Tampilkan postingan dengan label Painting. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label Painting. Tampilkan semua postingan
Jumat, 04 Januari 2013
Kamis, 03 Januari 2013
New at Made By Girl
Hey everyone! Why not start off the New year wearing pretty jewelry? Just arriving to my shop, super cute rope bracelets with gold lettering! The rope bracelets come in 4 different colors with either "love", "faith", or "dream" in gold! These are great layered together or stacked with other bracelets!
You can find the rope bracelets here, and how cute are those lips? The Kiss Bracelet is another favorite on MadeByGirl!
-images by jen ramos
love, faith & dream
You can find the rope bracelets here, and how cute are those lips? The Kiss Bracelet is another favorite on MadeByGirl!
Also, if you're like me, I always start the new year with a new journal. Get your own Cocoa & Hearts Notebooks which are available in 4 different colors!
-images by jen ramos
Jumat, 21 Desember 2012
Preston's Bedroom Update: A DIY Chalkboard Calendar
Although many of the plans for Preston's room have evolved and changed along the way, the one thing we knew for sure was that we wanted to bring in a large calendar.
Preston is growing and all of the sudden he has this thing called "a life". Practices, school activities, sleepovers and study nights. Sometimes it is hard for both of us to keep up with it!
I keep a family schedule in a central location, and it's the first place Preston goes to look every night after school, or else it is just a daily, "Mom, what are we doing tonight?".
The hope is that by giving Preston his own calendar, I can write in family obligations and his practice schedules and then he can write in his due dates, tests and plans with his friends.
Preston and I both really liked this version from PBteen, but I didn't love the $70 price tag for a large piece of vinyl...
So, we did what we do best, we made our own version.
I started out with a piece of MDF we had leftover from previous projects, along with a few pieces of oak wood strips found at Home Depot.
Following the directions on the cans, I gave the wood strips a couple coats of stain and the MDF board a few coats of the chalkboard paint. {Those iphone photos were accidentally deleted, boo.}
Once everything was cured and dry, it was time to create the calendar grid.
It helped by drawing a small quick version of the calendar on a nearby scrap piece of paper, along with measurements, so that once we started drawing on the chalkboard with a ruler and pencil, we were confident about our markings.
For the lines themselves, I found a white Sharpie paint pen on Amazon. The pen would help me paint the perfect lines on the chalkboard {I have since seen a similar pen at Michaels}.
By painting the lines with a paint pen, the calendar can be updated month after month and then wiped away without the lines going away with the schedule.
Next step was to attach the trim pieces to the outside of the calendar with our brad nailer. It was important to draw the grid prior to adding the trim boarder, so that the yard stick could lay flat.
To hang the calendar, we attached picture hanging loops and wire to the back {using a kit similar to this one}. Oh, and we quickly primed the calendar with a piece of chalk too. Isn't the finished product a beautiful piece of work!?!
Once the calendar was on the wall, I thought it would be fun to bring in a few of the colors from the room by adding vinyl lettering for the days of the week.
Then I got to work with the chalk and chalk pen to add a bunch of special dates and reminders to the calendar. That way, I could surprise Preston with the finished product before he arrived home from school.
So much fun!
I wiped the board down a few times {I like to use a damp microfiber sponge to erase}, and it always washes up nice and clean and the lines stay nice and crisp!
Not only do I adore the functionality of it, but I also love the addition it made to the room! It was a great way to begin filling the big empty wall.
We thought about adding a chalk holder {an upside-down cup drawer pull}, however, for now, the chalk just rests on the ledge...
To say that we all love it is an understatement! And the best part of course is that Preston is enjoying it and can draw and add his own items as well.
Now, only time will tell if this keeps him more organized throughout the school year with all of his obligations and social life... I think that it is fun enough that he will want to keep up with it.
Since we already had the MDF, chalk paint and stain on hand, the only cost to us was the trim so we came in far below the inspiration budget. And it's not just vinyl! Love.
What high end item have you been inspired by, that you DIY'd and saved some major moolah?
Want to see more updates we have made to this tween boy bedroom? We painted the dresser, the nightstand, some stripes on his curtains and DIYd a pendant light.
Preston is growing and all of the sudden he has this thing called "a life". Practices, school activities, sleepovers and study nights. Sometimes it is hard for both of us to keep up with it!
I keep a family schedule in a central location, and it's the first place Preston goes to look every night after school, or else it is just a daily, "Mom, what are we doing tonight?".
The hope is that by giving Preston his own calendar, I can write in family obligations and his practice schedules and then he can write in his due dates, tests and plans with his friends.
Preston and I both really liked this version from PBteen, but I didn't love the $70 price tag for a large piece of vinyl...
I started out with a piece of MDF we had leftover from previous projects, along with a few pieces of oak wood strips found at Home Depot.
Following the directions on the cans, I gave the wood strips a couple coats of stain and the MDF board a few coats of the chalkboard paint. {Those iphone photos were accidentally deleted, boo.}
Once everything was cured and dry, it was time to create the calendar grid.
It helped by drawing a small quick version of the calendar on a nearby scrap piece of paper, along with measurements, so that once we started drawing on the chalkboard with a ruler and pencil, we were confident about our markings.
For the lines themselves, I found a white Sharpie paint pen on Amazon. The pen would help me paint the perfect lines on the chalkboard {I have since seen a similar pen at Michaels}.
By painting the lines with a paint pen, the calendar can be updated month after month and then wiped away without the lines going away with the schedule.
Next step was to attach the trim pieces to the outside of the calendar with our brad nailer. It was important to draw the grid prior to adding the trim boarder, so that the yard stick could lay flat.
To hang the calendar, we attached picture hanging loops and wire to the back {using a kit similar to this one}. Oh, and we quickly primed the calendar with a piece of chalk too. Isn't the finished product a beautiful piece of work!?!
Once the calendar was on the wall, I thought it would be fun to bring in a few of the colors from the room by adding vinyl lettering for the days of the week.
Then I got to work with the chalk and chalk pen to add a bunch of special dates and reminders to the calendar. That way, I could surprise Preston with the finished product before he arrived home from school.
So much fun!
I wiped the board down a few times {I like to use a damp microfiber sponge to erase}, and it always washes up nice and clean and the lines stay nice and crisp!
Not only do I adore the functionality of it, but I also love the addition it made to the room! It was a great way to begin filling the big empty wall.
We thought about adding a chalk holder {an upside-down cup drawer pull}, however, for now, the chalk just rests on the ledge...
To say that we all love it is an understatement! And the best part of course is that Preston is enjoying it and can draw and add his own items as well.
Now, only time will tell if this keeps him more organized throughout the school year with all of his obligations and social life... I think that it is fun enough that he will want to keep up with it.
Since we already had the MDF, chalk paint and stain on hand, the only cost to us was the trim so we came in far below the inspiration budget. And it's not just vinyl! Love.
What high end item have you been inspired by, that you DIY'd and saved some major moolah?
Selasa, 18 Desember 2012
Preston's Bedroom Update: Seeing Orange Stripes
I am back again with another update on the progress we are making in Preston's bedroom. This one really made a major impact to the space, and completely changed our initial plan for the room.
That's right, we had a plan. And we started slowly implementing said plan and painted the dresser, the nightstand and the pendant light.
So far, so good. All easy peasy paint projects with a neutral blue and gray color palette. But, the room needed color. Fun, kid friendly, bright color. And we went back and forth on a variety of options. Originally, we thought red. It was the color of many of his sports uniforms and looks great with blue. In fact, we went that route in the boy's shared bedroom right next door, so I knew I loved the look. However, when paired with the plaid gray bedding, it started to feel too country rustic, which can be super amazing, it just didn't fit the plan for the room or Preston's lifestyle. So, I asked him, which is the logical thing to do right? I put paint swatches and spray paint can covers in his room and asked him to pick his favorite. He went with orange. I wanted green. We weren't seeing eye to eye, but it was his bedroom and when I found the perfect blue, teal gray, gray, white and orange pillow on Joss & Main, I knew he was right and we now had a new bedroom color scheme!
I started out by painting the bronze lamp next to his bedside with some leftover wall paint {Behr's Frozen Pond}...
But the real reason I wanted color was to do something with the curtains. The side of the room with the window was looking quite blah, and it is the first thing you see when walking in the space. We had hung floor to ceiling cream curtains in there a year or two ago, but it stopped there. We didn't even take the time to hem them, so they were puddled on the floor. It was time to do something about it!
I thought about all sorts of options and was about to order some patterned navy fabric, when I decided that it was such a waste when the curtains he had were functioning perfectly, and basically a blank canvas to play with.
So, being the blog hopper I am, I instantly thought about all of those pretty painted stripe curtains and knew instantly that was the route that I had to go.
Sure, I could have done a different pattern or stencil, but with the chevron, plaid and herringbone additions already, stripes were not only a new pattern for the space, but a simple one! Hurrah! And all it would cost is the price of a quart of flat paint, mixed to the perfect shade of orange.
The oranges shown on the pillow are fun, but a little on the bright side. I thought that toning it down a smidge and going with a more rusty orange would be a smart move on the curtains. So, I selected Behr's Tibetan Orange.
Painting the curtains was quite simple and impactful. Here are the supplies I used:
We {the hubs and I}, spread the curtain panel out over the top of some drop cloths and measured 6 inches down the curtains in four sections to ensure nice, straight lines.
Then, we taped and rolled!
I found that the paint covered quite well, and didn't even leak through the panels. I also found that the curtains sucked up that paint like a sponge, and to be patient as I rolled nice even sections.
The paint went on a bit shiny when wet yet dried in a nice matte sheen. I left the tape on the panel until I hung it so that I could grab a brush and do some touch ups as the light would shine through the panel and show any missed areas. Then, the tape came off and the lines were amazing!
The orange won in so many ways. Preston was all, "I told ya so!" and I was all proud that he made such a good color choice and stood his ground.
The color works great with the globe and a few of his desk accessories.
Here is a close up look of the paint on fabric beauty:
Not too bad eh? I love that it was such a small investment of paint to make a huge dramatic difference in the space! The power of paint is really showing through in this bedroom update!
And the painted lamp looks great too!
Some extra things to note: I did use a textile medium which I mixed with the paint for the curtains, however, I have read that textile medium only works with acrylic paints vs. latex paint. The paint adhered very well, yet the curtains are a bit stiff in the painted areas, so I am unsure if the fabric medium did in fact work. The stiffness works in the favor of the curtains because it allows you to mold your folds in the panels for a nice even look on both sides. Also, we washed the curtains prior and hemmed them after with a no sew heat & bond hem tape.
So there you have it! Another stripe success story for window treatments. Absolutely a no fail option when looking for a quick, easy and inexpensive way to update your room!
Who else has hopped on the stripe curtain bandwagon? Are you enjoying the ride as much as we are? Have you ever been super impressed with the decorating choices made by your kiddo?
That's right, we had a plan. And we started slowly implementing said plan and painted the dresser, the nightstand and the pendant light.
So far, so good. All easy peasy paint projects with a neutral blue and gray color palette. But, the room needed color. Fun, kid friendly, bright color. And we went back and forth on a variety of options. Originally, we thought red. It was the color of many of his sports uniforms and looks great with blue. In fact, we went that route in the boy's shared bedroom right next door, so I knew I loved the look. However, when paired with the plaid gray bedding, it started to feel too country rustic, which can be super amazing, it just didn't fit the plan for the room or Preston's lifestyle. So, I asked him, which is the logical thing to do right? I put paint swatches and spray paint can covers in his room and asked him to pick his favorite. He went with orange. I wanted green. We weren't seeing eye to eye, but it was his bedroom and when I found the perfect blue, teal gray, gray, white and orange pillow on Joss & Main, I knew he was right and we now had a new bedroom color scheme!
I started out by painting the bronze lamp next to his bedside with some leftover wall paint {Behr's Frozen Pond}...
But the real reason I wanted color was to do something with the curtains. The side of the room with the window was looking quite blah, and it is the first thing you see when walking in the space. We had hung floor to ceiling cream curtains in there a year or two ago, but it stopped there. We didn't even take the time to hem them, so they were puddled on the floor. It was time to do something about it!
I thought about all sorts of options and was about to order some patterned navy fabric, when I decided that it was such a waste when the curtains he had were functioning perfectly, and basically a blank canvas to play with.
So, being the blog hopper I am, I instantly thought about all of those pretty painted stripe curtains and knew instantly that was the route that I had to go.
Sure, I could have done a different pattern or stencil, but with the chevron, plaid and herringbone additions already, stripes were not only a new pattern for the space, but a simple one! Hurrah! And all it would cost is the price of a quart of flat paint, mixed to the perfect shade of orange.
The oranges shown on the pillow are fun, but a little on the bright side. I thought that toning it down a smidge and going with a more rusty orange would be a smart move on the curtains. So, I selected Behr's Tibetan Orange.
Painting the curtains was quite simple and impactful. Here are the supplies I used:
- Large drop cloth
- 1 quart of tinted paint
- Foam roller and tray
- Painters tape
- Tape measure
We {the hubs and I}, spread the curtain panel out over the top of some drop cloths and measured 6 inches down the curtains in four sections to ensure nice, straight lines.
Then, we taped and rolled!
I found that the paint covered quite well, and didn't even leak through the panels. I also found that the curtains sucked up that paint like a sponge, and to be patient as I rolled nice even sections.
The paint went on a bit shiny when wet yet dried in a nice matte sheen. I left the tape on the panel until I hung it so that I could grab a brush and do some touch ups as the light would shine through the panel and show any missed areas. Then, the tape came off and the lines were amazing!
The orange won in so many ways. Preston was all, "I told ya so!" and I was all proud that he made such a good color choice and stood his ground.
The color works great with the globe and a few of his desk accessories.
Here is a close up look of the paint on fabric beauty:
Not too bad eh? I love that it was such a small investment of paint to make a huge dramatic difference in the space! The power of paint is really showing through in this bedroom update!
And the painted lamp looks great too!
Some extra things to note: I did use a textile medium which I mixed with the paint for the curtains, however, I have read that textile medium only works with acrylic paints vs. latex paint. The paint adhered very well, yet the curtains are a bit stiff in the painted areas, so I am unsure if the fabric medium did in fact work. The stiffness works in the favor of the curtains because it allows you to mold your folds in the panels for a nice even look on both sides. Also, we washed the curtains prior and hemmed them after with a no sew heat & bond hem tape.
So there you have it! Another stripe success story for window treatments. Absolutely a no fail option when looking for a quick, easy and inexpensive way to update your room!
Who else has hopped on the stripe curtain bandwagon? Are you enjoying the ride as much as we are? Have you ever been super impressed with the decorating choices made by your kiddo?
Senin, 03 Desember 2012
Gettin' Jiggy with a Jar
We do all sorts of organizing projects around here. Expensive ones, cheapo ones, free ones.... they come in all shapes and sizes. But what is fairly common, is that I can't leave well enough alone and I am always trying to tweak things to make them a little more pretty.
This project was a freebie for me since I had everything on hand! Love that right?! And it wasn't necessarily organizing, it was more just giving a storage item a little face lift. Since my plastic surgeon was on vacation, I called in my spray paint stash instead...
I started out with a simple, glass spaghetti jar, which I believe was an IKEA find a few years ago. We have had it forever, and I can't begin to tell you how many times I have tried to stick it into the pantry since I have never really loved how it looked. But it is too tall for our pantry, so on the counter it sits.
Did you know you could spray paint glass? You probably did. Since I live under a rock most days, I just learned this more recently so I am going through a glass spray painting frenzy.
And a stripe painting frenzy as well.
I started out with thin painters tape, and taped off my first line. Then, I used more tape to act as equal spacers and continued to tape all the way up the jar.
Then, I gave the jar two coats of pretty blue spray paint.
And pulled the tape to reveal a more unique and pretty jar!
I sort of love it! And it got me looking at all my jars with that scheming devilish eye....
Now, if any spray paint leaks under your tape, the good thing is a razor easily scrapes it off for a clean look. The bad news, is that it also shows how easily the rest of the paint can chip as well. So, I added a quick clear coat over the top of the stripes {using a spray similar to this}.
The goal was to make the spaghetti jar more attractive, and maybe even distract the eye from the dated counters and cabinets.... did it work?
No? Ha! Guess that means we need to get going with a kitchen reno, I will tell the Mr.
Anyway, I love that glass can be painted and that we can do free projects like this to give a splash of color to storage! Happy day!
What storage have you been giving life to with a little bit of paint?
This project was a freebie for me since I had everything on hand! Love that right?! And it wasn't necessarily organizing, it was more just giving a storage item a little face lift. Since my plastic surgeon was on vacation, I called in my spray paint stash instead...
I started out with a simple, glass spaghetti jar, which I believe was an IKEA find a few years ago. We have had it forever, and I can't begin to tell you how many times I have tried to stick it into the pantry since I have never really loved how it looked. But it is too tall for our pantry, so on the counter it sits.
Did you know you could spray paint glass? You probably did. Since I live under a rock most days, I just learned this more recently so I am going through a glass spray painting frenzy.
And a stripe painting frenzy as well.
I started out with thin painters tape, and taped off my first line. Then, I used more tape to act as equal spacers and continued to tape all the way up the jar.
Then, I gave the jar two coats of pretty blue spray paint.
And pulled the tape to reveal a more unique and pretty jar!
I sort of love it! And it got me looking at all my jars with that scheming devilish eye....
Now, if any spray paint leaks under your tape, the good thing is a razor easily scrapes it off for a clean look. The bad news, is that it also shows how easily the rest of the paint can chip as well. So, I added a quick clear coat over the top of the stripes {using a spray similar to this}.
The goal was to make the spaghetti jar more attractive, and maybe even distract the eye from the dated counters and cabinets.... did it work?
No? Ha! Guess that means we need to get going with a kitchen reno, I will tell the Mr.
Anyway, I love that glass can be painted and that we can do free projects like this to give a splash of color to storage! Happy day!
What storage have you been giving life to with a little bit of paint?
Jumat, 09 November 2012
Secret Stairs: No Longer a Secret!
Forgive me in advance. This is one of those super long, photo intensive posts. And I mean giant. I decided that I could either drag things out into four more posts or just get one good one out there, so here it is!
Our stairs are so close to completion! And I am excited that I no longer have to hide their unfinished hideousness! Wait. I don't think my excitement came across well enough. I AM OVER THE MOON IN LOOOOOOVE WITH OUR STAIRS! I can't stress enough that the stair project is one of my favorite projects that we have done to date on our home. They are the first thing you see when you enter our house, so having them finished {minus a hand rail}, is such a relief.
As a reminder, here is where we started:
And here is where we left off, new pretty white paneling!
The next step in the process was to finally add some treads and risers! Eeek! My favorite part!
But it definitely didn't happen over night! So much was involved!
Since our original stairs were just construction stairs with carpet over the top, we decided that if we wanted the oooh la la pretty stairs, we would have to put in new risers and treads. Considering our DIY skill level, that meant picking up stair kits from Home Depot {vs. trying to create our own}.
They came in an unfinished oak, which meant that we would be responsible for finishing them ourselves.
While searching for the kits, we also realized that we purchased our lower level flooring from Home Depot as well, and went over to the flooring department to grab a sample for color comparison purposes.
Once we had the stain and supplies purchased...
We went to a family member's workshop to lay out all of the treads and risers on saw horses.
We put three coats of white glossy paint on the riser panels with a foam roller...
And three coats of Minwax Walnut stain on the treads, applied with foam brushes...
Once the stairs were to a shade that we liked {we had our sample floor piece placed near the stairs until we achieved the desired wood tone}, they received four coats of Minwax Polyurethane {we applied the stain and poly per the directions on the cans}.
The stairs and treads sat for a few days to cure prior to the day of installation!
Speaking of the day of installation! It was a doozy! But we did it in just one day!
The treads were too long for the width of the staircase, so they had to be cut down to size. Our walls were not perfectly even, so each stair tread cut was custom to the wall {which is why we didn't cut them down to size prior to staining and polying}.
To cut the finished treads, we started out by measuring our cut line and marking it with the green tape....
Next, we measured a second time to draw a straight cut line onto the green tape...
And also added a second piece of painters tape to protect our tread from the circular saw that would be cutting off the excess tread.
Not only did the painters tape protect the top of the tread from the saw, it also reduced splintering and cracking of the finish.
When measuring, we accounted for the fact that we would have to do some minor sanding to custom fit each board and to give the edge a nice and smooth finish.
The risers were cut down in the same fashion.
To install the treads and risers, we used a construction grade adhesive, along with a brad nailer.
And once each step was placed, my Mr. used his weight to set it.
Looking pretty sharp!
We followed this process all the way to the tippy top!
Things were looking pretty spiffy at this point! And after caulking all of the nail holes and giving the risers a final coat of white paint to clean it all up, I was ready to call it good!
But I couldn't. The upper half of the walls were just not working for me. They were painted in Behr's Navajo White about 6-7 years ago when we painted our kitchen cabinets. It was color matched to some tile and although it was a great face lift from the original dated oak cabinets back in the day, I have been feeling like it doesn't reflect our more current and colorful style. The color reads very yellow beige and I have been slowly working gray undertones throughout our home. So looking up and down the stairs at the yellowy walls didn't do all of the hard work we had just done any justice.
Knowing that within the next year, the entire kitchen and living room will hopefully be renovated and opened up into one large space, I have been searching for the perfect paint color to use to unify our entire main level.
I was going for something neutral. Something light. Something with a hint of gray but not gray. And I even reached out for help from you all via instagram....
I had a few of the suggestions mixed and painted onto the wall and found that I was still coming up short. Everything was too light, too dark, too white, too blue... and then one day I spotted it. Glidden's Smooth Stone won the gold medal!
Although it isn't the perfect mix with the existing green in the living room, it will be the perfect color for our living room/kitchen/dining combo space down the line, so onto the walls it went! And it works great with the color at the bottom of the stairs, making it feel intentional and seamless!
At the top of the stairs we added a couple of hooks behind the door {since we have no entry closet}, which are intended to be a place for our guests to keep their coats and bags while they visit.
I found them at World Market and they are simply spectacular!
Ready to see how the stairs turned out after all of the staining, polying, painting, installing, caulking, painting and even more painting?
Hello lovely stairs!
We LOVE them. Oh yeah, I said that. But we do! Such a fantastic difference from what we lived with for the last two years!
We still have to add a railing of sorts. We are still researching options and styles but I will be sure to let you know as soon as we come up with something awesome. Until then, let's just be in awe of the beautiful transformation of our secret stairs!
Totally worth the wait!
Oh, and I am so taking suggestions on keeping these babies clean. The top step is already dusty again by the time I get to the bottom! Although I am exaggerating, it is feeling like a daily task keeping them nice and purdy so if you have any quick and easy stair cleaning tips, I would love ya forever!
Our stairs are so close to completion! And I am excited that I no longer have to hide their unfinished hideousness! Wait. I don't think my excitement came across well enough. I AM OVER THE MOON IN LOOOOOOVE WITH OUR STAIRS! I can't stress enough that the stair project is one of my favorite projects that we have done to date on our home. They are the first thing you see when you enter our house, so having them finished {minus a hand rail}, is such a relief.
As a reminder, here is where we started:
And here is where we left off, new pretty white paneling!
The next step in the process was to finally add some treads and risers! Eeek! My favorite part!
But it definitely didn't happen over night! So much was involved!
Since our original stairs were just construction stairs with carpet over the top, we decided that if we wanted the oooh la la pretty stairs, we would have to put in new risers and treads. Considering our DIY skill level, that meant picking up stair kits from Home Depot {vs. trying to create our own}.
They came in an unfinished oak, which meant that we would be responsible for finishing them ourselves.
While searching for the kits, we also realized that we purchased our lower level flooring from Home Depot as well, and went over to the flooring department to grab a sample for color comparison purposes.
Once we had the stain and supplies purchased...
We went to a family member's workshop to lay out all of the treads and risers on saw horses.
We put three coats of white glossy paint on the riser panels with a foam roller...
And three coats of Minwax Walnut stain on the treads, applied with foam brushes...
Once the stairs were to a shade that we liked {we had our sample floor piece placed near the stairs until we achieved the desired wood tone}, they received four coats of Minwax Polyurethane {we applied the stain and poly per the directions on the cans}.
The stairs and treads sat for a few days to cure prior to the day of installation!
Speaking of the day of installation! It was a doozy! But we did it in just one day!
The treads were too long for the width of the staircase, so they had to be cut down to size. Our walls were not perfectly even, so each stair tread cut was custom to the wall {which is why we didn't cut them down to size prior to staining and polying}.
To cut the finished treads, we started out by measuring our cut line and marking it with the green tape....
Next, we measured a second time to draw a straight cut line onto the green tape...
And also added a second piece of painters tape to protect our tread from the circular saw that would be cutting off the excess tread.
Not only did the painters tape protect the top of the tread from the saw, it also reduced splintering and cracking of the finish.
When measuring, we accounted for the fact that we would have to do some minor sanding to custom fit each board and to give the edge a nice and smooth finish.
The risers were cut down in the same fashion.
To install the treads and risers, we used a construction grade adhesive, along with a brad nailer.
And once each step was placed, my Mr. used his weight to set it.
Looking pretty sharp!
We followed this process all the way to the tippy top!
Things were looking pretty spiffy at this point! And after caulking all of the nail holes and giving the risers a final coat of white paint to clean it all up, I was ready to call it good!
But I couldn't. The upper half of the walls were just not working for me. They were painted in Behr's Navajo White about 6-7 years ago when we painted our kitchen cabinets. It was color matched to some tile and although it was a great face lift from the original dated oak cabinets back in the day, I have been feeling like it doesn't reflect our more current and colorful style. The color reads very yellow beige and I have been slowly working gray undertones throughout our home. So looking up and down the stairs at the yellowy walls didn't do all of the hard work we had just done any justice.
Knowing that within the next year, the entire kitchen and living room will hopefully be renovated and opened up into one large space, I have been searching for the perfect paint color to use to unify our entire main level.
I was going for something neutral. Something light. Something with a hint of gray but not gray. And I even reached out for help from you all via instagram....
I had a few of the suggestions mixed and painted onto the wall and found that I was still coming up short. Everything was too light, too dark, too white, too blue... and then one day I spotted it. Glidden's Smooth Stone won the gold medal!
Although it isn't the perfect mix with the existing green in the living room, it will be the perfect color for our living room/kitchen/dining combo space down the line, so onto the walls it went! And it works great with the color at the bottom of the stairs, making it feel intentional and seamless!
At the top of the stairs we added a couple of hooks behind the door {since we have no entry closet}, which are intended to be a place for our guests to keep their coats and bags while they visit.
I found them at World Market and they are simply spectacular!
Ready to see how the stairs turned out after all of the staining, polying, painting, installing, caulking, painting and even more painting?
Hello lovely stairs!
We LOVE them. Oh yeah, I said that. But we do! Such a fantastic difference from what we lived with for the last two years!
We still have to add a railing of sorts. We are still researching options and styles but I will be sure to let you know as soon as we come up with something awesome. Until then, let's just be in awe of the beautiful transformation of our secret stairs!
Totally worth the wait!
Oh, and I am so taking suggestions on keeping these babies clean. The top step is already dusty again by the time I get to the bottom! Although I am exaggerating, it is feeling like a daily task keeping them nice and purdy so if you have any quick and easy stair cleaning tips, I would love ya forever!