Mom-Life {Life as a Working Mom of 3}
October 15, 2018
Kale Salad with Almond Crusted Chicken
December 1, 2018Custom Stairs + Wallpaper {DIY Home Decor}
I have every intention to post about the huge remodel that we did on our home with details of all of the custom and DIY projects, however, I am lagging like crazy on so many posts that I am just lucky to get anything up on here! But, do stay tuned for a couple of consecutive posts that will be all about our new playroom/Poppy’s big girl room, Hudson’s new bedroom, and a couple of other rooms that got a complete facelift. All which have details about the inexpensive and/or DIY projects I did within them.
In the meantime, I wanted to write about one of my favorite parts of our remodel; our custom staircase. We are very fortunate to have my dad, one of the best most innovative contractors, as our contractor for our remodel. Aside from being the smartest man I know, he is so unbelievably talented that I am constantly in awe of him and his work. Our home was a 1-level townhouse up until about 9 months ago when we added a 2nd story on. Yes, we added a 2nd story. We had a huge attic space that wasn’t only large in square footage but it was tall. My dad had the perfect vision to convert this into additional living space – and that he did. You’ll see the transformation in posts to come. So, in doing this remodel he had to build custom regulation stairs to get from the ground floor upstairs. We removed a coat closet & the furnace closet so that the stairs could be in our hallway and take up as little room as possible.
*Please ignore my paint testing on the walls in the left picture – I knew the wall would come out *
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It is considered a spiral staircase but they are unlike any spiral staircase I have ever seen! They’re awesome. Everyone who saw them after first being built was so concerned about how narrow & steep they are, but, Poppy has mastered them just fine! To soften the steps for the kids – and in case of those occasional falls – we went with a tan carpet on the actual step, but, since I hate carpet I just refused to have it on the riser as well. We will soon have no carpet in any room of the house (we are doing hardwood throughout) so I didn’t want this random carpeted staircase sticking out like a sore thumb. I decided to wallpaper the stair riser so that they would be fun and funky & really pop.
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We had the luxury & ease of being able to wallpaper the risers before the carpet was installed. This made things a lot easier so that the wallpaper could be perfectly smooth and have really nice seams without the carpet getting in the way. On the other hand, this is tricky because if the carpet installer isn’t careful, they could scratch or tear the wallpaper. I found my wallpaper on Amazon and spent just $35 on it. I used maybe half the roll which is great so that should we have to replace a piece we have plenty of extra. I used a wallpaper stock (plain white wall paper) behind the patterned so that it would smooth the surface of the wood riser before applying the fancy wallpaper. I measured each stair & cut each piece out. I left a little extra on top, bottom, and the sides so that we could cut off the extra in a clean-cut once it was applied. Both processes of applying the paper is just like wallpapering a normal wall. The wallpaper I chose is washable, too. I have 2 little ones, let’s be smart here!
*Please note, the balusters
were removed to apply the carpet – safety is important with kids so this will NOT be left open!*
& Finally, the carpet was installed! For 9 stairs plus a landing it took the guy about 6 hours. And, I am SO happy to say; he didn’t hurt the wallpaper! Woot woot! To better protect my purty wallpaper from the dirt, grime, and potential coloring of my 2-year old, I decided to Mod Podge the wallpaper. I used the Mod Podge Luster so that it would provide some shine. I did 2 coats to be safe.
were removed to apply the carpet – safety is important with kids so this will NOT be left open!*
& Finally, the carpet was installed! For 9 stairs plus a landing it took the guy about 6 hours. And, I am SO happy to say; he didn’t hurt the wallpaper! Woot woot! To better protect my purty wallpaper from the dirt, grime, and potential coloring of my 2-year old, I decided to Mod Podge the wallpaper. I used the Mod Podge Luster so that it would provide some shine. I did 2 coats to be safe.
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I plan on taking a picture of the completed stairs with the handrails and all of the balusters. Stay tuned for that pretty picture!!!
*TIP OF THE DAY* When mod podging the wallpaper, use a soft & fine brush. If it is a coarse paintbrush it will leave an uneven finish. Also, I kept a slightly damp cotton rag & wiped the brush off before doing each stair. This helps to prevent carpet fuzz, dog hair, your 2-year-olds glitter, etc to get into the glue
Enjoy!!
3 Comments
I’m so thankful for your helpful post! So, in doing this remodel he had to build custom regulation stairs to get from the ground floor upstairs.
Yea, the stairs after installing the carpet are looking much more beautiful. Can you suggest something for lights that we can do to make it look more aesthetic?
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