Paint a stairwell safely by setting up secure access, protecting surfaces, and working top to bottom in the right order.
PS-01Plan your access before you buy any paintStairwells are the most dangerous place in a house to work at height because the floor drops away beneath you. Work out whether a combination ladder, or two stepladders with a scaffold board between them, or a hired stairwell tower suits your staircase shape and ceiling height. Never rest an ordinary ladder on a stair tread without a proper stair standoff or levelling feet — a tilted ladder is how most stairwell falls happen. Measure the highest point of the ceiling so you know how much reach you actually need.
PS-02Clear and protect the stairwellTake down pictures, hooks and curtains, and move anything off the stairs and landing. Lay dust sheets over the floor, every stair tread and the handrail, taping them down so they can't slip when you're carrying paint up and down. Wipe the walls and handrail down with a damp cloth to remove dust and cobwebs before you start.
PS-03Build a safe working platformIf using ladders and a board, match the height of both ladders, level them on the stair treads with non-slip feet, and use a proper scaffold board rated for the span — never a shelf or plank. Keep the board's ends fully supported and never stand on the top two rungs of a stepladder. If you've hired a stairwell tower, follow the hire firm's setup sheet exactly and check the outriggers are locked before climbing.
PS-04Fill cracks and holesRake out any loose material from cracks with a scraper, then press filler in firmly with a flexible filling knife, slightly overfilling. Stairwell walls flex more than other rooms as people use the stairs, so use a flexible filler on hairline cracks rather than a rigid one. Leave to dry fully — check the tin for drying time, usually a few hours.
PS-05Sand and dust downSand filled areas flush with fine sandpaper on a sanding block, working from the platform rather than overreaching. Wipe every surface down with a damp cloth or tack cloth to lift the dust — paint won't stick well over sanding dust.
PS-06Mask fixtures and edgesMask around light switches and socket faceplates, skirting boards, and the handrail or spindles if you're not painting them. Run a bead of masking tape tight against every edge with a filling knife or your fingernail so paint can't creep underneath.
PS-07Apply a mist coat to any bare plasterIf you've filled large areas or the plaster is new, thin your first coat of emulsion with about 10% water and apply it as a mist coat. This lets the porous plaster absorb evenly so your proper coats don't go patchy. Let it dry fully before moving on.
PS-08Cut in all the edges firstUsing an angled cutting-in brush, paint a neat line where the ceiling meets the wall, into corners, and around spindles and the underside of the handrail. Stairwells have far more awkward angles and changing heights than a normal room, so take your time here — it's what a roller can't reach.
PS-09Paint the ceilingWork in manageable sections using a roller on an extension pole, moving your platform along as you go rather than overreaching sideways. Keep a wet edge so joins between sections don't show once dry.
PS-10Paint the walls — first coatRoll the walls top to bottom in sections, following the cut-in lines you did earlier. Move your platform along the stairwell as each section is finished rather than stretching the roller pole too far. Let the first coat dry fully before checking coverage.
PS-11Apply the second coatOnce the first coat is fully dry, cut in and roll a second coat the same way. Stairwell walls take more knocks and marks than other rooms, so two full coats will last much longer than one thick one.
PS-12Paint the woodworkPaint the skirting, spindles and handrail with a satin or eggshell trim paint using a smaller brush. Work top to bottom on spindles and wipe up any drips straight away before they run onto the treads below.
PS-13Remove masking tape and dust sheetsPull the masking tape off slowly while the paint is still slightly tacky, pulling back on itself rather than straight out, to get a crisp line without peeling fresh paint. Fold dust sheets inward as you lift them so any wet paint stays trapped inside, and carry them away from the stairs carefully.
PS-14Clean up and let the paint cureWash rollers and brushes straight away in warm water for emulsion, or brush cleaner for oil-based trim paint, and leave them to dry before storing. Open windows to ventilate the stairwell and avoid heavy use of the stairs for a day or two while the paint fully cures. Take any leftover paint tins to a local recycling point rather than pouring paint down a drain.