When we moved in, our steps looked like this:
A WALL of old, stained carpet that almost touched your nose the moment you entered the house. It was, gross. New carpet was an option, but still it would simply be a NEW WALL of carpet inches from your nose when you entered through the front door.
A neighbor who knew we were trying to fix the wall of carpet issue found a pretty awesome idea by Martha Stewart:
So, we went for it!! Ripping out the old carpet, we sanded down the steps for a smooth surface:
We chose a style of wallpaper that was highly textured, instead of patterned. Our dining room chairs have a broad paisley-like pattern--the Napa Chair from Pottery Barn, slipcovered--and I did not want competing patterns too close together.
Instead of laying wood on the stair treads, we tried porch paint--from the local hardware store tinted to Benajmin Moore's Stone color:
This is where we FAILED. Porch paint may work wonderfully if you do not have a wheaten terrier who LOVES flying, literally, up and down the steps, sometimes even missing two or three of them...
So even though we ended up with this:
Porch Paint scratches... and not minor, you can barely see them, they probably aren't noticeable to anyone else scratches; but, BIG, LONG, "Stella running" scratches. Now this may be okay for people who aren't meticulous or who dig the rustic look, but it didn't work for me. Every time I walked up the steps it was an "UGH" moment.
So although Martha Stewart's wallpaper idea totally rocks, our next project is to lay engineered hickory hardwood on the stair treads...
Porch paint is a no-go for this little family.
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