As I have been transforming my basement to a more usable space, I wanted the stairwell leading downstairs to give off less creepy vibes. Before, it was all exposed beams, so it was also really dark and hard to see. I was able to renovate the space with new paneling throughout, added a light fixture, and closed the attic space to keep the cold air out! We also trimmed out the bottom to cover the seem where it transitions to the pre-existing paneling. While I didn’t do this project myself (I hired my handyman) I think it’s totally doable if you have a ladder that is able to be used on stairs! I always want to be transparent in what I spend in order to set expectations about cost. This project cost about $600 including the materials and labor. as well as him doing a few other projects for me within this cost, so this could vary depending on if you do it yourself or hire a professional.

While I’m not going to do a full tutorial, since I didn’t actually do this project myself, I’ll give ya’ll some of the basic materials!

Materials

Light Fixture - Wayfair

Paint - Behr Snowy Pine

Plain White Paneling

¾ trim

Before

We removed all the small weird shelves and trim that was over the studs, and then installed white paneling. While the paneling is white, it still needs to be painted. It’s a very glossy sheen, and i wanted it to match the existing paneling below. We also got some basic trim to have the new paneling meet flush with the existing paneling without looking weird.

After

I think finishing the stairwell made a lot of difference! It makes it feel clean and bright and makes going down to the basement less daunting!