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Sidenote Saturday: One Step At A Time

by | Mar 26, 2016 | DIY, Sidenote Saturday | 1 comment

One step at a time is all about………

Re-doing my staircase! How creative is that title!

Earlier this week I met with a plumber about helping me put my staircase back together after I rip it apart for my biggest attempt yet to DIY something.

Yep, you read that right. Steve is a plumber by trade and also a very talented  handyman with everything else.  He is also our friends Dad and Grandpa to our little buddy Logan. This is his wife Pam and their granddaughter Addie.  (Since this picture their family has added 3 more grandbabies. They are so blessed.)

Steve bought me 16 pine treads to replace the particle board that is under the carpet. I choose pine because I want the steps to be a little “not perfect”.  I want them to seem that they were original with the house. Our house is almost 10 years old, so not perfect will be….well, perfect. The pine boards were about $10 a piece as opposed to the $30 oak boards. Saving from the get go.

From here on, this is all me. So I made a list. I like making lists. They keep me on task and help me feel that I am accomplishing things.

  1. Put a thin coat of pre-stain on the pine boards with a foam brush. This will help them stain more evenly.
  2. Lightly sand each board with a 180 grit sandpaper in the direction of the grain.
  3. Apply a good amount of stain in sections to each board top side and about 4 inches in on the bottom side. The bottom of the tread overlap will be visible when standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up. Wipe of each section of stain remembering that the longer it sits, the darker it will be.
  4. After  letting the stained tread thoroughly dry, add a water-based top coat of polycrylic/polyurethane.
  5. While waiting for the stain to dry, remove the carpet, pad, all nails, carpet tack and staples.
  6. Paint the back of the step (riser) and add a top coat of poly.
  7. Set an appointment with Steve to replace the treads.
  8. Take after photos. 🙂

Looks pretty straight forward and simple on paper. I’ll keep you posted on all of the drama. 🙂

Have a Happy Easter weekend!

Wendy