Stairway to Heaven

I'm happy to report that the stair and hallway renovation is complete!  I could not be more happy with the results.  

If you are new to the blog, this was the "before" picture.  The second floor of this house was converted from an attic several years ago.  The flight of stairs was super narrow, the lack of over head lighting made it very dark and overall it felt very much like a tunnel. 

This was my inspiration picture for the design.  Very clean, bright and charming.

via

We were SO excited when construction began back in September.  Here are some progress shots during the demo process.

I was immediately in love with our decision to move forward with this change once the stairs were installed.  The openness makes such a major impact.  No more "attic-y" feel!

We hit one hiccup along the way.  The new hardwood on the second floor was finished off with an oil-based polyurethane.  This gave the wood a rich amber tone which I love.  Once the steps were ready for finishing our construction manager recommended a water base polyurethane because it dries quickly and we could move back up stairs sooner than later.  Let's do it!!!  Well, much to my dismay, an oil based finish and a water base finish look VERY different - hiiissssss.  That would have been nice to know before hand, buddy.  See how the grains of wood are drastically different in color.  RE - DO!

We packed up the boys and moved out of the house for a weekend for them to sand off the water base finish and properly apply the oil based finish.  Much better!

I chose a dark espresso wood finish for the stair railing and cap of the baluster which was inspired by my inspiration picture.  I think it adds an extra charming detail.

The addition of four new recessed lights makes a world of difference - don't you think?!

And my favorite part - the "Before and After" shots!

My brain has been spinning on how to decorate the walls.  I'll share those with you soon - maybe you can help me decide on which design direction to go in.

SHARE: