So my stairs are finally done. It’s been quite a saga which you can read all about here, here, here and here.
Again it was quite a big and messy job tearing and prying off the old step kit and then filling all the dents and dings, sanding everything down to get a smooth finish and caulking all the gaps.
I was under a little bit of stress during this project because I wanted everything done while Wille was away for a few days and finished by the time he got home since he’s the one that actually uses the upstairs and needs access via the stairs to his room and the bathroom.
Stressing is not a good thing. 1. I spilled half a can of paint onto the stairs. Luckily I could just sweep the paint further down so it got used up that way. 2. As I was sweeping halfway down I heard Mini’s bell UPSTAIRS! I thought she was outside! Picture me on the tips of my toes catching Mini on the landing JUST before she was about to come down. Phew!
Anyway, here’s the finished product. SO happy I can finally tick this project off.
And here’s a before for good measure. You can check out a post about the stained handrails here and if you haven’t had enough of stairs there are also posts on the basement stairs here, here and here and on the entry hall stairs here and here.
Absolutely delightful! You never cease to inspire us, Benita! I hope that you have had ample time to rest as well as having done all of that work during your time off from work. Or is going to work your time of rest? ;-)
Posted by: Peggy | July 17, 2013 at 02:10 AM
great job, Benita! The house really looks even better with that beautiful staircase..
Posted by: claudia | July 17, 2013 at 02:12 AM
Wow! All the work was worth it. It look so fresh and modern. It looks like a custom new home. Well done! I wish I could have seen you get Mini done from the landing. It would of made a good video!
Posted by: Jill | July 17, 2013 at 02:17 AM
GREAT job ! so crisp and modern and nice !
Posted by: Ariane | July 17, 2013 at 02:23 AM
Well done you! Yikes, I was on the edge of my seat reading about your beloved cat upstairs - glad it all turned out well. It turned out Beautifully, actually :-)
Posted by: Susan | July 17, 2013 at 02:35 AM
Wow, what an amazing look! Love it!
Posted by: Amycapdet/May | July 17, 2013 at 03:47 AM
So much light compared to the the old stair colours!
Posted by: Libris | July 17, 2013 at 04:18 AM
Peggy - I have had time to rest and do other things than work on the house too this summer :).
Posted by: Carlos | July 17, 2013 at 04:32 AM
It's stunning Benita ! I really love the contrast of the before/after shots. The beautiful handrail is ideally displayed on all that white. Lots of work put into it, but such great result ... Bravo !
Posted by: Emma | July 17, 2013 at 04:37 AM
Ooh it turned out SO great! I love it :)
Posted by: Andrea | July 17, 2013 at 05:17 AM
Nice and hard work!
I am still enjoying all your posts, it gives me ideas!
Bravo.
Lili from Provence, France
Posted by: lili | July 17, 2013 at 06:07 AM
Well done Benita!
Posted by: the spectator | July 17, 2013 at 06:52 AM
You've done it again, Miracle Girl...!
Posted by: Sara | July 17, 2013 at 08:33 AM
Oh, the stairs look just perfect, Benita. What a pain-in-the-neck project but what awesome results.
I chuckled at the part about little mischievous Miss Mini. :)
Posted by: devil | July 17, 2013 at 08:34 AM
Looks fantastic! I'm in the middle of this project at my house and can.not.wait to be done with it!! I know it will be worth it.
Posted by: Kim {plumberry pie} | July 17, 2013 at 09:03 AM
They look so beautiful! If it makes you feel better, I was painting my daughter's room a few weeks ago, and stepped off a chair directly into the paint can. Of course my foot didn't fit, so I spilled paint all over the drop cloth sheet. Luckily we managed to pour most of the paint back in the can, and very little got on the carpet (and it didn't show...whew!...just had to scrub out the rough feeling).
Posted by: Kristin | July 17, 2013 at 09:05 AM
I LOVE IT! Looks AMAZING! Any thoughts of hanging art as you're going up the stairs or will it remain a blank canvas which it still looks pretty awesome in my eyes?
Posted by: Sandy (USA) | July 17, 2013 at 09:46 AM
Sandy - I have thought about it and might try something there if I find the right piece. I do also like it bare though and am a little worried that it will feel more closed in with something hanging there.
Posted by: Carlos | July 17, 2013 at 11:22 AM
I love it! So fresh and bright. Do you know if the maintenance is difficult? Or do you just repaint the treads every now and then, when they get too scuffed (I've always wondered that about painted floors - if they clean up pretty easily....)
Posted by: Andrea | July 17, 2013 at 11:28 AM
Kristin - It does make me feel slightly better, haha!
Andrea - We don't wear shoes indoors so in our case it's just a matter of weekly vacuums and mopping. I also occasionally run a damp rag along the stairs on my way down if Mini and Bonus have had dirty paws or have shed a lot. I haven't had to touch up any of the paint on the stairs I painted earlier yet but I think I'll just use an artists brush and fill in any small marks when they happen. I do count on having to repaint the steps in a few years time but that'll be a quick job since there's probably very little prep work needed other than de-glossing and possibly a light sanding by hand.
Posted by: Carlos | July 17, 2013 at 11:37 AM
I love how the warm wood colour of the handrail balances so nicely with the white. In the before picture the handrail didn't seem like much, but now you can really see the beauty of the wood. Great job!
Posted by: Louise | July 17, 2013 at 11:59 AM
The stairs look amazing, I wish I had stairs so i could copy ha!
Posted by: annabel | July 17, 2013 at 12:23 PM
So beautiful and so you! Like Louise, I'm in love with the handrail now. You can really see what a lovely piece of woodwork you have against the crisp white.
Posted by: Maura | July 17, 2013 at 12:28 PM
Looks gorgeous! And the before and after is just the best. wow. Did you add a window to the entry hall? or is it just not visible in the old shot?
Posted by: Dana in CT | July 17, 2013 at 02:36 PM
Wow! What a transformation! :) I love how the handrail looks so organic like a branch floating in the clouds. <3 Glad that Mini didn't get paint on her!
Posted by: MyDearDarling | July 17, 2013 at 02:54 PM
Dana - I didn't add it, it's just not visible in the before.
Posted by: Carlos | July 17, 2013 at 02:58 PM
Good job! Again...
(Benita, look at this "white post" that I loved. I don't know who's the blogger, but it's so nice!
http://zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com.br/2012/06/interior-white.html
(my home is "gray and white...a lot of white"..)
Posted by: Tuca | July 18, 2013 at 12:47 AM
Wow, great job again. I originally liked the wooden feel of the stairs but now when I see them all white I love how bright and light the whole area feels.
Posted by: Leena | July 18, 2013 at 04:13 AM
Botiful!
Posted by: Anne | July 18, 2013 at 06:25 AM
" 2. As I was sweeping halfway down I heard Mini’s bell UPSTAIRS! "
Ha,ha, great! Had some similar drama with my cat.
Great job done!
Posted by: jja | July 18, 2013 at 09:25 AM
Great job!! I wish my husband would let me do the same at home. He loves the wood, and I hate it. I prefer everything white. For the time being, I haven't won. :(
Posted by: Romy | July 18, 2013 at 10:41 AM
Hooray!! Congratulations on finishing this project--it certainly was a beast! Beautiful results!! Thank you for posting for us to share in your triumph!
Posted by: Lisa | July 18, 2013 at 12:08 PM
Stunning! Are you afraid of the stairs blacking over time? Seems to be the only drawback of a crisp white.
Posted by: MJ @ One-Parade.com | July 18, 2013 at 04:04 PM
MJ - Not sure what you mean by blacking but if you mean that the wood "color" will seep through the white paint I actually forgot to mention that I added a protective coat to prevent that.
Posted by: Carlos | July 18, 2013 at 08:03 PM
lovely & bright
here in Portugal is a bit hard to keep the stairs as clean and bright ... there is always a lot of dust in the streets and there are those who do not have the habit of taking his shoes and pants slippers at home ...
good job :)
http://homesalehome.blogspot.pt
Posted by: sara | July 19, 2013 at 08:22 AM
Oooh, så blankt och skinande! (säkert lika skinande som solen hos er) Man blir ju sugen på att måla sina fördömdade plastmattor som är sådär "härligt" obestämt grå (ungefär som himlen här JÄMT).
Posted by: Fröken Fräken | July 19, 2013 at 12:57 PM
Hi Lenita! It really looks great! May I ask what type of paint etc you used? My stairs are also painted white and the other day I acidentally spilled out a whole cup of coffee on it! Whiped it right off but there are still yellow stains from the coffee that just wont come off! So, need to repaint the steps I guess :-(
Posted by: Åse | July 19, 2013 at 03:12 PM
Åse - I used Alcro Studio.
Posted by: Carlos | July 19, 2013 at 03:44 PM
Benita, I think the fitting finish of your long stairs story is this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NubH5BDOaD8 :-)
Have a great weekend.
Posted by: Zosia | July 19, 2013 at 05:22 PM
Zosia - Perfect! :)
Posted by: Carlos | July 19, 2013 at 05:34 PM
I've followed your stair adventures from the beginning and admire your perseverance. The result is light and lovely--those delightful rails seem to float!
Posted by: Amy | July 20, 2013 at 06:00 PM
This is for swedish readers since the product only can be found here.
Tackar så mycket Benita för att du fått in mig på att samla matförpackningar för förvaring och sortering. Kom på en ny sak idag som är perfekt. Rydbergs sallader finns i flera storlekar, klar plast med pappersetiketter och lock. http://www.rydbergs.se/produkter.asp?cId=1&c2Id=1&pageID=18
Tyvärr äter vi inte sådant i mitt hushåll men ska se om pappa har lust att smaska rödbetssallad om inte annat. Blev lätt irriterad i butiken över att jag inte kan försvara inköp av x antal askar på stubben.
Ferrero gör f ö också en större ask som heter Fererro Collection. http://www.ferrero.se/ferrerocollection
Jag min galning åkte direkt till Gbg:s största godisbutik 4-gott där de kostade 49 kr istället för 129 kr. Kom hem med fyra askar... Bjudit på en del Ferrero-choklad kan man säga.
Allt gott!
Posted by: Ingrid | July 21, 2013 at 06:18 PM
Vilket jobb! Bra gjort!!!
Finns du med på Instagram? Isf. under vilket namn?
Posted by: Malin | July 21, 2013 at 07:29 PM
Ingrid - Bra jobbat :)
Malin - Jag instagrammar inte.
Posted by: Carlos | July 22, 2013 at 01:38 AM
How many coats of paint did it take, Benita? I just painted my basement stairs white and I think I'm going to need a third coat. They were in the same shape as your entry stairs. I ended up leaving the linoleum on the risers because it was covering a host of sins and painted very well. I just filled and filled - love that stuff!
Your stairwell looks fantastic!
Posted by: Cussot | July 23, 2013 at 10:18 AM
First I did two coats. Then I realized that I needed a blocker because the wood stained through the paint so I did two coats of blocker and another two coats of paint over because the blocker was kind of yellow and I missed a few spots because i was painting at night in bad light...
Posted by: Carlos | July 23, 2013 at 10:30 AM
Klippet DagsLivs vid Fridhemsplan säljer de stora Ferrero-askarna för 39 kr just nu. Kanske andra Coop gör det också? Var på besök i veckan och fick stålsätta mig för att inte släpa med mig fler hem till Gbg, 10 kr billigare än jag hittat dem för här liksom!
Posted by: Ingrid | July 26, 2013 at 08:45 AM
This looks great! It makes everything look so open. I love the dramatic contrast between the before and after!
Posted by: Jackie B | July 27, 2013 at 12:37 AM