Every person is talented. Only one can create amazing architectural structures like unusual staircases. And others come up with dozens of ideas on how to decorate what they have. Drawings on even an ordinary staircase make it look elegant and give it a homely and cozy look. And the most interesting thing is that you can change your “outfit” at least every month: try one idea, move on to another until you find “the one.” Or you will continue to experiment and discover – in yourself – new abilities and talents.
Stripes and patterns
The simplest answer to the question of how to decorate a staircase is stripes. They can be painted or made using decorative adhesive tape. If you want to create a rainbow mood, use the entire color palette! Stick to a strict style - two or three shades are enough.
A staircase with patterns will also refresh the interior. One glance at the white staircase below is enough to understand that the unobtrusive ornament in a light color has only benefited it - it has become even more elegant. Several different repeating patterns, a bright contrasting color - and the staircase will be dynamic and spectacular! By the way, the use of intricate patterns and the ombre effect (gradient painting) are now popular techniques in interior decor.
Creating an ornament is easy if you stick a tile or use a stencil. First, the risers are painted with the base paint, after it dries, through a stencil, an ornament is applied - with a thick brush or sponge.
To prevent the staircase from looking like a foreigner in the house, it is advisable to repeat the colors and motifs used in its decoration in the interior.
It is not necessary to paint the walls with marvelous patterns - to create a unique composition that will form a unified look of your home, just frames for photographs of the same color, a thematic painting or small accessories - figurines, figurines, etc. are enough.
Tiles and porcelain tiles
The porcelain stoneware finishing option is suitable for any type of structure. Today, there are a variety of design options on the market. You can buy a ready-made kit for decorating the stairs. With its help, it is easy to carry out the work, but the dimensions of the structure must correspond to the dimensional data of the products that are included in the kit.
Advice! If the size does not match, it is necessary to make a concrete screed.
The surface of the tiles for steps is equipped with an anti-slip coating or a special relief. Sometimes ceramic tiles need to be trimmed, and not everyone can do it nicely. For screw construction, it is not recommended for use at all, due to the many unsightly seams.
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When covering straight flights, start from the bottom step. Even professional craftsmen are not always able to do the job beautifully, which is why ceramic tiles are less often used for cladding stairs.
painting
Painting a staircase is an ideal option for a person with a rich imagination. Armed with paints and a brush, you can decorate the stairs in your house, creating a variety of designs on the steps, as well as one large image.
A staircase masterpiece can begin in the “underwater world” and go straight “to the sky.”
The drawing can also be made using tiled mosaics. This art project called Tiled Steps was created over two years in San Francisco. The result is one of the most beautiful staircases in the world, demonstrating the life of the underwater and above-water world, sea inhabitants, animals and birds, various plants, as well as celestial bodies.
If you want your masterpiece to be durable, take care of a special coating that will protect the design from detergents and abrasion.
Wallpapers and stickers
If you don’t like drawing or don’t want to get dirty with paint, vinyl stickers will come to the rescue. Another good thing about them is that if the design gets tired or gets damaged, it will be easy to peel it off and replace it.
The wallpaper left over from the renovation, pasted on the risers, is an excellent example of how to give a staircase some flair and use unnecessary things.
Tips for facing marches
The covering of steps and flights of stairs must be wear-resistant
- When using marble, consider the thickness of the steps.
- Cement mortar is used to eliminate defects.
- To obtain additional insulation, you can use polyethylene foam.
Glass railings will visually expand the space
- For wooden materials, you can use stain.
- Wood cladding should be done after all construction and painting work is completed, since wood does not like moisture.
Caring for wood flooring
Motivational inscriptions
Drawings on the stairs can not only decorate, but also be an excellent motivator. In the fight against excess weight, you are constantly failing - let the numbers on the steps remind you: to burn calories, you need to move more. A few dozen ascents and descents, and you will soon see the result!
You often suffer from depression, fall into despair from failures - steps decorated with your favorite aphorisms or life-affirming inscriptions like “You are the best!”, “Dreams come true!”, “You were born to be at the top!” will help you cheer up.
With the help of inscriptions on the risers, you can create a festive atmosphere in your home or even confess your love!
Rules for finishing external stairs
In this matter, it is very important to make the right choice of material. Many people settle on ordinary tiles, believing that the cheap price will not affect the quality in any way. This is wrong. The surface of the tile has a smooth structure, which when wet slips strongly, which leads to numerous injuries.
This material should be used for finishing stairs exclusively in the house. The most successful are porcelain stoneware or gres. During the production process, the factor of street conditions is already taken into account, so the coating is made non-slip. In any case, the surface of the porch cladding material has a ribbed surface.
Important! Select tiles that are the same size as the width of the stairs or larger. This is done in order to minimize the number of joints and seams.
Installation of tiles begins from the edge of the step and then to the wall at the very top. The horizontal parts are installed first and only then the vertical parts.
The road to the nursery
Climbing the stairs and at the same time learning numbers, learning colors or geometric shapes is an idea for caring parents. Even if the children grow up quickly, the unusual decoration will still please the eye and remind you of the times when children's laughter echoed throughout the house.
A good option for the stairs to the children's room are pictures with favorite cartoon characters on the steps or entire fairy tale stories. They will turn the stairs into a path leading to a magical land.
In memory of a hobby
Many literature lovers create entire libraries on the stairs. You can decorate it with your favorite books in a different way - in a less extreme way for books and more convenient for cleaning.
There is a place for the most unexpected things on the stairs. Here's how to decorate it with old mice and keyboards - a godsend for a computer geek!
And music lovers can turn this structure into a piano. The pattern of worn keys is especially suitable for a home decorated in a retro or shabby chic style.
Ideas for unusual staircase design
- Floating steps. The walls have a clean white palette paired with straight wood paneling. The cladding smoothly unfolds to create a cantilever staircase. Its limitation is a glass wall.
- Contrasts. It consists of combining opposites. Dark colors with light ones, modern details with traditional ones.
- Map. The wall located next to the structure can be supplemented with an old map of the city. It should start from the place where your home is located.
- White with black. This combination is classic. A monochrome palette helps highlight architectural details. The path on the stairs should be black, complemented by pendant lamps. This will add elegance.
The staircase is an important detail in the room. Its design should be approached thoroughly, carefully thinking through every detail. The design can complement and highlight the interior of the home.
See alsoDesign of a kitchen-dining-living room in a private house: how to organize the space
Additional decor
Decorative items can become an additional decoration for the staircase. They will come to the aid of those who are afraid to radically change the appearance of the staircase, but would still like to transform it at least a little.
Steps with good daylight are a good place for indoor plants. They will revive this building and create home comfort. Another option suggests how to decorate the side of the staircase. Why should it be empty if you can hang photographs or small paintings here!
Railing
The most important decoration of the staircase is the railing. If they are unusual, such as the designers of the Eestairs company came up with. But you can do something original yourself: use tree branches woven together.
Are you decorating your home with a nautical theme? Hang thick ropes instead of railings. The picture will be complemented by appropriate accessories - anchors, shells, etc. And if this does not seem very convenient to you, then you can wrap ropes around the balusters.
A non-standard solution is to paint not the steps and risers, but the balusters. To avoid it looking tacky, use shades of the same color.
Painting
If it is not important for you that the staircase has a presentable appearance (for example, if it leads to the basement or attic), then you can simply paint the structure with paint with water-repellent properties. It can protect the metal from corrosive processes, but will not eliminate the noise of footsteps.
An unpainted concrete staircase will highlight the loft style
On a note! If you clad a concrete structure using dark wooden steps and lightly painted risers, the appearance of the staircase will become more airy.
Patina in the design of a spiral staircase
Hanging metal steps look stylish and original
For wooden stairs, you can use varnish or translucent enamel, an antiseptic with a coloring pigment.
Backlight
An illuminated staircase compares favorably with its unlit counterparts. Modern lighting technologies make it possible not only to protect the staircase at night, but also to decorate it. You can highlight both the entire structure and individual elements in various ways.
A staircase with luminous side elements will look impressive. You can use stained glass to illuminate the staircase in an unusual way during the day: multi-colored “bunnies” will play on the steps.
A simpler solution is LED strips. They can be glued on the edges of steps or under them. This material is easy to handle: it is sold in rolls and can be easily cut without damage. Another advantage of the LED strip is that it is self-adhesive, and the color palette is very diverse. You can even choose a ribbon with multiple colors.
The LED strip must be mounted so that the light flux does not create deep shadows that distort the shape of the steps. This may result in a fall. It is best to mark the edge of the steps with tape.
Transparent acrylic handrails and balusters, inside of which LED strips are fixed, can become original lighting. Another modern solution is neon tubes as handrails.
Lamps can be built directly into the steps, point-fixed under them or on the wall. Spectacular lighting is created by small lamps with a metal lid with holes at the base. Light passes through them in the form of thin rays, turning the lamps into stars.
The larger the lamps, the less frequently they should be located along the stairs.
Materials used for stairs in a private house
At the request of the customer, specialists can make a structure from almost anything. A modern range of materials allows you to satisfy even the most demanding home owner. Custom designs can be made of metal, wood, concrete and even glass.
Bright decor of the glass staircase to the second floor
Tree
The most common material for manufacturing. Products made from solid wood look expensive and noble, they last a long time and do not pollute the environment at all. Installation of such a structure is usually carried out using stringers or a support pole. Main elements: handrails, steps and balusters. You can build the structure yourself:
- First you need to make an intermediate platform. In appearance, the simplest one resembles a stool (only very large in size). It is assembled from a frame with ribs and legs. The finished platform is installed in its place in accordance with the interior design and covered with temporary flooring. This is necessary to ensure that the surface does not deform during the construction process.
- Next, you need to make bowstrings and fasten them with steps.
- Then the sidewalls are cut at a certain angle, and the entire span is placed on the site (the same is done with the second one).
- All elements are firmly fastened together and mounted to the wall.
- Balusters are attached to the finished structure and railings are mounted.
Remember that self-production requires certain skills, abilities and special carpentry tools.
In the photo - design of a staircase in a wooden house
The location of a staircase with a turn in an interior designed in a minimalist style
Metal
This material is used not only for manufacturing, but also for decoration. Wooden structures are often complemented with iron, aluminum or steel elements. Most often, stainless steel is used for manufacturing, as it is resistant to external influences, lasts a long time and practically does not change over the years.
Metal structures can be both external and internal. Made independently, they can become a worthy budget alternative to concrete and wooden models. To make a metal staircase with your own hands, you will need a power saw, a welding machine and an emery wheel. If the structure is combined (sheathed with wood), you will need to purchase additional clamps for temporary joining, a circular saw and metal drills.
A combination of wood and metal will decorate a loft-style hallway
Concrete and stone
Very durable structures that last a long time. They are:
- Combined. They are considered complex because they consist of a metal frame and concrete steps, each of which is cast separately. For this purpose, reinforcing mesh, formwork and granite crushed stone (or marble chips) are used.
- Monolithic. They are made on site by pouring mortar into the formwork.
- Typesetting. They consist of a stringer (concrete beam) and various steps (angular, triangular, rectangular, with a groove). As a rule, they are made at a factory.
- Prefabricated. This is the cheapest option. They are usually installed in high-rise buildings, less often in private houses.
To prevent the steps from wearing out and losing their appearance, it is advisable to finish them. Carrying out such work will prevent a number of problems, such as premature wear and frequent repairs. In addition, the finishing will significantly improve the appearance of the structure. Stairs are covered with porcelain stoneware, carpet, laminates, clinker tiles and even cork.
Stairs in high-tech, minimalism and modern styles. Concrete structures are complemented by wooden and forged elements
The staircase can be lined with material of any color
Glass
Structures made from this material have long been competing with wooden and concrete stairs. Glass models look airy and do not overload the room. They can be made in any configuration, but most often home owners opt for traditional marching structures.
To make stairs, manufacturers use high-strength glass, which is additionally tempered and glued. The thickness of individual structural elements cannot be less than 8 cm.
Such stairs are installed only in rooms where the humidity is consistently low. If you neglect this rule, the steps will be very slippery and it will be unsafe to climb them.
Glass stairs are installed only in enclosed spaces
L-shaped design made of glass and metal
Such structures can be installed in country houses and two-story apartments
Plastic
Due to its low strength, this material is used either for manufacturing or for cladding steps. Although modern building plastic is considered a durable material, it is not safe to make stairs for your home from it. Stepladders are sometimes made from it.
Plastic stepladder
Dressing up for the holiday
When preparing your home for the holidays, don't forget about the stairs. On New Year's Eve, decorate this structure with fir branches, paper snowflakes and New Year's toys. Ribbons, tinsel, beads, Christmas stockings and angels, and berry wreaths are suitable.
You can make a staircase with a surprise: put gifts for family members or guests in stockings, hang greeting cards and bags of sweets.
Hang garlands on the stairs, place candles or lanterns in the form of houses on the steps.
On other holidays, use flowers, ribbons, bows, and balloons.
For a wedding, you can decorate the handrails with a beautiful light fabric - chiffon, organza.
We wish you original ideas and good mood! They will help you make your staircase a real work of art. If you want to get a multifunctional staircase, read on our website. And a report from forum member dantis will tell you about the manufacture of a combined attic staircase.
