The Best Primer EVER! Painting Stair Spindles and Stair Risers

Hi everybody! Have you ever started a project, that you thought wouldn’t be too hard, but turned out to be overwhelmingly tedious? That’s kinda where I’m at right now… yeah…

I thought, “Yes! I’m finally going to start this!” then it was like “Oh, Crap…. this is going to take me F.O.R.E.V.E.R!!!!”  I felt the exact same way when I started painting my kitchen cabinets, but you should see those beauties now! No more orange oak, and it was definitely worth all the time and effort!

So, this is how it started out looking. Here’s pretty much a full shot of the staircase, all 102 spindles and 16 stair risers.

I started here at the top.

Okay, so after looking at these orange oak pictures…. I am soooo glad I started this project.  Even if it does take me until summer to finish.  I know... I’m exaggerating.

I had to start out by taping… Taping is not my thing. I will avoid it like the plague… It just takes sooo much time to tape, and all I want to do is paint and get this project rolling!!  Sorry, for the whining...

I had to suck it up, because there is no getting around taping on this project. All 102 spindles will be taped, every single one.


I started taping the tops of the spindles. I just wanted to be thorough.

Ummm... no! There was no way, I was going to rip up tiny pieces of tape to do those tiny little circles. Those were the only three I did and I promptly ripped them off.  I just used a tiny brush.  That worked for me!

(This post contains affiliate links. I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.)

I've gotta tell you, this is the best primer I’ve found, Zinsser High Hide Cover Stain Primer and Sealer, White. If you don’t want to sand this is your Go-To primer!

I've used it in several projects and it does not fail! 

I want to show you how well this primer is going to hold up. Here is a little video demonstration. This stuff is the bomb!!

I did not sand anything before I started.

Here’s my thinking… who touches spindles? Children? Well, mine are grown. The risers… I was going to sand them some… but changed my mind. Now, if you want to smooth out the wood surface, yes, you should sand. It's up to you. Some projects, I sand and others I don't. I did sand my kitchen cabinets. They receive a lot of wear, and I'm pleased to say, the paint and primer has held up beautifully! Not one knick or scratch!

Back to these spindles... as I started painting, I was trying to figure out a technique.  My technique usually involves whatever gets the job done fastest. So, I started with this 4 inch foam roller. I really wanted to use the 2 inch foam roller, but I didn't have any. I had the 4 inch on hand, and I'm impatient. I wanted to start and didn't want to run 15 minutes into town to the nearest home improvement store. That's how I roll.


I quickly realized it was too big. So, I downsized to the 2 inch roller. Thankfully, I was in town the next day!! :)


This little guy is a hard worker! See how much painting I've done!


I’m going to need a ladder to finish this side. This is over the hallway downstairs.



Well, as you know by the video I started  the risers. Wow! What a difference!


I am definitely, LOVE, LOVE, LOVING this!! It’s going to look so nice when I’m finally finished.  I’m on a roll now, and I don’t want to stop. Out of 102 spindles, I have 43 primed. Out of 16 risers, I have 5 primed.  I told you this might take me until summer... But I will keep plugging away.

While I keep rolling on these spindles,  I’ve been thinking, what in the world am I going to write about. These babies are taking a long time, and there is no way I can squeeze in another project. I can't keep posting about stair spindles, that's pretty boring. I can see it now..."Hey y'all I got 10 more spindles done!" Nah... I don't even want to read about that.

So, I was thinking of writing out my testimony. Basically, my life story. As I've been writing about my life, it's a miracle I made it into adulthood! Seriously, God had His hand on me from day one! I’m going to do it in segments and we'll see how it goes. This transparency thing is a little tough, but it's good, at the same time. So I'll give it my best shot.

Stay tuned...

Blessings!!