How to Update Iron Stair Spindles and Other Stair Railing Ideas

July 30, 2022 by Ashley Mayes 60 Comments

Cut the scrolls off your old iron stair spindles and transform your stair spindles into fresh black stair railing. By grinding off the scrolls, sanding and painting the railing black, you'll get a more modern handrail look without breaking the bank.

Black railing on stairs — Click to read more on the wood flooring cost to install.

Modernizing Balusters

When we first moved in, to be honest, the out-of-date wrought iron stair rails didn't even compare to some of the worst design offenders in our house. I didn't give the wrought iron staircase much thought at first. As we started updating the house, putting in new front doors, and having the wood flooring installed, etc., the metal stair railing started to stick out like a sore thumb. Well, that and my poor choice of spray painting my entryway chandelier purple (what was I thinking?!). Let me show you!

BEFORE Wrought Iron Staircase

iron stair rails before modern handrail makeover project

When people came over to the house, I got quite a few comments about how they liked the original detailing of the iron stair spindles.

If there was just a small section of the original iron railings in the house, I might have liked them, too. Overall, we have a big circle wrought iron staircase, iron stair rails going upstairs and then another bigger iron handrail that is in our eat-in kitchen (going downstairs to the entryway).

It was just too much, it felt too dated and overwhelming to the eye. Plus, as the other updates were happening, the older staircase railing just felt like the oddball in the space.

I talked to Luke about the idea of trying to update the stair railing without replacing and he was game to try it. We had already reached out locally to see what it would cost to just replace the staircase railing with something simple, like a black metal stair railing.

Because of our custom circle stairs, the price was insanely high. I believe, on the circle staircase alone, the cost was somewhere between $5-7k depending on what type of railing we wanted to put in. I'm sure that cost has sky-rocketed now, because I got that quoted in 2010 in Missouri.

ANYWAYS, I wanted something modern and simple and could see a simple black railing and stair spindles working well. If I squinted at the iron handrail with the scrolls, I felt like it could be modern and simple just without the scrolls.

So, we started with the stair handrail on the back side of the house because, if it didn't go well, that was the easiest one to replace. Spoiler, it went WELL! We ended up doing all the interior stair railings and today are sharing the step-by-step tutorial for making over your stair railing without replacing it!

stair railing ideas including cutting off the iron stair rail scrolls and painting the railing black

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Supplies Needed for Iron Railing Staircase Makeover

Video for How to Modernize Stair Spindles

How To Modernize Iron Stair Spindles By Grinding Off Scrollwork

Step 1: Remove Wrought Iron Staircase

Removing the stair railing was super simple! On each post, which is the piece that screws into the floor, there was an iron post cap at the bottom. We raised that up and, underneath the cap, you could see screws that were screwed into the flooring. To remove the handrail, just unscrew the screws and the post will be free.

Carry the iron railings into the garage or wherever you plan to do this project.

Step 2: Grind Scrolls Off Of Stair Spindles

Look at your iron stair spindles and determine if the connection pieces are thinner on one side. We learned this the hard way and didn't realize at first that we were grinding through a side that was much thicker. If you have thinner connection pieces on one side of the balusters, then you will want to work on grinding that side first.

Grab your grinder, safety glasses, gloves and respirator mask. Start grinding on the thinner side between the bar and the scroll. Go slow! You will grind on both sides of the bar at the top and at the bottom. If you cut into the vertical bar, you can't fix that so you want to take your time and do it right.

In the photo below, the arrows mark the area that we cut through the metal staircase but we cut four times (both sides of the vertical bar at the top and the bottom).

How To Modernize Stair Railings By Getting Rid Of The Scrolls

staircase makeover by cutting of iron balusters

Once Luke got the hang of it, each scroll took about fifteen minutes to get off.

Step 3: Sand Stair Railing To Prep For Paint

If you don't have paint on your iron handrail, then you might not need to do this step. If you look closely below, you will see dark spots in the photograph on the bars where we grinded the scrolls off. Those areas were sharp so they needed a really good sanding.

If you are like us and your wrought iron handrail has been painted, grab the orbital sander and sand.

Step 4: Clean Iron Stair Spindles and Iron Railings

We used an attachment for our drill to clean the stair railing bars. You could use a microfiber cloth if you wanted.

grinding iron stair spindles and buffing

Step 5: Prep for Painting Stair Railing

We had a lot of railings so we had to clear out most of the garage and lay paper down. We also rigged up a ladder and extra wood support (it looks totally wonky in the next picture, but it wasn't) to get the railing set up so that we were able to paint both sides.

changing stair spindles by getting rid of scrolls

Step 6: Paint Stair Spindles To Create A Black Stair Railing That Looks New!

We used Rustoleoum epoxy primer and paint in the cans. It took about twenty-two cans. To be honest, I'm not in love with the finish. It's not completely smooth but it's not necessarily rough either. We used matte black and I got some remarks on Instagram saying that matte black is usually a bit gritty. All in all, I don't hate the finish but it's not as smooth as I would have hoped for.

Step 7: Reinstall The New DIY Stair Railing

Carry in the iron railing and reinstall using the same screws that you unscrewed in the first step.

Black Stair Railing Reveal

When I first decided to try this project, I couldn't find any information about something similar. We flew by the seat of our pants and are so happy that we did. the DIY stair railing turned out great and has been such a good addition to the overall look of our foyer.

modern handrail around circle staircase — Spy the new doors! See the ¾ glass door replacement cost and process.

So, it's been about 10 years now since we first did this project. I thought I'd answer a few questions that I normally get on our "new" modern banister.

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Black Metal Stair Railing DIY Project

How do you paint wrought iron railings?

We used an epoxy primer and paint and the key is definitely to clean your stair spindles really well before painting. Keep in mind that a painted finish is not the exact same as a factory finish but, overall, painting a stair railing is a great option for updating iron railing!

Would you recommend this DIY Stair Railing Makeover?

Yes! This project has definitely stood the test of time at our house and gave us a completely different look for a small budget.

Staircase Makeover Including How To Grind Iron Stair Spindles Off

Cut the scrolls off your old iron stair spindles and transform your stair spindles to a fresh black stair railing. By grinding off the scrolls, sanding and painting the black railing, you’ll get a more modern handrail look without breaking the bank.

Prep Time 1 hour

Active Time 5 hours

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 7 hours

Difficulty Moderate

Materials

Painter’s Paper
Primer – Enamel
Paint – Flat Black Enamel

Tools

Angle Grinder, 4-½-Inch
Cheap Metal Discs
Orbital Sander
Sanding Pads
Drill
Drill Microfiber Cloth
Clamps
Respirator Mask
Safety Glasses
Gloves

Instructions

REMOVE WROUGHT IRON STAIRCASE

Removing the stair railing was super simple! On each post, which is the piece that screws into the floor, there was a iron post cap at the bottom. We raised that up and, underneath the cap, you could see screws that were screwed into the flooring. To remove the handrail, just unscrew the screws and the post will be free.

Carry the iron railings into the garage or wherever you plan to do this project.
GRIND SCROLLS OFF OF STAIR SPINDLES

Look at your iron stair spindles and determine if the connection pieces are thinner on one side. We learned this the hard way and didn’t realize at first that we were grinding through a side that was much thicker. If you have thinner connection pieces on one side of the balusters, then you will want to work on grinding that side first.

Grab your grinder, safety glasses, gloves and respirator mask. Start grinding on the thinner side between the bar and the scroll. Go slow! You will grind on both sides of the bar at the top and at the bottom. If you cut into the vertical bar, you can’t fix that so you want to take your time and do it right.
SAND STAIR RAILING TO PREP FOR PAINT

If you don’t have paint on your iron handrail, then you might not need to do this step. If you look closely below, you will see dark spots in the photograph on the bars where we grinded the scrolls off. Those areas were sharp so they needed a really good sanding.

If you are like us and your wrought iron handrail has been painted, grab the orbital sander and sand.
CLEAN IRON STAIR SPINDLES AND IRON RAILINGS

We used an attachment for our drill to clean the stair railing bars. You could use a microfiber cloth if you wanted.
PREP FOR PAINTING STAIR RAILING

We had a lot of railings so we had to clear out most of the garage and lay paper down. We also rigged up a ladder and extra wood support (it looks totally wonky in the next picture, but it wasn’t) to get the railing set up so that we were able to paint both sides.
PAINT STAIR SPINDLES TO CREATE A BLACK STAIR RAILING THAT LOOKS NEW!

We used Rustoleoum epoxy primer and paint in the cans. It took about twenty-two cans. To be honest, I’m not in love with the finish. It’s not completely smooth but it’s not necessarily rough either. We used matte black and I got some remarks on Instagram saying that matte black is usually a bit gritty. All in all, I don’t hate the finish but it’s not as smooth as I would have hoped for.
REINSTALL THE NEW DIY STAIR RAILING

Carry in the iron railing and reinstall using the same screws that you unscrewed in the first step.

Notes

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR BLACK METAL STAIR RAILING DIY PROJECT

HOW DO YOU PAINT WROUGHT IRON RAILINGS?

We used an epoxy primer and paint and the key is definitely to clean your stair spindles really well before painting. Keep in mind that a painted finish is not the exact same as a factory finish but, overall, painting a stair railing is a great option for updating iron railing!

WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS DIY STAIR RAILING MAKEOVER?

Yes! This project has definitely stood the test of time at our house and gave us a completely different look for a small budget.

black stair railings — Check out the foyer reveal for all the details on this space.

We have quite a few other projects that have been completed close to this staircase makeover including my antler wall, built-in closet bench and double front door replacement. The space has come such a long way and I couldn't be happier.

p.s. Pin with me!

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Modernize Stair Railings by Getting Rid of the Scrolls – Bigger Than the Three of Us – My Blog says:

May 4, 2017 at 9:20 pm

[…] This is sample post How to Modernize Stair Railings by Getting Rid of the scrolls! Hop over to get the full step-by-step tutorial. It’s definitely a project you can do! . Source : Bigger Than the Three of Us […]

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Favorite DIY Projects | ORC Spring 2017 - The Chelsea Project says:

May 24, 2017 at 5:06 pm

[…] When I saw this stair rail update, I was totally blown away. Can you believe the difference? Find all of the how-to details over at Bigger Than the Three of Us. […]

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