Stair Staining Debaucle!

Mike and I attempted to stain the stairs this past weekend. In order to get the color we wanted, we used a General Finishes Water-based stain in Ebony, and applied it on the heavy side. (We wanted a dark brown-black.)

We let it dry overnight, and tried to seal it the next day, using a GF water-based High Performance Poly in Satin, but the sealer pulled up some of the stain and left the wood looking streaky and blotchy.

Anyone have any suggestions as to how to leave the stain thick and still seal the staircase without it lifting the stain???

In the Final Stretch...Flooring, etc.

The flooring installers came last week and installed all of my hardwood flooring in less than 24 hours. I have close to 1200 sqft of hardwood in my house, so these guys must have been working up a sweat.

This week (today, actually) they are finishing my carpet installation. :)

Once the carpet is installed upstairs, I can finally start moving furniture around. The first thing I'm going to move upstairs is the bedroom furniture. I CANNOT WAIT to sleep in my own bed again.

Wahoo!!!

Here are some photos of the hardwood. Pardon the dust...since there is still work goin on in the house, it's REALLY difficult to keep these puppies clean.

I would have attached photos of the hall as well, but I don't have any where the hardwood isn't covered by a thick film of dust. Oh well!

Plumbing, or No More Home Depot Potty Breaks!

The plumber came and installed all of my fixtures last week! So now, instead of driving to Home Depot in the middle of the day to use their bathrooms, I can just use my own!

Mike and I installed all the toilet accessories (TP holder, towel bar, hand-towel ring, etc) yesterday, after we finished painting the bathrooms, so now I even have toilet paper! (Napkins are a poor substitute.)

Here are some photos of the master bathroom, in all it's mostly-finished glory! (The only things left to do are to buy mirrors and install the base boards.)


Dig the toilet, bath accessories, and the lovely warm-beige walls! (I wanted a neutral color in the bathrooms, since the slate is so colorful.) The green ring around the floor will eventually be covered with base that matches the window trim.


It is SOOO nice to be able to wash my hands in a sink! (Before I was using the main shutoff valve in the basement...) The faucets throughout the house are Kohler Forte, in brushed nickel. Thank goodness that the contractors had good taste -- these things retail for $200/ea. I didn't have to pay for any of them, because they were already in the house! Wahoo!


The shower, on the other hand, is a completely different story. Pete's half of the building has standard, wall-mounted fixtures, and a wimpy little rain head. I wanted my shower to feel like I was at a spa every day, so I splurged, and bought myself an awesome Kohler Forte shower set that includes a hand shower on an adjustable slide bar, and a 12" dia. rain head. I cannot wait to shower in here!!!!!!

More photos to come...

Stop Stairing!

The magic stair fairy came while I was in TX this week, so when I returned I had an (almost) full set of stairs!! Wahooo!!

Here are before and after pictures...


BEFORE - 2x4's on stringers. Super safe! (Not really though.)


AFTER - Lovely oak treads with painted risers! And a handrail!


From the top, looking down. It's no longer a death trap!

We have to stain the treads, handrail, and post before they can come back and install the spindles. This is the first major finish job that I've hired done (other than the countertops), and it was TOTALLY WORTH IT!