Quick Stair & Hallway Makeover

I love quick and inexpensive home remodels, especially ones that only require a good deep cleaning and fresh coat of paint. A few years ago, we gave our stair and hallway a simple makeover that completely transformed the space, without breaking the bank.

Back in the spring of 2017, my husband and I were preparing to get our two bedroom starter home on the market (read about that process). We had three kids, barely a closet, and a moldy basement. Storage and space were becoming big issues! We needed to sell as quick as possible.

The stairs needed some major work, which we had started well before we were going to move, but never finished. Isn’t it ironic (and a little depressing), how moving forces you to finally get things done? You finally do all of the things you always meant to do, but don’t even get to stay to enjoy them. Sigh. Note to self: get it done!

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Easy Stair Makeover with paint

We had a very limited budget to make changes, so the best way to combat that was by deep cleaning every space and repainting. The whole house had a fresh look, feel and smell, which is what most buyers want.

When we moved in the stairs were covered in worn, beige carpet, and the walls covered in peeling taupe wallpaper.

We had removed the carpet and covered the stair risers with textured wallpaper a couple of years before, but didn’t paint until just before moving. Terrible procrastinators, what can I say? I opted for light gray since that is what I had always wanted. It made the staircase feel fresh, clean and modern.

Staircase Before:

Staircase After:

Accentuate the Positive

This home was older (circa 1930’s), and did have its flaws. When selling, it’s important to accentuate the positives. so we did our best to bring out the character of the old place. After all, that was what had initially drawn me to it in the first place.

I started removing the old wallpaper years before, but got sidetracked and never finished. Whoops. That seems to happen to me a lot. I have a lot of creative decorating whims, I never see to fruition. My husband took it upon himself to finish that job, without even complaining. I love that man.

With the wallpaper gone, we scrubbed the plaster walls clean and smooth. Then it was time for paint. Antique white helped brighten the space.

Hallway Makeover

The only before photos that I could find of the hallway were from when we ripped out the old carpet in the bedrooms. Later, this area became a major storage space and was often filled with clutter.

If I could offer only one piece of advice to anyone trying to sell a home it’s this: clear the clutter.

Buyers want to see your home….not your stuff.

Hallway before:

We cleaned and repainted the floors to match the stairs. And all of the trim got a fresh coat of white paint.

We left the light fixture but gave it a really good cleaning. Same with the window.

I kept the decor to a minimum, for staging purposes, including only an old trunk, kilim throw pillow (find similar pillows on Amazon or Etsy),

, a small plant and a painting. I wanted buyers to envision what they could do with this space. Keeping it simple allowed them to do this.

Hallway after:

Check out more easy staging makeovers from our previous home. We went on to sell this place in one weekend, to the first offer and above list price. This was HUGE in our location where small homes did not usually sell for top dollar.

I hope my simple stair and hallway makeover inspired you to see that updating an older or dated home doesn’t need to cost a lot…perhaps just some paint and elbow grease can get the job done!

Thanks for visiting!

Till next time…