Originally Posted by neeng
Great job on the risers! I am wanting to paint my stairs this summer so may borrow somewhat from your idea, if you don't mind.....
So a couple of people asked how I did it - here are the directions. Send me a PM if you have questions. These are FUN!! And thanks to everyone who went to the the BHG.com site to look!
Directions:
a. Measures the risers,height and width. Most stairs are 30” wide.
b. Cut as many panels out of scrap plywood or paneling as you need. Make sure one side of the scrap is smooth or sand it.
c. Decide how many tiles you want for each riser. I did 5.
d. Create grooves in each panel to simulate grout lines. As you can see from the picture, I did 4 for each panel. I used a table saw for this. If you don’t have a table saw, you can use a non-soluble pen or black or grey paint to make the lines. If you are using paint for the grout lines, wait till AFTER you prime!
e. Apply 2 coats of any primer, sanding in between coats with fine sandpaper. Whatever the color of the primer will be the color of the background. You can tint the primer with paint. If you don’t have primer, use 3 coats of regular paint. Make your grout lines if you haven’t done so with a table saw after you prime.
f. Pick a pattern you like and create a template. Mine are based on a Mexican tile pattern I found here:
http://www.mexicantiles.com/terra-no...amic-tile.html
g. Trace the pattern with pencil on each ‘tile’ on your panels. Paint in the lines. I used leftover housepaint.
h. Outline the design with a nonsoluble marker. I used a Sharpie. You can make design lines if you like.
i. IMPORTANT – apply a paint fixative after you create your designs! I did not do this and the paint migrated. Most craft stores or art supply houses have fixative. Make sure it’s for latex paint.
j. Apply 4 coats of a clear top coat. I used MinWax. Make sure it is gloss finish. Let each coat dry for about 8 hours before applying the next one. Sand only between the first and second coats.
k. Apply the panels to the risers with (preferably) a nail gun. If you don’t have one, use very fine short finishing nails. Make sure the panels lay flat on the riser – because the wood is scrap it may be bowed. You can use a combination of wood glue and the finishing nails to flatten the panel if you need to.
l. POST PICTURES!!!!!