Add Wallpaper to Your Home Stairs

Most home improvement projects can get awfully expensive, but there are some projects you can do that add beauty to a home, without costing much money. One project that's fun and unique involves your staircase. Previously, you basically had three choices for indoor stairs: carpet, no carpet, or a carpet runner. Now you can add another choice to the list: wallpaper! That's right. You can wallpaper the stairs for a whole new look, that will be so unique, all your guests will be utterly amazed. The look is very elegant, easy to achieve, and costs little money. And, even if you have a large set of steps, you can finish the project in a day.

Let me clarify: you won't actually wallpaper the entire set of indoor stairs, but instead, you'll wallpaper the risers - that is, the front of the steps. The actual steps themselves can be varnished, stained, painted or left natural. Add wallpaper after the steps are painted or stained the way you like.

Choose wallpaper that is rather thick so that it will hold up for a long period of time. Other than that, there are no specific attributes that the wallpaper must have. It's a little difficult for some people to figure the amount needed, since there's no walls to measure, but you can measure the height of each step and get a general idea. Measure the height, multiply it times the amount of risers there are, then change the number from inches to feet or yards. Make sure you check the width to see if the wallpaper rolls will be wide enough for the stairs.

If the stairs you're going to wallpaper are extremely wide, it might be necessary to piece the wallpaper. Be sure and allow for this when you decide how many yards you'll need. Be sure to also allow for piecing when you choose the pattern. Solid colors will show the pieces easier than a patterned choice, but flower scenes means having to align leaves, stems and petals, which can be difficult. Stripes are somewhat easier to align when piecing.