How to Add Painted Stair Storage in Small Spaces | Behr

Stairs That Double as a Pet Haven

When living in small spaces, furniture with dual functionality can be an absolute necessity. Our "stair case conversion into a pet haven" project creates storage where it had not existed before. Read on to find out how we did it.

By Behr Color Experts

| Colorfully Behr

Stairs That Double as a Pet Haven project, before and after

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To make this statement piece, we used several pops of vivid colors to add interest and delight throughout. To balance the bright color, our stairs and risers were painted a neutral combination of clean white (Polar Bear 75) and midtoned gray (Flannel Gray N520-3). We added dimension with a brilliant yellow racing stripe (Buzz-In P300-6), along the center of the stair steps.

 

Whether you prefer a conservative color scheme or something with flair, there are countless patterns, colors and techniques available to suit your taste.

 

Looking for some inspiration? Check out what we have to offer on the Colorfully Behr blog.

We found the inspiration, directions and math for our stairs project at tinyHouseBuild.com. Then we made custom modifications to the face frame by building a storage shelf into the side panel and including space for a pet bed.

 

To make the feeding station, we attached the back of the first tread to the riser with a continuous hinge, enabling it to flip up. We then measured and cut a piece of plywood to fit within the same stair riser. Two holes were cut out of the plywood piece to hold the pet dishes. Lastly, we attached an eyehook to the tread and a hook to the step directly above it to hold it in place for feeding.

 

Once our stairs were complete, the next step was to paint the stair frame and risers in our base color of Polar Bear 75. While our first coat was drying, we removed the step treads and painted them in Flannel Gray N520-3. When dry, we applied a second coat of each color for even coverage and to give added durability. When ready, we attached the treads on the stair risers and began the prep needed to paint on our yellow stripe.

 

A little measuring and math was needed here to ensure that the stripe ran evenly down the center – so bear with us! We first determined how wide we wanted the stripe to be, then measured the length of the tread. We subtracted the stripe width from the tread length and divided by two. This calculation tells you how far in you need to measure from the end of each tread to place your painters tape. Make a mark for these measurements on each riser and tread.

To make this a statement piece, we used a variety of paint colors to add depth and interest throughout.

Apply painters tape along your marks, being careful to keep the stripes straight and aligned. Once done, we were free to begin painting our yellow stripe in Buzz-In P300-6. While the stripe was drying, we painted the pet feeding, sleeping and storage areas in High Dive P480-5, Japanese Koi P210-7 and Anime P340-5. Once all the paint had dried, the finishing touch was to outfit for our pet!

When living in small spaces, furniture with dual functionality can be an absolute necessity.

When living in small spaces, furniture with dual functionality can be an absolute necessity.

This has encouraged many space-challenged individuals to create storage where it had not existed before. Our project focuses on a stair case conversion into a pet haven – with a soft bed, storage for food and toys, and a feeding station.

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The following product(s) is required to properly prep uncoated and previously coated concrete surfaces.
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