I did this to a chest of drawers many (like 15) years ago and the chest is still being used by my son. In my case it was done over a laminate surface and has stood the test of time. These stairs look great and since I have experience, I will say, what a heck of a lot of work it must have been!!

I've wanted to try this ever since you posted a tutorial over on re-nest http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/diy/diy-idea-brown-paper-bag-floors-yankee-magazine--125700

How durable is this? I guess it depends not only on the top coating, but also the substrate. A laminated surface, as wyndwalkr used, is quite rigid and hard. I wonder if the paper might wear away faster when applied to a wood substrate.

I was about to post, who would waste their time refinishing BASEMENT stairs and not just slap a new coat of paint on them, but then actually went to the blog posting and read that it was a test drive which makes alot more sense :)

Hildi Santo-Tomás

And how do you get the stuff up when it's time for a change?

limes - You could sand it and paint right over the top and it has a low enough profile that other alternatives would just be installed over the top.

my mom has done this a few times in her house. She once stained it after putting it on the wall, it ended up looking a bit like leather from a far. But it is VERY VERY VERY labor intensive.

Looks nice. I would caulk along the wall where the stairs meet it to make it look more finished.

looks great

in all fairness, getting rid of the pet hair & dishes on the steps would have made a huge difference, too : )

Stairs get A LOT Of wear and I can't imagine how this is going to stand up. Looks great now but as soon as one piece is ripped or something sharp makes a cut you have to patch or get rid of the whole thing. Sanding it all off would be an AWFUL job. I think painting the stairs would have been sufficient.

That looks much better than I thought it would! My favorite part is the cat in the "before" photo, though.

I saw this done in a store once and thought at first that it was a leather wall until the owner explained that it was paper bags from Safeway. If done well, it looks really awesome. I've thought about doing this in a library - you know, if I ever have one...

No offense, but this looks like cheap marbled linoleum on a basement stairwell. I can imagine it maybe looking okay somewhere else... but not really. Just cleaning up the stairwell would have been fine. It was gross before.

I admire the ingenuity, but this is brutal. A few coats of hard-wearing paint would've been much nicer.

Durability isn't an issue as you can coat it with a couple of coats of polyurethane.

I'm not sure this is the right placement for this technique. If you add sand or anything to help avoid slips, it diminishes the intent of this finish. Additionally, it seems there are a lot of crevices for dirt to stick to. Painting it makes it look sloppy, so that's not a solution if it gets dirty or stained.

I've done this finish several times in the past, only on a wall. I've used wallpaper paste for the base, and covered it with a good coat of polyurethane in the end to keep it durable. Keep in mind that this is a pretty permanent covering, so make sure it's something you like before doing it! But the finished product is always great.

Rachael here...the owner of the filthy stairs...that will teach me not to take a "keeping it real" before photo...

To answer some questions, the poly I used is floor grade so it would be the same as refinishing your hardwoods. It is also easy to patch up though, and I've read many other stories that it wears really well.

It's also a great temporary solution if you are saving up for hardwood it can go right on top.

The paint was floor/porch grade and you can see how that held up. Those spots would not come up, it's actually worn. We do a lot of work in the basement, it's unfinished. It's not a place where I take company per say...

For the record I don't LOVE the color of the natural bags. I am working with stain (dark walnut minwax) on the upstairs and it looks infinitely better. I just didn't want to spend a lot of time on the basement stairs...which is also why the stair risers are sort of unfinished-they are just plywood.

Obviously the look is not for everyone!

Can I apply this over ceramic tile, I wonder? I have horrible tile in my kitchen and have been looking for a temporary way to cover it until we can afford to rip it all out and install new flooring. Hm.

tmoore- I've never seen it done over tile, but if you hate it that much it couldn't hurt to try. The only thing is that if the grout lines are deep it will show in the levelness of the paper so you need to make sure the floor is flush before you lay the paper down. Good luck!

zeb- The feel is the same as that of a hardwood tread, I wouldn't add sand or anything.

Anyone who thinks those before stairs were shabby should come see my place (original stairway, circa 1950, with smoke-stained gold wallpaper, circa 1970s).

I like the neutral paint in the after. Does anyone have tips about painting a stairwell? I am not brave enough to use a regular ladder on the stairs...

ricestein- lol! Our basement stairwell doesn't have tall ceilings so I was able to do it just by standing on the stairs. The upstairs one has been done twice by a pro b/c it does require a ladder (it's the only place I pay someone to paint!). I wouldn't recommend trying it yourself if you're not comfortable! Our painter has an "L" shaped stool that allows them to put the ladder on a flat surface. She said the stool was about $100!

I worked on a movie set where the interior of a house was used alot in the movie. In order to make the walls look aged we plastered sheets of brown paper (same paper as paper bags) and left it till almost dry. We then tore large sections randomly from the wall and stained it the entire wall with shades if blue and umber. It looked amazing.

I love this. I'm seriously considering this for bathroom walls above the existing wainscoting. Nice job; painting that concrete block wall white adds a lot of much-needed light. Needs pictures of the pets, though.

I did this on an accent wall once. It was a great leather-like look. Inexpensive as far as material went, but really labor intensive.

@ricestein,

You can stick a leg extender on one the legs of an aluminum ladder so that when the two legs are on different steps, the ladder is still vertical. Inquire with your local hardware store. You can probably just rent such a ladder.

Another option would be to attach a paint roller to an extending pole and paint from the steps. You can duct tape a brush to the end of the pole to get the edges/corners. I've painted entire rooms this way without a ladder, and it works fine if you've a steady hand. It also helps if the ceiling will be painted the same color.

There is a bar in downtown Honolulu were I helped install this type of floor 10/15 years ago. Bar is still there and the floor is holding up very very well.

I did this to a kitchen floor way back in 1974. It was a three-day project, but worth it, and it held up very well for several years. I moved, so I can't say how much longer it lasted after that.

I think I might need to do this look somewhere, I love the leatherlike effect.

Maybe on bookcases!

Hi, I tried this over a concrete slab floor and was so excited about this good-looking, budget friendly solution. Unfortunately, I found that the paper trapped air bubbles that were pretty much impossible to smooth out. Ultimately, it dried with *texture* and the air pockets provided a good stating place for ripping this project out.

Would this work to cover up a laminate kitchen countertop?

Uhhh, am I missing something here? That's concrete, right? Why wouldn't you just stain it? Seems easier and and more durable--the owner clearly has pets. =/

Amy- I would suggest brushing glue on first to help with air bubbles. Some of them will naturally smooth out when drying. But you do need to make sure you are smoothing everything out completely as you lay it down. Even after it dries though, if there are spots that bug you, you can cut them with a razor and dab glue underneath to adhere the paper better.

nkena- I see no reason why it wouldn't work on a countertop, but you may want to scuff it up first with some sandpaper. Brush glue on the surface in addition to dipping your pieces in glue. Make sure you use a good poly so it will hold up!

milo- The stairs are mdf and plywood. I had previously painted them with gray floor/porch paint.

I'm not sure why people keep suggesting paint, since that is what I had done originally. When you spill something on painted surfaces, it doesn't necessarily come off (especially if it's paint you're dropping). A poly-ed surface is more wipe-able, and despite the possibility of this not holding up for 20 years, it is still more durable than paint and better looking than carpet.

I DO recommend trying stain for anyone who thinks this looks like linoleum.

For anyone interested, this is what Dark Walnut Minwax looks like on the paper
http://www.lovelycraftyhome.com/2011/03/09/a-sneak-peek/

how innovative! Very creative idea for a staircase . I'm sure after a couples coats of polyurethane the seal would make it last longer.

And of course, painting the Maroon walls, it looks much cleaner.

I hate Before & Afters when the "Before" is basically cluttered with remodeling equipment and crap like animals and food bowls, this wouldn't have looked that awful if the before wouldn't have been dirty. I think it would have been just fine to just paint the walls a lighter color and leave the stairs the way they are. Does seem like a LOT of work.

@ ricestein: I couldn't find a leg extender to fit my extension ladder. I discovered that a concrete block, turned on its side, was (almost) the exact height of a stair, and it provided more than enough "grip" to keep my ladder from sliding. I'm only 5' tall, but the block enabled me to rip off wallpaper, clean the stairwell walls, prime, and paint. I didn't like being 15' above the landing, but it wasn't really difficult.

I just came across this blog post looking for a technique to apply brown paper. What I found here was a bunch of folks concentrating on the before picture, rather than the after. It's clear to me that Rachael was demonstrating a technique, not asking for anyones opinion of her basement stairs as they previously were or what she could have done instead. I love it Rachael, good job. I will be trying it soon!