Black and White Painted Stairs

This has been a long time coming…

Totally transformed by paint! Gorgeous, simple black and white painted staircase | maisondepax.com

I was so proud of our ability to complete our attic renovation (especially our whitewashed planked ceiling) within about 6 weeks.

While I was 7-8 months pregnant.

Now if that doesn’t deserve a gold star, I don’t know what does. 😉

The room was framed, floored, painted, planked, stained, whitewashed, and fitted with an awesome custom bookshelf/stairwell railing made from reclaimed wood. And the stairwell still looked like this.

Totally transformed by paint! Gorgeous, simple black and white painted staircase | maisondepax.com

Actually, that’s the improved version. In truth, the stairwell included two broken steps – one with a crack down the middle, and one with about 2 inches missing off the front of the tread. Definitely a tripping death hazard. But so it sat… for almost a year… Until now!

Totally transformed by paint! Gorgeous, simple black and white painted staircase | maisondepax.com

I’m so pleased to finally have this part of the attic renovation completed. I’ll share more about how I did it all soon, but let’s start with a true reminder of the original state of this stairwell.

Totally transformed by paint! Gorgeous, simple black and white painted staircase | maisondepax.com

I get the shivers just thinking about it. Creaky. Dirty. No hand rail (until we added it – see picture on the right). And so dark (since it was before we added the skylight – sorry for the horrid pictures).

Just a tad better now, don’t you think?

Totally transformed by paint! Gorgeous, simple black and white painted staircase | maisondepax.com

I love the crisp black and white painted stairs, especially compared to the whitewashed ceiling.

Totally transformed by paint! Gorgeous, simple black and white painted staircase | maisondepax.com

And now I can use my gorgeous office space…

Totally transformed by paint! Gorgeous, simple black and white painted staircase | maisondepax.com

Without fearing I will fall down the stairs on my way down.

Totally transformed by paint! Gorgeous, simple black and white painted staircase | maisondepax.com

Sigh of relief.

Totally transformed by paint! Gorgeous, simple black and white painted staircase | maisondepax.com

And it’s far from perfect (remember, this was a DIY of 75-year-old attic stairs!), but it sure makes me smile. What do you think?

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Totally transformed by paint! Gorgeous, simple black and white painted staircase | maisondepax.com

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16 Comments

  1. I have done the same paint colors probably 20 years ago and after just 2 weeks had to change. Black stair treads in the dark are very dangerous. You can’t tell where the next step is at. Please put a colorful pretty runner down the treads for your own safety.

    1. You are so kind to be concerned, Beth! We have a light at the top and bottom of the stairs, and we haven’t run into any problems as of yet. But a colorful runner would definitely be fun – a great option to keep in mind!

  2. I am loving the stairs, the old and the new. My family is from the East coast and I grew up with attic and basement stairways that looked like your before and after photos. The basement at my Uncle’s House is now an apartment and it is fabulous. Wish we had thought to take pictures during the 5 year renovation (that’s because it was a DIY project as well).
    Getting back to you…the bright white definitely adds to the charm and character of the space and the black accents are so Parisian which I love. I really like this renovation and am getting inspired to move to a house with stars so I can have this look. My only question is how do you keep the children out or if you let them in, how do you keep them safe?

    LOVE IT!

    1. Thank you SO much, Hilarie! I’m so glad you like it. And I love that it reminds you of your family’s home! The truth is, since our home is already two stories (without the attic), I don’t worry about my kids on the stairs. Generally, they know not to go to the attic without an adult, but they hardly even go upstairs without one of us. The playroom, living room, and kitchen are downstairs, and that’s where they spend all their time. When the baby starts climbing stairs (she just hit 8 months), we’ll have to put our baby gate up on the first floor, and then they’ll be even more restricted to the downstairs. I hope it stays as easy as it’s been! 🙂

    1. Thank you SO much, Abi! I still swoon every time I look at it all, honestly… I can’t believe the difference it made! 🙂

  3. Looks fantastic Rachel! What I wouldn’t give to have an Attic – they’re very rare here in Australia!

    Love the black and white – like you said, it’s so crisp, and perfectly sets off the ceiling – well done – and well done doing it in your 3rd trimester!!

    Thanks for contributing to The Sunday Brunch Magazine!

    All the best,

    Eliza & Bel.

    1. Thank you! It was porch and floor paint from Sherwin Williams. I’m afraid I don’t remember the color for sure, but it could have been Tricorn Black. Hope this helps!

  4. I’m looking to do this exact same thing at my house! Can you tell me if you did any prep work before priming and painting? Than you!!!

    1. I always recommend priming, especially for flooring! You could even consider a porch and floor paint in a low sheen for extra durability.

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