Seriously, Plan F on the Stairs!

For a space that doesn't have any furniture or someplace we hang out, this stairway is sure getting lots of attention.

Here is where we left off:

And our latest idea was to not scrape and sand the steps and just cover them with plywood like we did the kitchen floor and then paint them and they would be terrific.

And so we got started on plan 6. Or F.

And then we discovered a little tiny super annoying problem:

We could not use just straight cut wood for the steps. There is a little notch on the front side edges on both sides of each one. 

Not sure why we didn't consider that when we thought up this genius plan. Except that maybe we were just too happy to have a plan that might actually work out.

Hero gave a valiant attempt to measure and hand cut a sample step to see  how challenging this new development would be. And it was a big pain in the neck. It's not like he can just make a template, cut them all the same and then install. Each one would have to be measured, then he would have to go out to the garage to cut, and then back down to fit them in place. And if it fight perfectly (highly unlikely) he could go on to the next one. 

Like I said, big pain in the neck.

Hero suggested we just take out the old boards and replace them.

Hahahaha!

And then we came back to reality.

After one step, Hero got out the plastic to seal off the area. 

He was ready to give it the old college try to scrape and sand the wood.

Ugh.

Here is a common scenario in our house with things like this:

I try to do something, say scrape ick and goo off the basements steps, and it takes FOREVER to make any progress. at. all.

Hero comes along, throws the scraper around and one step is done in like two minutes. Seriously.

So between the two of us, we got all eleven steps scraped and sanded. Good thing Hero had me to do a few of them.

Heavy duty sanding and scraping action.

Since no project is complete without at least one trip to the store, Hero ended up at Harbor Freight for more sandpaper. Not that he was sad about going to one of his favorite stores.

Now this is more like it! 

I just love that Hero cleans up.

Back to my specialty - Painting!

We decided on two colors with a runner down the center.

I painted the outside color first. Then taped off for the second color.

Painting stairs is a serious exercise in patience. It's not like you can just paint the whole stairway and be done. This kind of project really makes me twitchy.

Here is a trick I learned online with painting stripes on a painted surface. After taping, paint a quick layer of the very same color the new color is next to. That way, if there is any seeping under the tape, it is the same color and there should be very little touch-up. 

After that dries paint the new color. I had to do three coats of paint. One half at a time.

Patience.

And then the tape comes off. There is not anything much more satisfying than pulling the tape off and having an awesome perfect line.

Patience rewarded.

And painting the other side a few days later.

Ta-da!

There are a few little spots to touch up - No biggie. And there are a few spots that need a little caulk and then I need to paint the white trim along the stairs.

And then add something fun.