who have a rented house, giving the staircase a new look is therefore limited to painting a new top layer and fitted with stair moons, stair carpet. You can also easily remove these when you move.

In summary:
Advantages
Quick to do
Many different colors
Easy to clean
Quickly give a different look

Cons
Wearing of the paint layer
Less anti-slip
Contact sounds when walking

Which one do you choose for your stairs?
You see for each option there are advantages and disadvantages. In general you can say, if you have an owner-occupied house and the budget is exhausted, save for a beautiful staircase and do not opt for a floor covering for your stairs.

You can then have a completely new staircase installed or provide your old staircase with a sustainable staircase renovation. As an intermediate step, you can give the stairs an extensive paint job.

If you have a rental house and are lucky enough that there is no carpet, then paint the stairs in the color that matches the style of your interior, this is beautiful and does not cause any hassle if you move later, where you often have to return everything bring it back to its original state.

You can then choose a stair runner, stair moons or a good anti-slip for safety when climbing stairs.

Blog writer:
Jeroen

www.anti-sliprubbertape.com

If you have any questions about this, I'll be happy to answer them for you. You just have to create an account because of spam ;-)