We’re already a few months into 2025 and you guys this year I’m focusing on CELEBRATING PROGRESS! I decided to focus on progress because even though it’s super fun to swipe through after photos, it takes a lot of time and effort to create a home and I really want to slow down and enjoy the process!
My first project of the year (and one I’ve wanted to do for 2 ½ years!!) was renovating my staircase! I’ve been dreaming about a modern staircase design since the kids and I moved in a couple of years ago and I finally got around to it. Better late than never, right?
Simple and Sleek Staircase Reno
I DEMO-ed the staircase myself which was fun, but so exhausting! For the stair installation, I decided to hire some local professionals to help me to speed up the process. The last time I renovated a staircase it took me about 3 months to complete and this time around I wanted to finish up the project faster for the safety of my kids. Call me crazy, but I don’t love the idea of my 3 kids using stairs that are under construction and don’t have a railing!
That’s where Alex and his team from Nevada Stairs comes in. He helped me bring my staircase design to life in less than a week! SO much faster than the 3 months it took me last time (and 3 less months of me worrying about a kid falling off the stairs).
Stick with me and I’ll walk you through what the team and I did to create this beautiful modern staircase.
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Picking a Staircase Design
Like I said, I’ve been waiting for this project since the moment we moved in, so I knew exactly how I wanted my staircase to look. I wanted something modern, sleek, and simple and it came down to these two inspo staircases. Shoutout to @wedovisuals for creating these two renderings of the different styles. Having these visuals helped me SO much in the decision-making process!
Option #1 – Sleek and Simple
Option #2 – Simple with a Twist
After thinking about it a ton and getting feedback from my AMAZING followers on Instagram, I decided to go with the simple and sleek design. 100% the right choice. I love it!
Removing the Old Staircase
Guys, it took me 11 HOURS to demo this staircase! Honestly it was pretty fun and very satisfying, but I was dead! The entire demo included railing removal, glued down trim removal (this was by far the most time consuming part), carpet/tack strip removal, and final nail and staple clean up. The whole thing made for a great workout and I highly recommend demo work as an addition to therapy if you’re looking for one.
Pro Tip: Use a small sledgehammer for knocking down the railing, it worked way better than a large one. Also, crowbars are great for loosening up tough pieces!
One extra step I had to do for this particular staircase was getting rid of the volutes. Volutes are those curly pieces you see at the beginning of a stair handrail. They’re supposed to add an elegant look, but I’ve never liked them and they just made my house feel outdated. I wanted a straight, modern edge on my staircase so I had to remove the railing and carefully cut off the bottom and square it off. With some power tools, crowbars, and help from reinforcements we were able to get rid of the volute piece!
Installing the New Staircase
This isn’t my first rodeo when it comes to staircases. I’ve renovated a staircase before and it was one of my favorite projects! I learned so much during that project and it gave me SO much perspective as I approached this staircase reno.
After going back and forth, I decided to do a wooden staircase instead of a carpeted staircase. At first my kids were bummed about losing the carpet on the stairs. They loved using the stairs for their marble runs and wood stairs would make that a bit trickier. But eventually they forgave me and now they love the look of the new stairs as much as I do!
The floors in my main room are by Hewn Flooring in the Aurora color (which I LOVE) so I wanted to create a staircase that matched my floors. Unfortunately, I ran into a little issue. Hewn Flooring makes great stair treads and materials in the same gorgeous Aurora color, but given my layout and the difficulty of the exposed sides of my stairs, they weren’t going to work for this particular project. So I had to pivot and I had Nevada Stairs make custom treads to match my Hewn floors. They also helped me out with the handrail and railing.
Then it was time to install everything and I have to say, I’m so grateful for the talented professionals at Nevada Stairs! I was constantly amazed at the great work they did and had to take a moment to appreciate the amount of measurements and thought that went into this handrail work. They were recommended by some of my friends and I can totally understand why! Although this might seem like a sponsored post by now, it’s not, I just really like their work!
After Alex finished up, there were only two things left for me to do: patch up the stair corners and add baseboard. Now here’s a fun fact about me, I try to avoid extra trim AT ALL COSTS and that’s exactly what I did on the stair corners for this project. I had drywallers telling me that I couldn’t use mud on those spots because it wouldn’t hold up, but I knew the look I was going for and I was curious to see if I could make it work somehow.
So you guessed it, I went with my heart and used the mud!! If or when it doesn’t hold up, I’ll figure it out. Just like in life, I’m not sure what’s going to happen next, but I can trust myself at each step to make the next best decision. Just a cute little DIY life lesson for you.
With the stair corners all patched up, it was time to add the baseboards as the finishing touch. I measured and cut the baseboard, nailed it into place, and then caulked along the top of it. Just like that, my beautiful modern staircase design project was finally complete!
Modern Staircase Design Project
Even though it took 2 ½ years, my gorgeous new staircase was TOTALLY worth the wait! I love the look and what it adds to the whole space. Doing the demo myself was a blast and I’m so thankful for the great work by Nevada Stairs with the new tread, risers, and railing. If you’ve been waiting years to tackle a project, this is your sign to get started!
If you’re looking for more home renovation inspo, check out some my other projects:
- DIY Fireplace Tiling
- 2-Day Laundry Room Glow-Up
- DIY Kids Space Closet
- Kellie’s Guest Bathroom Makeover
- DIY Built-in Mudroom
- Colton’s Boy’s Bedroom Makeover
For more DIY inspo and tips along the way, follow me on Instagram @angelarosehome.
Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Read the full privacy policy here.
