Dark staircase painted white, hall and landing, The Westlands, Newcastle-under-lyme

What did the customer need?

The customer wanted their outdated hall, stairs and landing brightened up with a fresh, clean look. The dark stained staircase dominated the space and soaked up the light from the small windows. They wanted the staircase, spindles, newel posts and understairs panelling painted white. The walls, textured ceilings, coving, dado rails, skirtings and frames needed redecorating too, while the original panelled internal doors were kept in their dark wood finish.

What condition was it in?

The woodwork was sound, but the dark varnish looked tired and worn in places. The newel caps had pale patches where the finish had rubbed away from years of hands. The walls had a patchy pink finish, and the fan-pattern textured ceilings and coving were intact but dull. Nothing needed replacing, which made painting the right way to transform the space.

What preparation was needed?

The varnished staircase needed the most preparation, because paint will not stick to a shiny, sealed surface without it. This was a Full redecoration rather than a Refresh, because the whole look changed from dark wood to white and every surface needed full prep and priming.

Which paints and materials were used?

I used a stain-blocking primer on the staircase to seal the old stain and give the topcoats a firm base. The woodwork, including the staircase, panelling, dado rails, skirtings and frames, was finished in white. The walls and textured ceilings were repainted in fresh emulsion. I painted the textured ceilings rather than sanding them, which is the safe approach with older textured coatings.

What was the result?

The hall, stairs and landing now feel bright, clean and welcoming. The white staircase has become the centrepiece of the house, and the understairs panelling now shows off its diagonal brace detail. The leaded glass, coving and textured ceilings stand out much more against the lighter walls. The dark original doors add a warm contrast and keep a sense of the house's age.

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