What to do with these shelf to ceiling "poles"?
by
Maleah Jo
+6
We are finishing the basement, and for the life of me, I cannot figure out what these wooden poles are called. Just want some ideas on how to paint them/stain them. that area will be a light grey, and the bench/storage underneath not sure yet. totally open for any and all ideas! thanks!
It's a little hard to see what they are made of. They are called spindles if they are the ones on the stairway, and you can paint or stain if they are wood. If they are metal, you would need to paint them. I would probably stain or paint them the same color I am staining door trim. Just standard prep of light sanding and cleaning dust before applying the finish.
I believe they are called "balusters" or "spindles"... You can stain or paint them.. Personally... I would paint them... because of their location... most people walking down the stairs will grab on to them to use as a hand rail...a good quality paint will allow you to wash the hand prints off. A stain, unless it has several coats of sealer, will be harder to wash. White to keep the feel airy... or the same color as the wall behind them, to make them disappear.
Oh lord, I had those in the basement, in the same area, in a house we had years ago. Kids will naturally grab those things try poking through, swinging around on the end spindle. It was a pain in the butt.i wanted to knock them down so badly but then we sold the house and moved to a house with no spindles. Yay!
I love them! I envision them with green plants entwining gently around or hanging baskets in front of them. I have them in a half wall for room definition. They allow freer air circulation than a solid wall. Painted mine white. Incidentally, mine came from an old salvaged baby crib for its beautiful wooden spindles. Let them work for you in your decor.
We called them balusters as well. If you or someone you know can cut glass bottles like wine or soda pop bottles, you can clean and cut holes in the bottoms of the bottles wide enough to allow the baluster to fit ( also may have to adjust the top of the bottles or consider replacing balusters to a smaller diameter). Feed bottles of different shapes, sizes and/or colors (this is where your creativity takes over) onto all the balusters to conceal them. Secure balusters in place and enjoy. Easy to wipe off and any light will cast colorful rainbows around the room. I saw this done on a balcony of an apartment. It helped create privacy without compromising light. Just an idea.