A million years ago… The Staircase Remodel PR 5

written by:Cassity Kmetzsch

Back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth… In March 2010, I decided to redo our stairs.  I had a few goals in mind.  Make the space look custom, and open it up.  As it was, the existing newel posts made the entry sorta feel cramped.  The carpet was getting pretty worn (thanks to my cats taking the corners too fast while chasing each other, there was a 3 inch hole in the carpet)  and since wood floors were the ultimate plan well I decided I needed to investigate.

One day, while Justin was at work (naughty wife) I pulled a corner of the carpet up to see what it looked like under there.   Not so good, no pretty finished stairs that other people seem to luckily find.  No mine were plain old structural pine lumber covered in plaster and paint splatters, with huge unfinished gaps…  But I was still determined!

So I think I talked to my husband about it…  We discussed options and came up with a plan (posted about here).  To refresh your memory here is what the stairs looked like:

 
 
 

Above is my own little furry Vanna (Buddy) White showing you how to pose by the stairs!

 
Here is the plan we drew up and hoped we could make happen.
 
 
Here I am peeking under the carpet… bummer no good… but lets just dive in shall we?

At first I tried scraping the plaster off the stairs.  It worked in some places, but in others it sorta splintered the wood, so I had to stop.

Be ready to remove about a million staples.

You can see one of the holes that the cats had created by speedy-Gonzales-ing it around the corner.  They would catch that spot with their back claws, and literally the hole got bigger everyday… silly beast (a secret thank you from mom for giving me an excuse to rip out the carpet!!! kisses!)

 
As you can see there are a few major problems.  Namely the stairs are covered with plaster, there are huge gaps on the sides and the wood, is just structural lumber, no hidden gems here.  What will we do….
You’ll have to hope that I post about it soon… ( I will get on writing that post)
 
In case you want to follow along, check out these posts too:
post 1: Starting the project!
post 2 : Demo & Rebuilding
post 3: More Rebuilding
post 4 : Filling the gaps
post 5 : Walnut Stain… at last!
post 6 :  Adding the Stair Risers, Finishing the Runners
Post 7 : Custom Built Newel Posts
 
 
Remodelaholic is written by Cassity and Justin.  Cassity has a degree in interior design and Justin is a landscape architect, so we adore everything that makes up a HOME!  We love to share home remodeling ideas and projects we’re working on. From huge kitchen renovation ideas to small bathroom remodels, there isn’t anything we won’t try to tackle (at least once!).  We are in the midst of our third whole home renovation, so there should be a lot more inspiration coming your way.  We hope that you will stop by often for home design inspiration, tutorials, interior design tips, delicious recipes and what is going on in our family life.


Cassity Kmetzsch
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Cassity Kmetzsch started Remodelaholic after graduating from Utah State University with a degree in Interior Design. Remodelaholic is the place to share her love for knocking out walls, and building everything back up again to not only add function but beauty to her home. Together with her husband Justin, they have remodeled 6 homes and are working on a seventh. She is a mother of four amazing girls. Making a house a home is her favorite hobby.

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