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.

My beeyoootiful new bedroom light

As promised, this project deserved it's own post. One of the few things I didn't love about the master bedroom is the light. It was ok, kind of generic, white base with alabaster glass. It didn't put out enough light for the room, though, so right off the bat I knew I wanted something a little fancier and something that cast more light.


Having taken the time to make the ceiling fancy with the molding and two colors of paint, I knew I wanted something that would feel upscale but not too formal. I love the crystal chandelier trend, but didn't want something that looked overly girly. The wall colors are Natural Linen and Simple Silhouette, a pale beige and deep gray-brown. Very neutral colors which can lend themselves to either shabby chic or modern decorating styles. Since I am more eclectic, I wanted something that was romantic but not too frou frou. I waffled over light fixtures for some time, thinking first to use this one from Lowes:

When I saw it in person, however, it just wasn't right. It was more bronze than pewter and was quite small. I liked the less formal shape, but it just wasn't putting off enough light and wouldn't look right in our 14'x14' room. So then I started looking at other, more traditional chandeliers. When I saw this one on Overstock.com I knew it was the one:

It was a little more than I was hoping to spend at $206, but it was everything I wanted- with 6 lights, real glass, and softened by the big drum shade which happens to be a current trend that I like, as well as a trendvery suitable for a bedroom. 


The light arrived on Monday so we decided to call it an easy night and just install the light. Most of the crystals were assembled so we figured about an hour, no sweat. HA!


Now, I want to say that my husband is no slouch when it comes to installing things like this. He installed every light fixture in the house and swapped out ancient fixtures in both our first house and our current one. This was not his first light-show-rodeo. And yet it took us 3 1/2 hours to install this bugger. 


Within about half an hour we had the old light down and this one ready to install. Except that as soon as we saw the small little cap for covering the ceiling hole we knew it wasn't going to cover our standard sized box. Enter the emergency trip to Home Depot to try to find something that would work.

This pic shows our solution. See the brushed pewter cap that has the fluted edges? That is what was supplied with the light. The larger circle is a brushed nickle ceiling fan cover that we found at Home Depot for under $6. It came with it's own bracket and mounting hardware, which we tried to use. It didn't work. Then we went to plan C which was to combine the two. This worked, but it required some careful consideration on how it was all going to be threaded and put together. 


The problem, I think, is that the manufacturer originally designed this to be a portable lamp. The cord had a warning tag on it for the consumer which indicated it had a polarized plug (one prong larger than the other)- as if they expected you to plug it into a wall socket. There was no prong, however. I think they tossed this cap in as an afterthought. Or maybe electrical light boxes are smaller in China than our standard? Who knows. What I want you to picture is two fairly intelligent people puzzling this whole thing together while the one with the bum shoulder tries to hold it over her head for an hour. 

(that would be me)

The light came with a long chain, but the fixture itself is so long that we only used one link. I absolutely adore how it looks in this room and I think that between this room and the laundry closet, I'm starting to feel a sense of ownership in this space. 


This, of course, is a double edged sword. The more ME I inject into this home, the less it seems that mom remains. The emotional toll is it's own post entirely, but I'm trying to think less about that so I don't have plans to elaborate about it on here any time soon. 

My lovely light from a few angles- lit up at night:

How it looks during the day:

Now my question to you is, what kind of bed?

Iron? Wood? White wood? Black? 

Give me your thoughts by posting in the comments, please!

Staircase part 2- prepping for greatness

The initial demolition was rather satisfying. The next stage was a little tedious. What we are intending to achieve is a more open and light look and feel to this area. Since the staircase is the first thing you see when you walk in, we want it to be more of a focal point. When we built the house, we were struggling with the budget after the contractor forgot a little thing called TRUSSES. If you've ever built a house you know that is not something you just forget. That error put a $10,000 crimp on our budget and to reclaim the difference we sacrificed compromised on a lot of the finishing details, including the staircase. 


I've looked at a zillion images of staircases and think that the best fit for the architecture of this house will be a wood banister with white rails. I want to carpet the stairs because I feel it is safer than wood and most of the flooring in the house will be hard surface. It will be a way to bring in a softer surface on a lower traffic area. 


We had the option of following the angle of the staircase or notching the base at the level of each stair. We chose the latter, because we like the look and have a good idea how we want to trim it out. Installing the rails will likely be easier too. Building and reinforcing the base was not exactly complicated, but did require a fair amount of patience and many trips back and forth to cut 2x4's.

Once that was done, it was time to put the drywall back up.

See that ladder? This is where it goes:

Part of the compromise I mentioned earlier was that we did all the drywall ourselves in an effort to bring the budget back. Our savings in labor costs manifested in several areas where the seams were less than desirable. This was one- of course the highest, most difficult to reach spot in the entire house.


Once the mud was dry, it was time to paint. We started with the ceiling. One thing I wanted to change is the ceiling fan at the top of the stairs. It is too large for the space and it seems a little dated to me. I suggested we remove it now so that it would be easier to paint. Bye fan!

Together, we painted primer over the entire upper stair area. This was a little tricky and required some clever maneuvering of the ladder. And a broom handle.

The walls are all white now, the ceiling has been painted white semigloss. Next is painting the walls and installing a new fan, both of which need to be purchased. The lower hall needs a little more mudding attention and to be painted as well. Then we'll get to start on the really fun stuff- adding the woodwork and trimming the staircase out.

Staircase part 1- deconstruction

Remember this? The view from the top of the stairs? The blue that promotes feelings of intense rage within me? It is gone.

So is the half wall that ran up the side of the staircase.

Before- looking up stairs from front door.

Before- looking down hall toward laundry closet.

The tool of choice.

Any last words, nasty blue wall?

The Sawz-All slices through like butter. 

Note- there was no power run to these walls. 

Don't try this unless your wall is also "unplugged."

No wall up here. Cool.

Lower wall, now it is your turn. We can take it slow or just rip the bandaid off quickly. Your choice.

Ha, ha, that was fun!

Hey dude! Think you can throw me a cold one? 

It sure is exhausting watching you work. 

Whew!

Master Bedroom

Oh, do I have so so so much to say. But I think for today I'm going to let the pictures do the talking and save my commentary for a time when I have more than 15 minutes before Sons of Anarchy is on. 


Here is the evolution of the master bedroom - so far-

Gray walls, white trim, broken white mini blinds hanging in the windows, carpet ripped out already, big drywall mess on the floor from bumping the laundry closet back into this room.

Back of the laundry closet before the new drywall was added. I know, exciting, huh?

Taping off the ceiling. We're gonna get tricky...

Walls painted Simple Silhouette, ceiling painted Natural Linen and Contemplation, all Behr. Other walls also painted Natural Linen. 

Who needs child labor laws?

  

Adding crown molding. Until one bad cut required another trip to Lowe's. 30 minutes away. Sh*!

What it looks like at this moment. New light fixture- oh, that is an entire blog entry filled with colorful language. But isn't it pretty? l.o.v.e.

Love and hate

Today I spent my day working on the hall of doors. 

From this angle, you can see 4 of the 6 doors in this hall. 
All of them need to be painted. 3 coats on each side of the door, plus door frames. That would be a total of 36 coats of white semi-gloss paint on these doors. I think. If my math skills are a little fuzzy it is because I've been in white semi-gloss hell all day and everything is a shiny white blur.

This is taken from the opposite direction in the spare bathroom's doorway. The pantry door is to the right, which you can't see here. Straight out in front on the right are (closest to farthest) basement, linen closet, spare bedroom/studio. On the left is the master bedroom. You can just see the edge of the dryer there on the left. Know what that means? After all these doors are painted and the new flooring is installed, we'll put up the bifold doors that go on the laundry closet and I'll have more doors to paint. 


Oh, joy.


I've come to both love and loathe white semi-gloss. Nothing freshens up a room more than having a new coat of white paint on the trim. It screams clean and neat, even if everything else in the room does not. But the actual painting of white semi-gloss? Oh lord help me. 


b...o...r...i...n...g...  


My mind is screaming for color and fun and- 
and I still have 21 coats to go.
Not counting the laundry doors. 


Blech.


btw- that blue is not staying. I can't wait to cover the blue. It bugs me in a way I really can't even explain, nearly inciting me to violence. I know, it seems like such a tranquil color. But I despise it and soon it will be erased by either something linen or sand or whatever fancy name for beige. Which is really sad. I mean, what does it say about my current state when beige is something exciting???