Small area, slow work
A stairwell looks like a small job: a few walls, a ceiling and a railing. In practice it's one of the slowest areas in a house to paint. The walls are tall, the floor is a set of steps, and the household needs to keep using it. This guide sets out what moves the price of that work. It quotes no figures; a painter who has seen your stairs is the only one who can price them.
Lewiston and Androscoggin County
The U.S. Census Bureau counted 37,121 people in Lewiston in the April 1, 2020 census. The Maine Secretary of State lists Androscoggin County as incorporated in 1854, with its county seat at Auburn, and names Auburn and Lewiston as the county's cities. Those are the official records for the city; NOAA publishes no engineering weather file for Lewiston, so this page gives no weather figures. A stairwell is indoor work, and the job is set by the house, not the weather.
Height over steps
The main cost driver is reaching the tall wall above the stairs. A painter can't stand a stepladder on a stair tread. Instead the crew sets up:
- an adjustable ladder with legs of different lengths;
- a plank running from a step to a ladder or to the landing;
- a small platform built for stairwells.
Setting up, moving and taking down that equipment each day is time you pay for. Ask how they'll reach the high wall and how they'll protect the treads under the ladder feet.
Ceilings and light fixtures
The stairwell ceiling is often the highest in the house. Cobwebs, old water marks and smoke stains are common, and stains need a stain-blocking primer. A pendant light may need to be lowered or worked around. Ask whether the ceiling and any fixture work are in the price.
Wear and patching
Stairwells and hallways take bumps from furniture moves, laundry baskets and shoulders. Expect dents, scuffs and dings along the walls at hand height, plus cracks at the corners where walls meet. Each needs filling, sanding and spot-priming before paint. The more patching, the higher the price. A tougher, more washable finish costs a little more in product but holds up better here; the sheen guide explains the choices.
Railings, balusters and newel posts
Painted balusters are slow: each one is brushed on every face, and there can be dozens. Handrails that people hold every day need a hard finish and time to cure before heavy use. If the rail is stained wood and the balusters are painted, the crew must keep the two finishes apart. Ask how the railing is counted and priced.
Keeping the stairs usable
You still need to get up and down. Painters often do one side of the stairs at a time, or work around a path down the middle, and wet rails and treads need warning signs or tape. That can add a day. Ask how they'll keep a safe path and how long the rail must be left alone.
Upstairs hallway doors and trim
Hallways have many doors per foot of wall: bedrooms, bathroom, linen closet. Each door and frame adds to the price, and both sides may be included or not. Ask whether doors are painted on the hallway side only.
Older paint
If the house was built before 1978, sanding old paint on rails, trim and walls can disturb lead. The EPA explains the federal rule for paid work that disturbs paint. Lead-safe containment in a stairwell, where dust drifts down, takes extra time.
A written contract
For home construction and improvement projects over the value the Maine Attorney General gives in the card below, Maine law requires a written contract with specific provisions. Whatever the size of your job, get the walls, ceiling, railing, doors, coats and products in writing.
See interior painting and the pricing guide for more.