If you’re looking to paint your banisters, you might be wondering what the best paint for the job is. After all, banisters are naturally one of the most touched surfaces within the home which means you’ll want to find a delicate balance between style and durability.
Our product experts have put together a guide to help you find the best paint to have your banisters looking sharp and perhaps more importantly, protected in no time.
If you don’t want to read the full guide, here’s a quick look at the paints we recommend to customers:
- Johnstone’s Trade Aqua Guard – Best overall
- Caparol PU Satin – Beautiful satinwood option
- Scuff-X – For something that will last
- WRX Satinwood – A good budget option
- Zinsser Allcoat – For something that is versatile
Bannister Paint Comparison
| Paint | Sheen Level | Base | Coverage (L/m²) | Recoat Time | Fully Cured Time | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnstone’s Aqua Guard | Medium | Water-based | 12 | 4 hrs | 24 hrs | 4.7 |
| PU Satin | Medium | Water-based | 12 | 6 hrs | 48 hrs | 4.6 |
| Scuff-X | Medium | Water-based | 10 | 1 hr | 2 weeks | 4.6 |
| WRX Satinwood | Medium/High | Water-based | 14 | 6 hrs | 24 hours | 4.5 |
| Zinsser Allcoat Exterior Satin | Medium | Water-based | 12 | 1 hr | 7 days | 4.4 |
Best Banister Paints
Johnstone’s Aqua Guard – My number 1 recommendation
As head of products at The Decorator’s Depot, 9 times out of 10 I would recommend customers go for Johnstone’s Aqua Guard if they’re looking for bannister paint.
For me, it’s got everything you need. A professional finish? Check. Easy to apply? Check. Excellent durability? Check. Competitively priced? Check.
Perhaps my favourite quality of this paint, especially when it comes to painting bannisters, is it’s spot-on consistency. I say this because when painting bannisters, it’s hugely important that you’re using a paint that doesn’t run. I’ve tested other paints such as Scuff-X recently and I did see a few runs that, if missed, would look unsightly.
I also want to briefly touch on the opacity. Painting bannisters is a laborious job, especially if you have lots of spindles to paint so the fact that Aqua Guard is (in most cases) a 2 coat job is definitely a huge plus.
The good:
✅ It flows nicely straight from the tin
✅ 2 coats is usually sufficient
✅ It’s relatively cheap compared to similar standard paints such as Scuff-X
✅ It doesn’t run and doesn’t need to be thinned down
✅ Has fantastic adhesion. I’ve even used it on ceramic tiles in the past.
The bad:
❌ I can’t think of anything!
Caparol PU Satin
Before I start – it should be noted that without Caparol’s Haftprimer, Caparol’s PU Satin isn’t anywhere near as good as it can be. But if you do use the Haftprimer, you’ll have a bannister paint that might just give you the best finish possible.
So now you know the secret sauce to getting a quality finish – here’s another quick tip to achieve the smoothest possible bannisters with this paint: mix the Haftprimer and PU Satin 50/50 for the first coat and you’ll have smooth bannisters that are rock solid.
Now you know what you can achieve when using this paint, it’s worth noting some drawbacks. First of all, the opacity leaves something to be desired. Without the primer, you’re looking at a 3 coat job minimum (though black tends to cover in 2).
The drying times can be problematic, too. With a recoat time of 10-12 hours it’s going to take at least 2 days to complete the job, perhaps more depending on how well the paint performs in terms of opacity.
The good:
✅ Leaves a stunning finish that’s smooth to the touch
✅ Is so durable that we recommend other uses such as on kitchen cabinets
The bad:
❌ Recoat time means it will take at least 2 days to paint your bannisters
❌ You won’t get the high quality finish without using the Haftprimer first
Scuff-X
Scuff-X is one of the most expensive paints on the market but if your bannister paint has been subjected to scuffs and scratches – you might want to consider forking out for this stuff.
As per its patent, Scuff-X contains a wax which aids in repelling scuffs and scratches which means it very rarely chips or flakes even without an undercoat. However, the downside to this is that the wax can coincide with reduced durability under heavy handling as it interacts with hand oils and fats.
One major positive of Benjamin Moore’s Scuff-X in connection to painting bannisters is its speedy drying time of around 1 – 2 hours. This is more than ideal if you’re painting a bannister with a load of spindles as theoretically, by time you’ve finished the last spindle, you can start re-coating the first.
For the most part, Scuff-X’s colours look fantastic but you should be aware that its whites are kind of misleading. For example, you might think that ‘Super White’ is, well, super white. But it tends to give off a grey hue once fully dried. If you are looking for that crisp, bright white look, Chantilly Lace is probably what you should go for but it’s worth getting a colour sample just to make sure.
What we like:
✅ Its very quick drying time
✅ It’s self-levelling properties means even an amateur could achieve a nice looking finish
✅ It barely has an odour which makes it pleasant to apply
What could be better:
❌ It’s very expensive and perhaps doesn’t offer value for money in the same way that Aqua Guard does
WRX Satinwood
WRX Trade Satinwood is one of my favourite budget paints to use on bannisters or any other wooden surfaces for that matter.
Costing about £10 per litre, you’re looking at a paint that has trade-standard quality at retail paint standard price.
Don’t let the seemingly low price put you off though. Whilst it isn’t as good as Aqua Guard or Scuff-X, it’s still brilliant to use. It adheres really well to old oil-based finishes, it’s a proper “brilliant white”, it’s tough as old boots and you can lash it on.
Now onto the drawbacks. We have had some decorators suggest that it has a tendency to leave brush marks (I’ve not experienced this myself when using it) which might be less-than-ideal for painting spindles. It also crazes when painting over caulk so if your bannisters have any caulk applied to them, you will need to spot prime first before painting to mitigate this.
What we like:
✅ Offers amazing value for money
✅ Sprays and rolls to a perfect finish
✅ Very robust – some might say tough as old boots
What could be better:
❌ Tendency to craze when applied over caulk
❌ Could leave brush marks if using a cheap brush
Zinsser Allcoat
Zinsser Allcoat is a favourite of many decorators and has the benefit of being able to go straight on both wooden and metal bannisters due to its all-purpose nature.
Like Scuff-X, it’s very straightforward to apply and is also very quick to dry which is highly advantageous, especially if you have lots of spindles to paint and want to get the work done within a day.
Having said that, due to its fast-drying nature, Allcoat can become tacky if not worked quickly. This typically leads to a finish that’s a little bit rough to the touch which is obviously something something to avoid on a surface that is literally made to be touched.
Basically, if you’re an amateur painter, you’ll probably want to avoid Allcoat.
In terms of colours, the white doesn’t have the best opacity in the world and in some instances might take 3+ coats to achieve a full bodied finish. However, the darker colours are brilliant and almost always cover in 2.
Zinsser Allcoat offers plenty of practical advantages as a bannister paint but if opacity and smoothness of finish are your main concerns, it might be best avoided.
What we like:
✅ Dries extremely quickly
✅ Can be used on any surface
What could be better:
❌ It’s difficult to achieve a very smooth surface unless you’re a professional
Hopefully this has given you all of the information you need to make an informed choice but if you want to get in touch with our product experts regarding something specific, you are more than welcome to reach out to our customer service team via admin@thedecoratorsdepot.com and we’ll be happy to help.
Here at The Decorator’s Depot we have a wide variety of paints available for sale and even offer FREE next day delivery on any orders over £100.