Have you ever painted spindles - how hard was it

10 years ago

Hi! Just wondering if any of you folks have ever painted spindles. How hard was it and how did it turn out? How long did it take for one staircase (assuming the spindles were mostly on one side)

I was thinking of taking on this project but would need to get it done this week and over next weekend. I'm mostly concerned whether I could achieve a decent result. We have white dove/linen already on the spindles which are in decent to pretty good condition. Unfortunately, we have a black banister and just had professionals paint the foyer. ONly after they painted did we notice the difference in white colors of the newly painted Decorator's White on the trim and the spindles.

I'm more worried that the outcome won't look good vs. the work.

Thank you!

Comments (5)

PRO
Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
10 years ago
Just let the painters do it. I have painted thousands and thousands of them and there was not a one of then that was enjoyable. It can certainly be done, it just takes patience and a steady hand.
lynxe
10 years ago
We just did 45 spindles, two coats. OK, one of us did it, but not me. ;)

Here's what he said: it was a bit of a pain because, particularly with the first coat, he had to continually smooth out the paint so that a paint line wouldn't form while he got into place to do the next area on each spindle. The second coat was easier.

He thought it took "a couple of minutes" per spindle per coat. He also said it seemed to take longer than it actually did.

I have pretty high standands when it comes to assessing a paint job, and I think they look really good. He did use very high-quality tools and paint. (We always do.)

Why not try one and see how it goes? If you don't like the result and/or if it's far too much trouble for you, you can always hire someone. We plan to paint the entire interior here ourselves, but I understand that that's not for everyone.
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rwiegand
10 years ago
How hard? About halfway between a flat surface and small window muntins. How long? About five times longer for the first than for the 100th. A couple minutes each, I'd guess once you get going. Good paint and a good brush make them go faster. A little Penetrol added to the paint (assuming an oil-based enamel) helps a lot with flowing out the brush marks.

If your spindles have lots of coves and beads get the paint into the low spots first and then finish the whole with longer strokes-- you may end up brushing around the circumference where there's a lot of structure and up and down the length where you have relatively flat surfaces.
rwiegand
10 years ago
delete duplicate

(why did that happen?)

This post was edited by rwiegand on Fri, Sep 20, 13 at 11:08
claga
10 years ago
My wife and I have done it; over a hundred spindles with one coat of primer and two coats of paint. We did it with one of us on each side of the spindle and it went pretty well. It took us three days but the look was amazing, and well worth the effort.