Staircase Renovation in High Wycombe | High Wycombe Decorators

A staircase renovation removes every accumulated paint layer, restores the profile and condition of the timber, and applies a new finish from a properly prepared bare surface. A repaint simply adds another coat over existing layers.

We treat every staircase element in sequence: spindles first, then handrail, then newel posts, then string board, then treads. Each element requires its own strip technique and finish product.

Turned spindles on Victorian and Edwardian staircases are joined to the handrail and string board at peg joints, dry-fitted with no adhesive. Heat strip on original softwood spindles risks softening the wood at the peg joint, causing the spindle to loosen.

We specify chemical strip on original turned spindles as standard. Strip-back is completed mechanically with a scraper once the chemical has worked.

Handrails on period staircases accumulate significant paint depth over decades of repainting. Strip-back to bare timber restores both the profile and the surface. We check each newel post for sound fixing before stripping.

For the full period property substrate context where stairs sit within a conservation-area property, see our period property painting page.

Pine treads on stripped-back Victorian and Edwardian staircases can be finished in hardwearing floor paint or left clear-coated. Floor paint on stair treads must be a hardwearing product rated for foot traffic; standard emulsions or eggshells are not appropriate.

Where the staircase is the main focal point of a hallway renovation, the wider hallway decoration context is covered on our interior painting page.

Staircases in listed buildings or in conservation-area properties must be renovated in accordance with the character of the original fabric. Restoration of original elements is the correct approach.

We work to a restoration brief on listed-building staircases. For the wider hallway and staircase programme in a whole-house renovation, see our house painting page.