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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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March 4, 2021

Painted Staircase Handrail Makeover

Hello friends! Happy almost Spring! Between the historic ice storms we had here in Oregon, power outages as a result of the ice storms and subsequent school closures due to the power outages, I feel like I’m finally getting my bearings again and making it back to relative normality. Although we are still dealing with storm damage and have spent every weekend taking a chainsaw to downed trees and cleaning up debris. But, I’m here today to share with you a makeover that I did MONTHS ago but never got around to sharing with you.

So, I’ve realized that I need a category for home projects called “why did I wait this long?”

Somehow we manage to get major projects, like our kitchen makeover, completed but when it comes to those smaller ones, I find myself procrastinating. Please tell me I’m not the only one who does this!

But, as the holiday season approached last year and I knew I was going to begin decorating my home, I was determined to not hang garland on the banister one more year without painting the handrail.

It literally only took about two hours. Again, why did I wait so long??

 

Once I stopped kicking myself over the 13 year delay, I was so thrilled to step back and see just how much of a difference a little bit of paint made in updating our entry.

This space has come a LONG way! Here is how it looked many, many years ago. You can see that the handrail was a very glossy cherry wood tone.

BEFORE

I could not be more happy with how it looks now! Fresh and clean and covering up decades worth of chips, scratches and the wear and tear of an active family.

And before you ask, yes, my children did try to slide down the banister when they were little. They would also regularly attempt to climb up the stairs on the OUTSIDE of the railing. Sometimes my heart still beats faster just thinking about all of the times I caught them doing that!

With several bigger home projects still to complete (we have a couple of VERY dated bathrooms that need to be totally redone) there is something satisfying about being able to check a smaller project off the list in no time at all. Or, I should say, it’s satisfying to wait 13 years to finally check off a smaller project only to realize that it took no time at all! 😉

What about you? Are there smaller projects in your home that you have been putting off? Please help me feel like I’m not the only one!

Much love,

*I used RePurpose paint by the brand Diamond Hard from Hobby Lobby*

10 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, Good Ideas

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Comments

  1. Patricia says

    March 4, 2021 at 2:53 PM

    looks terrific…..now you are done, that’s a good feeling!

    We all have projects which take to long and this shut down has made procrastination syndrome worse.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      March 5, 2021 at 11:06 AM

      It’s such a good feeling! Thanks for stopping by Patricia! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Carol Shoults says

    March 4, 2021 at 3:56 PM

    What kind of paint did u use and did u prime it. Any suggestions on how to paint would be appreciated.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      March 5, 2021 at 11:06 AM

      Hi Carol! You reminded me that I need to add that info into the post. I used a paint called RePurpose by the brand Diamond Hard and I found it at Hobby Lobby. It didn’t require any prep work (no sanding or priming!) other than making sure the surface was clean. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Tami says

    March 4, 2021 at 4:34 PM

    I love it! The contrast is stunning.

    Reply
  4. MARY-ANN (FROM CANADA!) says

    March 4, 2021 at 6:07 PM

    Always nice to meet you at the Picket Fence, Vanessa! Your stairway looks great! The darker color is outstanding! I can assure you that you are not the only one who puts off doing projects! I think we are all guilty of this! Covid restrictions have sure helped us get a lot of our projects done. We still can’t have anyone over except those who reside in your home. So, this means my hubby and I. We have accomplished a lot but there is still a “to do” list — and I think that there always will be something on the list!

    Have a great week!

    Reply
  5. Michele M. says

    March 4, 2021 at 11:18 PM

    As I keep telling my adult daughters:

    “The little things are now the BIG things.”

    Well done – looks great.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      March 5, 2021 at 11:03 AM

      That is definitely a true statement Michele!! And really appropriate for our lives no matter the circumstances. Thanks so much for stopping by! xoxo

      Reply
  6. Hope says

    March 6, 2021 at 11:37 PM

    Please tell us how you painted the railing and with what paint color. Mine needs a paint job, bad!!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      March 8, 2021 at 7:22 PM

      Hi Hope! I included the paint brand at the bottom of the blog post but I did forget to include the color. It’s just the basic black that they had and it didn’t require any prep work at all other than just making sure the surface was clean. Not having to sand anything was a huge motivation for me! LOL! All I did was tape off the spindles prior to painting and I ended up doing two coats. Hope that helps! 🙂

      Reply

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What do you do when you want to use a bunch of boo What do you do when you want to use a bunch of books in your decorating but it can cost $50 or more for just ONE brand new book? Head to the secondhand bookstore of course! I’m so excited about this new look in my family room and this easy, inexpensive decorating tip I’m bringing to you for this #tiptuesday
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This morning I was running errands and the weight of hard things that are happening in the world, the culture, my own community and even in our circle of friends just felt so heavy.

But, as I was exiting a store, I passed a couple who were in their late 60’s/early 70’s and holding hands as they walked through the parking lot. I happened to glance over just as the husband lifted his wife’s hand up and planted a kiss right on it. It was a moment that reflected such love and tenderness and it was made sweeter by the fact that they weren’t spring chickens. I felt honored that I had been the one to observe and appreciate that moment.

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