If you have a stair runner, rather than a fitted carpet, remove it before you start painting. Vacuum the stairs well to remove all the dust and grit so that it does not contaminate the paint. If you have a fitted stair carpet, follow the instructions above.

Check for loose or damaged treads and risers, repair them if necessary, and then prepare the surface.

The easiest painting sequence to follow is to start with the balusters, newel post and hand rail. Then paint the treads, risers and strings on each side, beginning at the top and working down, painting one stair at a time.

Choose your brush according to which part you are painting; you need a larger brush for the treads than for the balusters, for example.

Rub down the hand rail lightly between coats with very fine abrasive paper to get a really smooth finish.

If you are putting down a stair carpet, you need only paint the parts of the treads that will show. But the paint should extend about 50mm under the carpet on each side.

Alternatively, you may prefer to varnish the hand rail (or hand rail and balusters), and paint just the treads, risers and stringers. It is still best to paint the hand rail first, so that you do not risk spilling varnish on the new paintwork. If the hand rail was originally painted, remove all traces of old paint before varnishing, either using heat or a chemical stripper.