Ask Design Mom: Painting the Bannister
Ask-Design-Mom-Question:
Hey Gabrielle. A quick question...I can't decide whether or not to have the builders paint the bannister on the stairs all white, or have them stain the wood on the hand rail to match our wood floors and only paint the spindles white. I've seen pictures of both and just can't decide which way I like better. So, I wanted to ask you what you think. What would you do if this were your house? Thanks for any advice!! Leslie
Answer:
Hi Leslie. Fun question! I'm with you. I've seen bannisters in two-tone and bannisters in all white and both can look fantastic. But if you're asking what I would do personally, here is my answer: if the rest of the woodwork in the house is white (the floor boards and window frames) I would go all white on the bannister — I'm craving visual simplicity these days.
But I'll be honest. I could really go either way. Consider the state of the wood, if it's beautiful then show it off. If it's not, cover it with a coat of paint. If the bannister itself is good-looking, it's hard to go wrong.
photo from Getty
Labels: ask design mom, home
posted by Gabrielle of Design Mom at Thursday, August 16, 2007
4 Comments:
My two-cents... aesthetically either is good but if you are going for practicality a stained rail is the way to go. Hand rails get a lot of use and paint, especially white, would require quite a bit more maintenance... wiping off handprints and repainting as the finish wears. Stained wood is more forgiving especially if you have kids. Plus, it's nice to tie in the color of your wood floors with another architectural detail.
i would have them stain it...then, if you don't like it, or change your mind a few years down the road, you can always paint over it!
I was faced with this exact decision last month. We painted the banister white - and love the way it looks. However, I will tell you that we already have dings in it that are going to need repainting someday. There is so much traffic on the stairs that the paint is bound to chip. I think the stain may have lasted longer!
Thank you guys so much for all your advise!! I totally appreciate it.
-Leslie
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