Steps of Glamour!

Amy Underwood Wilson
by Amy Underwood Wilson
5 Materials
In our house we do not have a grand foyer & our stairs were pretty boring. I wanted to give them a makeover so they would have a subtle wow factor & make the home more inviting.
Not the greatest before pic but you get idea
I forgot to take a before pic but you get the idea, ugly carpet, tons of layers of white paint on the railing that was peeling and anything but exciting to look at. Not to mention vacuuming stairs is the worst!
We had already stripped the paint down on the railings, sanded & stained a dark espresso color which was one weekend project. Ripped out the carpet and removed all the plywood steps.
My son loves to be involved anything demo!
It was quite the mystery seeing all the goodies the builders left behind under the staircase!😂
Ready for grout!
Laid down the oak stair treads that we stained to match railings. We scored an amazing deal off of Craigslist as they can be quite expensive. I had an idea to use glass tiles for the risers instead of just painting the typical white most tend to do. I thought it was a beautiful unsuspecting touch and more durable by not showing scuff marks. We used these same glass tiles on our fireplace transformation to have a sense of unity in the house.
All done!
After grout & cleaned up. I love the iridescent gleam. It tends to really pull the teal color from the walls but still a neutral clean white look overall!
I love the contrast of it all
I still have plans to add wood trim to give a faux wood panel look where it's painted white. But that's a project for another day!😬
And loved being able to dress it up for Christmas! So warm & welcoming when you walk through the front door.
Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 52 questions
  • Melanie Fackrell Melanie Fackrell on Apr 07, 2019

    Where did you get the tiles?

  • Robyn Garner Robyn Garner on Oct 23, 2019

    How have the glass tiles held up? Have any gotten broken by shoes, etc.?

  • Kaci Kaci on Oct 20, 2020

    How did you install the tiles? Did you apply them directly to the plywood risers on the steps? Did you put mortar on the riser, then affix the tiles, and let it dry, and then grout?

Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 529 comments
  • NancyO NancyO on Oct 21, 2020

    I've looked at hundred of stair treatments, but this one is the most interesting and attractive. I don't even have stairs, but I can certainly admire your imagination and the work you did to create a unique look, to say nothing of practicality.

  • Donald Duck Donald Duck on Apr 02, 2023

    Your hard work paid off and the result is stunning.


Next