Affordable DIY Staircase Makeover Ideas That Look Like a Million Bucks

Entry Staircase Total Makeover

Justin and I (er… mostly Justin) completely redid our entryway staircase. We started with basic stairs and a rough plan. Then I pulled up the old carpet while Justin was at work… And from there, removed the railing (to reuse later), widened the bottom steps, filled in the stringer gaps and painted, then refinished the stair treads and landing, added new risers, and built custom newel posts. Phew!

It was a lot of work, but worth it. The changes to the entry and the stairs made such a huge difference and was one of the things people loved about the house when we sold it. See the reveal here and the step by step process here.

DIY Stair Banister Renovation

One of the best ways to update your staircase is to change the look of the banister. This tutorial shows you how to keep the existing newel post and handrail while replacing the spindles and wrapping the newel post for a whole new look!

Under $100 Staircase Makeover

See how Cleverly Inspired transformed her staircase from carpet to beautiful wooden treads for under $100. Tracy takes you through a detailed step-by-step staircase makeover, including how to remove the carpet and paint the stair treads, risers, and runners.

Carpet To Ebony-Stained Wood DIY Stair Remodel

SAS Interiors transformed her carpeted stairs to wood! Jenna carefully removed the carpet from her stairs while keeping the carpet transition for the top of the stairs. After sanding, she stained and poly-ed the stair treads and painted the risers and runners — and be sure to check out her creative solution to the gap left when she removed the carpet!

Painted DIY Staircase Makeover

Jennifer was sick of the yucky old carpet on her stairs and didn’t want to spend $2000 on new carpet that wouldn’t hold up to young kids and dogs. Instead, she spent 1/4 of that cost and replaced all the stair treads and landing with wood planks. Then she sanded and painted with durable paint and loves the results! If you’re dreaming of painting up those stairs, see how Classic Style Home redid hers here.

Black and White Painted Staircase Makeover

Black and white is always classic and in-style! Abby gave her dark paneled wood staircase a beautiful modern makeover with just some paint (and sanding) for a total of about $80. See how to paint your stairs and banister with Chapter37.

DIY Stair Remodel to Fix Uneven Stair Steps

An aesthetic makeover looks good, but sometimes old stairs need some functional help too. Like many basement stairs in older homes, ours were uneven and in sad shape when we ripped out the old carpet during our basement remodel. See how we fixed the uneven steps on the staircase here and how the stairs look now with new carpet.

Creating An Open Staircase

When you’re modernizing an older home, sometimes a wall needs to come down! (Safely, of course). The Henrys updated their living room and staircase both when they took out a wall (yeah!) to open up their staircase.

$60 Staircase Remodel with New Wood Treads

Sometimes DIYers are fortunate to find solid wood stair treads under carpet. Some find particle board or unsalvageable wood instead. But replacing treads in a DIY stair remodel doesn’t have to be expensive — Stacy went from carpet to new wood treads for $60 on her split level stairs.

DIY Staircase Makeover with Painted Stair Runner

For an inexpensive update, just add paint! You can get the high-end look of a runner without actually installing carpet. After she removed carpet… and the linoleum underneath, Anna painted a stair runner (and a faux stair skirt) on her basement staircase makeover!

Colorful Fabric Stair Risers

Sage had beautiful wood stairs to start, and wanted to add some some color, texture, and style to your staircase – so she used fabric to wallpaper the stair risers!

Carpeted To Stained Wood Stair Treads

It’s like rags to riches… carpet to beautiful wood staircase makeovers are a beautiful story! See how Handy Man Crafty Woman redid their carpeted stairs to beautiful stained wood.

Curved Stair Banister Remodel

Curved stairs are a beautiful statement in a home. Morgan and Jamie gave this dated curved staircase the makeover it deserved in this DIY stair renovation.

Oak To Dark Wood Stair Railing

Gel stain is a great option for changing the wood tones of your stair railing! Get rid of the oak stair banister by staining it like Jenn did.

Gel Stain Stair Banister Makeover

Gel stain is great for staining wood that would be hard to sand and refinish, and costly to replace. It’s also a great option for unifying mismatched wood tones — or even wood tones and painted surfaces! See how Delia redid her previously painted oak stair banister.