How to Update a 1990s Wood Staircase & Railing

Throughout the 1990s, there wasn’t much variety in staircases and railings. There was oak, oak, and…a little more oak. Sure, some maple railings or painted white spindles popped up, but oak was the winner winner chicken dinner.

As for the stairs (treads and risers), they were often covered in a beige or slightly pink-hued cut-pile carpet that, if it’s still alive, is likely worn out and ready for some serious love (aren’t we all?). While the rare sight of wood treads and risers makes me extremely happy, they’re often lost in a sea of wood with no defining features.

Don’t get me wrong—I love me some hardwood (wink wink)—but there’s something to be said for ‘too much of a good thing.’

So, I’ve put together some updated ideas for you, most of which are affordable and DIY-friendly!

But before we get into the meat n’ potatoes (with a LOT of butter and gravy)…

IS ALL WOOD REALLY ‘ALL GOOD’?

Let’s picture a staircase that’s 100% clad in wood (or close to it): handrail, spindles, newel posts, steps, and risers. This makes me think of one of my all-time favorite Kylie-isms…

Just because it’s wood doesn’t mean it’s good.

That’s right, just because it’s solid wood doesn’t mean it looks good or adds visual (or actual) value to your home. In fact, defining some of your home’s most beautiful wood features with a lick of paint is a great way to make your remaining wood show up at the party. In fact, it might even show up with tassels on (a favorite pastime of mine – now I show up in my jam jams).

I love this upper staircase landing with its white wainscoting, trims, doors, and Sherwin Williams Big Chill on the walls…

However, the wood railing looks worn and doesn’t match the white trim, doors, and wainscoting in the rest of this hallway.

1. I would paint the whole shebang white, or
2. I’d paint just the spindles white, and restain the wood handrail and newel posts (making sure they still match the wood floor) —this much wood is not good.

This said, the odd home suits wood-on-wood. For example, with its wood trim, cabinets, and limited railing, this next staircase looks good in all its woody goodness…

The Best Paint Colors to Update Golden Oak

With wood trim (as shown above), white railings or spindles could look out of place as they wouldn’t have the trim to connect with visually.

However, aside from the above type of space, painting the hand railing and newel posts is often the path of least resistance when updating a staircase/railing. Sure, there’s still a lot of cutting-in on the railing’s undercarriage, but it’s a lot easier than painting a few dozen wooden spindles (insert wine and funnel HERE).

They say, ‘There’s no elevator to success – you must take the stairs.’ But what if those stairs are fugly?

Take a look at this next oak staircase…

Don’t get me wrong, every inch of this wood is beautiful (oh, the innuendos are on the tip of my tongue…). However, you lose some of its beauty in the amount of it. I mean, if you’re a 50+-year-old man with a soft spot for wood and unpainted brick, you might disagree (no shade intended; it’s just my experience). But for the average home, the above staircase goes too far.

I don’t yet have the AFTER of the above staircase, but I’ll send my client a note (as long as I remember to; hellooooo ADHD). Her home is stunning, and tweaking the stairs would be awesome. Here’s the front door opposite the stairs (not the you asked, but anyway)…

The Best Paint Colors for the INSIDE of Your Front Door

Here’s how I suggest updating this oak staircase:

• Paint the risers the same color as the trim (Sherwin Williams Pearly White) or even a 50% lightened version. 
• Paint the spindles the same color. It’s a huge project, but it would update this space without losing its charm. It would also define the wood hand railing and beautiful wood steps!

This next staircase is a perfect example of a balanced paint vs. wood palette…

Notice how the wood stair treads and railings are defined thanks to the white-painted stringer and white spindles. Without these, the staircase could look a bit heavy and dated.

Now here’s the question of the decade – 1990s, to be exact…

CAN YOU UPDATE A 1990’S STAIRCASE WITHOUT REPLACING EVERYTHING? 

Heck yeah, you can. Will it look 100% up to date with today’s standards and styles? Nope – THAT, my funny little friend, would involve replacing everything. However, there are tons of ideas to make your 1990s staircase look updated, modern, and at its very best. 

When the ideal world doesn’t exist (usually due to budget and skills), it’s about finding the next best thing. 

To get this party started, let’s start with the wild world of white. 

UPDATE WOOD RAILINGS WITH WHITE PAINTED SPINDLES

While I love some painted handrailings, many homes look their best with wood railings (and sometimes even newel posts) with white-painted spindles. It all comes down to your home’s style.

Many 1990s/2000s spindles, railings, and newel posts are more detailed and ornate than today’s homeowner wants. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but the more modern approach to staircase design has cleaner lines and fewer curves.

 

 

This is a pretty standard, affordable staircase design found in today’s newly built or remodeled home. 

That said, the more detailed approach suits homeowners who want to keep their home’s traditional, Tuscan, or slightly country-style roots. The more modern your house is (even a modern farmhouse or transitional style), the cleaner the lines tend to be.

Now, let’s hit some options/combinations.

COMBO 1: PAINTED WHITE SPINDLES, WOOD HAND RAILING

While oak is the most common wood on 1990s staircases, maple shows up here and there…

The white wainscoting is an awesome upgrade and ties in nicely to the white risers and spindles. 

• Maple handrailing: WOOD
• Newel posts: WOOD
• Painted spindles: WHITE
• Painted risers: WHITE
• Stair treads: WOOD
• Stringer: WHITE

However, unlike most of the stairs in this blog post, notice how the spindles attach to a half wall/stringer rather than the steps themselves (I’m sure there’s a technical term for this, but I ain’t that kinda girl).

Benjamin Moore Grant Beige walls with Cloud White details

COMBO 2: PAINTED WHITE SPINDLES…& THAT’S IT

Compare this next staircase with the previous one…

Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter | The Best Paint Colors to Update Golden Oak

Do you notice the ONE difference? Painted risers vs. stained wood risers. Wait, one more thing – it doesn’t have the half wall for the spindles to sit in – the spindles sit on the stairs.

• Oak risers: WOOD
• Oak steps: WOOD
• Handrail and newel posts: WOOD
• Spindles: PAINT
• Stringer: This is a mix of wood and white. If the riser is white, I suggest painting the stringer white as well. 

To update this 1990s staircase, I’d talk to a carpenter about removing/covering the wee curvy bits on the side wall. They’re high-contrast on the white and at odds with the wainscoting’s more traditional, square lines. That would then lead me to paint the risers white. 

Here’s another beautiful 1990s staircase with white spindles and a wood handrail…

COMBO 3: WOOD, WHITE, & A CARPET RUNNER

Here I am talking about all of the oak staircases from the 90s, yet we have another maple one!

Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray | The Best Paint Colors With LIGHT Wood Finishes

When stairs have a carpet runner (built-in or free-floating), defining the steps is a great way to… well, define the steps.

Here are the details…

• Handrail and newel posts: WOOD
• Steps: WOOD
• Spindles: PAINTED WHITE
• Risers: PAINT
• Stringers: PAINT 

This next home has the same finish choices as the previous one. However, this home has more traditional 1990s styling. With the spindles painted white, there’s a great happy medium between worlds.

Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray Paint Color Review

FUN FACT: Look at the stringer on this staircase. Recognize that little detail from a few staircases ago? This shows how painting this detail blends it, and leads into painting the riser white, for a brighter look. 

The carpet runner has a more traditional vibe for the stairs, which complements the railings/spindles and the home’s style. Along with peek-a-boo to the original oak treads, the carpet adds acoustic value and safety (especially for ole Woofy)!

If your staircase’s style leans more towards the early 2000s: How to Update a 2000s Staircase

This next staircase offers a more transitional take on a carpet runner with its linear, textured look. The spindles are the same as the above home, but the railing is less curvy – although the round knobs are a dead giveaway that these railings were installed in the 90s (and can be sawn off and replaced with a simpler cap – we’ll be doing this in our 2000s staircase!)

I’d love to see the bottom step’s riser painted white. And while I wish the stairs’ wood were as light as the flooring, that would be a buttload of work to redo. 

Would I consider painting the posts and handrail and restaining just the steps to update this staircase a bit more? 

You bet your cute lil’ booty I would! I’d match the steps to the flooring. Sure, you could go balls-out and replace the whole shebang, but that’s not what this color cowgirl is about. 

The Best Off-White, Neutral Paint Colors

COMBO 4: WOOD, WHITE, & WALL-TO-WALL CARPET

And, of course, there’s a 1990s staircase with wall-to-wall carpet…

More often than not, stairs with wall-to-wall carpeting look best with all white or a mix of wood and white, as shown above. All wood with carpet can look more dated.

Do you notice the difference between the staircase shown above and the one shown below?

The first staircase has a white stringer, whereas the second has a stained wood stringer. Because of this additional wood feature, the second staircase looks more dated.

COMBO 5: ALL WHITE IS ALL RIGHT

Combo 5, Mambo Number 5. Either way, I feel like dancin’. When all else fails, if you don’t love your wood railings, slap on some paint and call it a day.

The Best Paint Colors for the INSIDE of Your Front Door

As you can see, the stairs in the above entryway are ‘in progress.’ If I have a staircase with wood steps like this and want an ‘all white’ look, I would paint the entire railing system, including the risers and stringer. However, I’d always keep the steps wooden.

99.5% of the photos in my blog are of REAL HOMES from my Online Color Consulting clients, readers, and friends. While not always magazine-perfect, they’re packed with ideas and proven color choices to help you create a home you’ll love with more confidence.

BLACK (OR DARK) HAND RAILING, WHITE SPINDLES, & WOOD

These days, many ’90s staircases have had a ‘little bit’ of work done – like Botox for stairs…but they’re showing their age. In most cases, the spindles are painted white, while the handrails and newel posts are either white or stained wood (oak, maple, or other woods). 

These days, some are choosing to step away from white and lean into the darker end of things (myself included, though my railing is 2005). In this case, black is the most popular color choice for stair railings and other details.

However, you can’t go willy-nilly, slapping paint on without rhyme or reason—it’s easy to do the wrong thing.

For example, the spindles, stringer, steps, and riser on this next staircase look good, but the black handrail and posts look a bit harsh and out of place…

In the above case, since going back to stain would be a huge PITA, I’d paint all the black bits white, given the styling of the surrounding space. I suppose they could paint ONLY the hand railing, not the newel posts (but even then, black doesn’t jibe with this space, if you ask me).

If you paint your railings black or a dark paint color, your home needs to easily carry this more dramatic look. Black needs to match the space’s vibe and its surrounding finishes.

In this next image, the dark frame of the art and its MOOD help the dark black railing make sense…

Oh yes, I see that little drip. That would drive me crazy(er). First world problem. 

COMBO 1: BLACK RAILINGS WITH WHITE NEWEL POSTS & SPINDLES

You can make an impact, but a slightly softer one, with the following…

• Handrailing: BLACK
• Newel posts: WHITE
• Spindles: WHITE
• Steps/Treads: WOOD
• Risers: WHITE

The Best Paint Colors With Dark Wood Finishes

I prefer the above approach for the average home that suits black. You still make an impact, but it’s not as graphic or as potentially overwhelming.

Re: A black handrail and white spindles. Sure, painting the underside of the handrail black isn’t my idea of a good time (going around a million white spindles). However, it’s a great way to update your staircase without spending a small fortune. It’s also easier than painting every inch of those darn rounded spindles.

COMBO 2: BLACK HANDRAIL WITH WALL-TO-WALL CARPET

If you have carpet on your stairs (not a runner, but an actual, fully installed carpet), your decision may be easier because you don’t have to consider the treads, risers, and stringers.

This next 90s staircase looks beautiful with beige carpet, white spindles, a black railing, and newel posts…

If you remove the dark artwork and even the dark wall color, this black railing would overwhelm the light carpet and tile (even then, I wish the carpet on the stairs were a bit darker/more taupe). However, given the overall flow of the space (including the dark wood coffee table), the black works.

Not every home can handle a dark railing. 

Here’s the staircase in our current home (early 2000s). While it’s more modern than the average 80s or 90s wood-on-wood staircase, it’s still not quite up to par with what I’d do in a NEW home…

Replacing the stairs with wood treads, white risers, and a new railing system would bring us close to 25K – that’s a hard no.

Needless to say, I kept things simple by keeping what we had and painting the handrail and plates/stringer a dark greige (it was previously a worn-out dark-stained wood). Could I have refinished the wood and stained it a more modern stain color? Yes…If I were a glutton for punishment. Fortunately, I’m not.

To update the above even more, I plan to hire someone to…

• Replace the decorative spindles with plain ones (their knuckles are outdated). This involves removing the handrail, reinstalling it, and painting it, so I’m waiting for a rainy day.
• Saw off the tops of the newel posts as they’re way too big and outdated. Then, I’d sand down the tops and see how they look. I’ll either leave them as is or add a simple cap and paint it to match.

SHOULD YOU PAINT YOUR HANDRAILING BLACK (OR A DARK COLOR)?

They say once you go black, you never go back. And while I don’t doubt it in many regards, when it comes to stair railings, I’m not a big believer. Few homes suit an entirely black or dark railing system, regardless of whether the stairs are wood or carpet.

Here’s one that does…

This entryway calls for an all-black railing for a few reasons…

1. There isn’t much railing, making what’s there more of an ‘accent’ than an overbearing, graphic feature.

2. The inside of the front door is dark (the same color), as is the board and batten hook wall (and accent table).

3. The paint color is Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze (listed below), which is softer than black. If this were all black, I think it would be too graphic for this small space.

THE BEST DARK OR BLACK PAINT COLORS FOR STAIR RAILINGS

You can’t just paint your wood railings any old color; only a few will work for the average home.

• Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black
• Benjamin Moore Black 2132-10
• Sherwin Williams Iron Ore

While these next 2 are particular and must suit the space (because of their undertones), they can look amazeballs…

• Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze (the color of my stair railing, which also matches my kitchen island)
• Sherwin Williams Gauntlet Gray

Get a SAMPLER PACK of my favorite DARK paint colors (I have blacks too. If you’d like them, leave a comment)!

However, not every home can handle black anything on stairs. Black railings (or spindles) in this next entryway and staircase would look way out of character…

Benjamin Moore Ballet White and White Dove

On the other hand, this next staircase looks gorgeous with its black hand railing for a few reasons…

Ideas to Add Personality to Your Small Bathroom

1. There aren’t any large newel posts, making the black a less dominant feature.

2. There’s a visual connection to the black vanity in the powder room (and hopefully, a few other black accents in the surrounding area.

Now that we’ve covered that general idea, let’s move on to some HEAVY METAL!

What’s Trendy for Stairs?

WOOD/PAINTED HANDRAILING WITH METAL SPINDLES

The closer you get to the early 2000s, the more likely it is that your home has metal or wrought-iron spindles. While many 2000s homes went over the top with their Tuscan-inspired style, some took a more moderate approach to their design.

In this first example, my client’s metal spindles were burnished, oil rubbed bronze. She hand-painted each one black for a more modern, less Tuscan look.

These painted spindles, white railings, and newel posts give her staircase and entryway a new lease on life! Of course, we painted the walls, too (Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray).

This next entryway underwent more than a ‘little makeover’…

The 8 Best Black Paint Colors

Previously, the unpainted wood trim and hand railing dated her home, giving it a stuffy look. With some smart upgrades, her entryway looks way more updated while still looking homey!

• New wood flooring (no more golden oak)
• Painted wood details
• Wood stair treads with a carpet runner
• We kept the stair railing, newel post, and spindles, but updated them by painting them black.
• A fresh new paint color on the walls.

The Best Paint Colors to Update Golden Oak

How to Mix & Match Wood Stains

SOME MORE SERIOUS 1990s STAIRCASE UPGRADES

This is where the big bucks come into play (tell this to your hunter-enthusiast hubby, and maybe he’ll get excited, too!). Sure, as far as home remodels go, updating a staircase isn’t as pricey as modernizing a 1990s kitchen or outdated 90’s bathroom, but it sure as heck ain’t cheap (unless you have some serious DIY skills).

EXAMPLE 1: REPLACE PONY WALLS/DRYWALL WITH RAILING

The following photos show our last home (built in the 1990s). A pony wall going up the staircase made the entryway and staircase look more tunnel-like and super dark (the colors didn’t help either—I sure didn’t pick ’em).

We lived in this home 9 years ago – it was awesome, but the staircase was a downer….

Upgrading and updating to metal spindles with wood handrail, stringers, and newel posts was a smart choice…

Say hello to Doug (who is now 11 years old!) 

The walls get mostly northeast-facing light, and I wanted some subtle warmth (they also connect to the main living area). I chose Sherwin Williams Creamy and Benjamin Moore Cloud White.

Here’s a look at the previous staircase from the bottom of the stairs (in the entryway)…

And now, it’s way better and brighter with an open railing using simple black round metal spindles…

Douglas Fur and Sir Henry Bacon (RIP Henry)

EXAMPLE 2: REPLACE WOOD SPINDLES WITH METAL ONES

Depending on the style of your staircase, you could consider replacing wood spindles with metal ones – but be warned; it’s one of those projects that, once you start, it’s easy to get carried away (newel posts/stringers/etc)…

If you have a short staircase or a small amount of railing, a project like this can be manageable and worth it for a more updated look…

However, if you have long expanses and a lot of curves, it adds up fast.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

People ask a lot of questions about stairs, and here are the top ones…

CAN YOU PAINT THE RISERS A DIFFERENT COLOR?

Hey, you can do anything you want. However, it looks best if the riser a) matches the steps (wood) or b) is the same color as any trim (usually white)O. Of course, there are exceptions with older homes or Spanish-style staircases, but for the average 1980s, ’90s, or 2000s home, keep it simple.

K.I.S.S – Keep It Simple…Silly

As shown in the next staircase from the 2000s, painting the risers their own color doesn’t look baaaaad (a ringing endorsement, for sure). However, it would look a heck of a lot better if the risers matched the trim color.

Paint Color Ideas to Update Your 2000s Home

READ MORE

What’s Trendy for Stairs?

5 Ideas to Update Your 1990s Home (Budget-Friendly)

The Best Paint Colors for the Inside of Your Front Door

Ideas to Update Your 1990s Home: 4-PART SERIES

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