Plastered staircase

Molvik

We have a bannisters on our staircase we don't particularly like (too ornate and stylised for our taste). And I've had the - possibly ridiculous - idea of plastering over them to create something like this (our stairs being exactly the same layout as this image):



Having almost no knowledge in this area, I wonder if anyone has any experience of creating something like this. Would it be possible to use the existing banister as a platform, and plaster over them (obviously with additional preparation)? Or is that a totally ridiculous suggestion? I'm also not entirely sure who would do this work. Is it just a plasterer? Or would other trades need to be involved too? Would any building regulations likely come into it?

Any advice appreciated that might help me in conversations with local tradespeople to get this realised (or to move onto new ideas!)

Thanks.

MikeJXE

What does your existing banister look like ?

flashg67

I imagine overboarding with ply could create a suitable base,, so maybe a joiner & plasterer needed

Molvik

Thanks for the responses - this is the banisters in question (don't know why I didn't include before, curse of posting with a toddler in tow). Made of wood, very solid. 

MikeJXE

Yes you could cover that with strong ply glued and screwed but be aware you might get cracks in the joints however solid the bannister is. 

FreeBear

Use something like hardboard. Make it easy for the next owner to remove without causing huge amounts of damage.

ashe

The photo looks great but I can envisage it looking awful after a few weeks of people running hands down it!

ThisIsWeird

The style in that photo does work, in that setting at least. I think what makes it, tho', is the curved sweep at the bottom and stair-turns - would you be able to replicate that? 

It's also surprisingly slim and organic in its appearance and finish - the top edge looks soft with rounded edges, and I think that makes a huge contribution to the overall effect.

Can you do this to yours? Only to a degree; your bannister may have to be a bit thicker (without extra work), certainly will not - can not - have these sweeping corners without major work, and to obtain the overall 'soft' feel will, I fear, be very difficult.

It looks like one of things I've occasionally tried to tackle in previous houses; find a pic of a cracking idea, replicate it - to my mind - with decent accuracy, but it just doesn't 'work' in reality, (or my setting). Can't blame you for wanting it, though your existing 'case is very decent. There was a thread on here recently about someone exploring bold colours on theirs. Again, the Google/Pinterest/etc-found examples looked great.

Norman_Castle

To change from yours to the wanted bannister would need a new staircase. The position of the newel posts on your staircase cannot accomodate what you want. Boarding the sides will also block the natural light and line of sight which I suspect will make your stairwell appear smaller.

You could possibly change the spindles to plain and clad the newel posts

Molvik

Hi all, this is so helpful. Thank you for the considered responses. Some useful stuff to chew on. 

Martin_the_Unjust

If you compare your picture with the picture of what you are proposing what stands out is how much less light you have in yours. 

I suspect that whatever you do you will not get the look you want without improving the natural light, more or larger windows may be impractical/too expensive but you might consider some mirrors to reflect back what light there is and brighten up your stairwell.

Blocking in the banister will make it darker and duller looking.