Stair progress report number 4

I know that you all wait with bated breath on the progress of the stairs. So here's the latest.

Now, don't laugh. Promise me. Seriously.

Okay. You can laugh. I know you are going to anyway...

I watch Bob Villa. You know, 'This Old House'. Come on. I know you do too. One of my favorite episodes is when he went to "help" (cause you know he doesn't do anything) at a barn that someone was turning into a house. That's my dream. To turn a barn into a house. Can you picture it? Go here and take a look at one. Tom thinks it will stink. Not, stink be bad. But stink. Smelly stink. I told him he could sleep outside.

 

(That would be my pool. In my barn. With a fireplace, of course.) Photo courtesy of This Old House.

Okay, off track. Where was I....dreaming....right. So I watch Bob Villa. And I was watching him install a pine plank floor in a house in New England. It was gorgeous and I'm pretty sure I am going to put pine planks in every room in my house. Don't start on me about it being noisy and rough. He gave tips and hints to help that. He's Bob Villa. Come on!

This all started because I wanted to put pine planks on my landing. (Prior to watching Bob.) But, everyone thought what you do.  Don't deny it. I know in your head you are saying, "Oh Kirsty, don't make that mistake. It will creak and crack and be bumpy. " But I don't care. In fact, I talked to a carpenter at HD the other day and he told me NOT to do it. BUT, Bob Villa did it. So I thought we could too.

Bob, okay the dude Bob was talking to, put roofing felt down on the sub-floor then the pine planks. Roofing felt is pretty inexpensive, however, it comes in a gigantic roll. HUGE. All I needed was a tiny piece. So far. So, there is a house being built in our neighborhood and I went dumpster diving for a tiny little piece. No such luck. BUT, then I went back when there were workers there. You will never guess what happened. The painters were there and I knocked ever so sweetly and put on my pitiful help a poor mom out face, and one of the painters said, "I've got a roll in my truck. I don't need it. You can have the whole thing. Lucky for you I don't clean out my truck." How totally fantastic is that? Free roll of roofing felt. All I have to do is give him my next born child.

Hint: If you need a tiny little bit of something go and see if a house that is in the process of being built has any scraps. Of course it is always important to ask. Don't just steal it. 'Cause that would be wrong. Especially with Lent starting tomorrow.

That's a long way of saying, the landing isn't done. But, the risers are and they look fantastic. If I do say so myself.

 

This is the same paint I used on the laundry room, the kitchen, and the second bathroom cabinets. I used the very last bit of it. 

I taped everything because I'm not the neatest painter, and Tom said, "They better look nicer than the kitchen floor." Apparently I got sloppy. Whatev.

 

Oh, right. We built a Hot Wheels track on our steps. Had to work around that. Keepin' it real folks.

 

I slid a piece of paper between the riser and the wall. Easier than taping!

 

  

Isn't it pretty!

Oh. I practiced one step. It's a process that I'll be sure to tell you about in update number 5. But, I think it looks awesome.

 

You only get a peek..