One of our first projects is finally complete and we are so thrilled with it! In case you missed it, I shared a lot of the reasons why we renovated our staircase in a post here. In this post, I’m going to share before & after photos, details that make up each aspect of the staircase, the timeline and what I learned from the process.
Before
I’m sure some of you are reading this and thinking of all the character these stairs had. I agree! However, they were very unsafe due to the unleveled treads, loose newel posts and balusters. We knew that in putting in new floors, now was the time to take care of the stairs, the right way. Luckily, our floor master knew stair masters and the project lined up perfectly!
The Details
Just like every other project, I learned a lot of new terms! I already dropped a few above, but this graphic is very helpful in understanding what exactly I mean:
Staircases are very expensive and while it would’ve been really cool to utilize some unique features, we really wanted to be budget conscious. For transparency and idea of what it gets you, this project cost us $11,000+. To mix modern and traditional pieces, we decided to go with:
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Handrail: 6010 Plowed Handrails, White Oak
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Newel Posts: 6 1/4″ Large Box Newel,4 1/2″ Box Newel
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Balusters: Pool Cue 1 1/4″ Primed Balusters
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Treads: Full replacement, White Oak
Utilizing square posts allowed for us to improve the functionality of our space, particularly walking back to the powder room. It is now a straight cut, vs. that bump out that took up a lot of room. The tapered pool cue balusters gave the staircase a bit of traditional personality, and, mixed with the trim, I think it is the perfect update that stands the test of time!
Progress
You can already see the impact of removing the curved post! Also, let these photos serve you a heads up that your floors must be taken care of first. It’s a lot harder to do a clean job (and expensive) and match everything up if it’s not carefully planned by both teams.
Everything was installed in a matter of two days. The team was incredibly talented, clean and considerate! When little things popped up, they were handled properly and promptly.
Next up, paint! We did outsource this to an expert. Painting all of the balusters, the posts and repairing the walls where the old stairs were ripped out was a lot of work that we did not want to mess up.
After
What’s Next?
We’ve got some loose ends, but overall this project is complete! G and I will be:
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Caulking some of the moulding/trim work and painting to fill areas
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Painting the landing/hallway ceiling
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Painting the upstairs doors
From there, we’ll get some new light fixtures for the ceiling and do some scones by the window! I can’t wait to see it evolve. Thanks for being here, and feel free to comment any questions below!