Dueling DIY Stairwell Progress

*You are at the second post of the DIY Dueling Stairways- Get caught up here: 1/3/4/5/6

So, Saturday night I had a date with my palm sander.  Yeah, it was awesome.  Don’t worry, I used protection:

It went better than expected and  left me with a different kind of afterglow…in the form of sawdust, of course

It’s hard to see here, but that sweater isn’t normally muti-colored.  I was covered.  But the four treads that were once the ony ones finished, until I got unruly with the Waterlox this summer while working on the counter top, now were back to their natural state.

Then they got some stain:

Now they are all set to get the finish on, which will take three days for three coats of Original Waterlox, then we are ready to start putting all twelve in place.

Besides my exciting Saturday night, I got some of the other things on my list done too.

All 24 triangles got the texture sanded off of them (different day, different sander, sowing my power tool oats, y’know?) I used my cordless Craftsman Multi-tool with the triangular sanding attachment.  It worked perfectly getting in those tight spots along the tread and risers.  I will patch some areas with wood filler, then give a good coat of white semi-gloss BEFORE putting the new pieces in.

I got the big hole patched where the plaster was busted near the handrail.  Here is a reminder from a photo last week:

It will get a final coat of mud when the wall does.  I have decided to smooth out the texture by skim coating over it.  I thought about covering the walls with plank boards or a torn brown paper technique that looks like leather walls when finished, but in the end, I will be happier just smoothing everything out.

When done I will be adding some DIY wainscoting, like I did in the hallway in 2010.  You know, I think I would add trim and wainscoting everywhere if I could.  It adds so much interest to a space.

I also….. wait for it, redid the risers!!!  Last week I shared that the risers are already painted white and just need cleaned up from lying around in the garage.  But when I went to bring them in the house I stood there looking at them and got this overwhelming feeling that they were the wrong color.  In seconds I was envisioning glossy black treads.

How did I get there?  My stairs come down into the kitchen that is under renovation.  My new countertop is Ikea butcher block stained in India Ink then coated in Original Waterlox.  I also have white cabinets and in this picture you can see, I have wood blinds.  I will also be bringing in other rustic wood elements to the space.

I began loving the idea of bringing the black, white (in the form of wainscoting) and wood to the stairwell.

I did a quick search on the internet for some visual support before I created more work for myself, and though there were only a handful of images that came up, this one confirmed my decision and got me painting:

Source

White risers are still nice and clean and still a popular choice, but I think I am going to love the drama that the black will bring to my stairs.

So:

I painted them with Glidden Trim and Door Blackest Black Extra High Gloss gel paint.  Before painting, I quickly cleaned and sanded with 60 grit to knock down some of the gloss from the white paint.  I have to pat myself on the back for the original paint job.  Even with the sanding, that paint was staying put.  No scuff marks at all.  So, maybe priming would have been the way to go, but, well, I just didn’t want to.  I went with the rule of thumb that higher gloss can cover less gloss and, oil can go over latex but not the other way around.  So I hedged my bets and put two coats on.  Since it is oil paint they need a good long bit to dry and cure, so I got them set where they can harden up for several days before we are ready to put them in.

So the stairs still actually look like this:

But at least there has been some progress on things that needed to be done before things can start looking better.

Here’s what is left to do:

1. Finish and replace treads and risers

2. refinish handrail

3. scrap and paint textured molding

4. fix holes and do something to the walls

5. Finish subfloor at landing

6. change out the light fixture

7. fix the molding situation around bedroom door.

Tomorrow I am going to start the skim coating and redo the handrail while also swiping the treads with their first coats of finish.

Don’t forget to check on the other duelers progress:

Sarah@ the ugly duckling house
Micha @ little old house 
Christine @ Little House on the Corner 
Ann @ Our Homemade Home
Sandra @ The House Of Bing
Kit @ DIY Diva 

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~ by Perfect Prospect on February 4, 2013.