From Carpet to Two-Tone and a Morocan Runner

In continuing with my stairwell renovations I pulled the only carpet and pad and stained/painted the stairs two-tone and installed a runner.
These stairs are not a stainable wood so I had to use a gel stain and let me tell you I LOVE this stuff! It goes on SO much thicker than paint and it literally idiot-proof, does not need the surface to be stripped first, just sanded so there is a nice smooth surface to work on. I had so much fun using it I am literally looking for other surfaces to stain.

1. Remove any leftover staples, patch any holes and sand the surface with a light grit sand paper so the finished product is glossy and smooth.

2. Using a gel stain and a HIGH QUALITY paintbrush, stain the treads (the top part of the step).
I bought 1qt of Minwax Gel Stain in Hickory ($17). It was so pretty I went back and restained the banister in this color! The old color would have been close enough to leave it and have it match but the hickory was so beautiful and I had leftover so I couldn't resist.

3. Prime the risers before painting.
I used leftover paint from my fireplace redo- it was UltraHide in Benjamin Moore's Decorator's White. I did prime the stairs first and used Zinsser 1-2-3 primer, works great and is super cheap ($9).
I stained the treads first and then taped off to prime and paint the risers. I let it dry for about a day and then installed the carpet runner. I was so anxious for this I cannot even tell you!

4. Lay out your runner, beginning at the bottom make sure your runner is straight and even before putting a row of staples along the bottom and then again under the lip of the tread to secure.
I found a FABULOUS deal on this Moroccan style carpet runner and bought 4- I still have to do my basement stairs. It is an indoor/outdoor rug so it should be durable enough to stand up to the heavy traffic that our stairs get.
I bought this staple gun at Home Depot for 18 bucks and the longest staples they had, about a 1/2 in. I works well, the only complaints I have are that your hand gets quite sore after using it for a couple hours and also, it doesn't hold enough staples to do a big job like this, I had to reload like 4 times which is a pain. I can't complain for that price though... so I won't ;)
I started at the bottom because I wanted to make sure the decorative end showed on the bottom step. It is easy enough I would just say to remember a few things...

1. Measure OFTEN. The runner moves a lot more than you might think while you're stapling  so it is necessary on each new level to re-measure.
2. STRETCH. You don't want the carpet to be baggy AT ALL, it looks horrible and is a major tripping hazard. Once one row of staples is in and you've measured, pull the rug TIGHT before adding another row on the next level.
3. Do not waste your money on rug tape. I read some DIY posts on how to do this and so I bought rug tape, about 10 bucks, and it is a NIGHTMARE to work with and totally doesn't secure the runner enough for stairs. I might be handy in an entryway or something, as long as you aren't planning on ever removing and cleaning that rug, but it is more hassle than I could tell you. Just don't go there.

**It is optional to finish the stained areas with a Polyurathane, depending on how glossy you want it to be. The stain itself is durable enough that the added coat is not mandatory.

This whole project took me... maybe 6 hours and less than $300 bucks to COMPLETELY transform my stairs. I love the new look and can't wait to have the basement stairs done.

What do you think of my space??


Feel free to ask any questions!
xoxo