Staircase part 4- puzzling it together

Finally! Time to start building something pretty!

We decided we wanted to have each step treated individually instead of a long angled run. That might only make sense if you've been looking at stairs- trust me, I've been looking at a LOT of stairs. Most of the staircase drew inspiration from my friend Kris' home in Texas. I love her house and she probably thought I was nuts taking pictures of trim and flooring and stairs on my last visit. But hey, I am not above copying a look that I like (more on how I copied Kris later).

Each stair required a notched board that would cover the 2x4's. We chose MDF for this because it is smooth, priced right, and takes paint well. After cutting each of the boards, my husband routed the edges to give it a more polished appearance. Then I got the pieces over on the paint bench for 3 coats of semi-gloss. They will get a final coat or two once everything is installed to cover nails and and caulking we need to do, but having them painted first will make finishing them much easier.

This is a better shot of the edges. As you can tell, this was before I painted them.

After I'd painted the wall to match the upper walls in the stairway (Glidden's Mature Spanish Chestnut), Scott nailed the boards into place. Then he cut and routed the pieces that cover the verticle sections of the staircase, and those got the semigloss spa treatment.

Of course, to finish this off, each step requires a decorative trim as well. Yes, that power miter box is getting quite the workout with this project.

Isn't it pretty? Of course, the nail holes need to be filled and the final painting done, but the stairs are basically ready for the balusters, newel posts, and hand rail.

Oh, and the front door has not been painted. I know it is almost the same color of the stairs, but actually the door was that color from the factory 9 years ago. I had planned to paint it a dark peacock blue, but now I'm not sure, maybe it should match the stairs. Input? What do you think- play it safe and serene with the beige or liven it up with peacock blue?

Do NOT

Maybe it wasn't the best idea to put a coat of primer on the hall while drinking sangria.

I stepped right off the stool and into the paint tray.
No sangria was spilled.

Actually, other than feeling like a shmuck, it all worked out fine. I rolled the paint off the floor onto the wall and the rest cleaned up good enough since this flooring is being replaced. True story though- I had an incredible urge to spread the paint into a giant circle and paint a smiley face on it. Or maybe a jolly roger.

See? Even my shoe came clean.
I got skillz. Yo.

Staircase part 3- standing on a prayer

The holidays pretty much took over and I forgot where I left off. I think the last time I posted about the staircase, we'd just finished putting primer on. The primer was pretty easy to slap on with a broom handle screwed onto the end of the paint roller so we could reach. putting the paint on required a little more finesse, and a precarious bit of homespun scaffolding.

Scott happens to be very tall, which comes in handy during times like this.

Folks, don't attempt this at home. The ceiling is all of 14' tall over the stairs, so he was pretty limited with the ladder. He needed a surface to walk on to be able to do a nice job painting with a smooth finish and no drips. MacGyver that he is, he rummaged up a plank out in the garage.

One look and I said there is no way in hell you are standing on that and painting. It had a foot-long split in the wood at the end he'd be standing on. No, no, and NO.

Another rummage session in the garage and he came back with a couple boards to reinforce it around the crack. I was dubious. It was one of the times (and I confessed there have indeed been a handful) where I have pulled out my cell phone, dialed 91- to speed up the process of contacting emergency services when it all goes horribly wrong. What I probably should have is AFV on speed dial and the camera rolling. Fortunately, none of these exploits has ever ended in catastrophe.

To make my long rambling a little shorter, he managed to paint the area without a hitch. It was slow going, him passing the roller down to me to fill and then stretch to pass back up as he inched across the wall. But in the end, the entire area was covered in Glidden's Mature Spanish Chestnut. On the sample, this is a warm beige. On our walls, it is a little lighter and looks a little yellow. But it was a bear and a half to do and I don't hate it so it will stay until I can pay someone to do it in a few years.