Saturday, August 9, 2014

Goodbye Ugly Carpet!


When we first bought the town home, we absolutely loved it.  We loved the big kitchen, the four bathrooms, the basement, the three balconies, and even the freshly installed carpet.  We were absolutely blind to the fact that there were a lot of updating that needs to happen with this home.  We were even naive to the point of thinking that buying a townhouse means we needn't put any work into it.  The honest truth was, we were so happy to be out of a 800 square feet apartment that this home seems like a dream.  At that time, it was also the only thing that we could really afford. 5 year later, the roof needs fixing, the siding needed to be replaced, the cabinets starts to fall part, and the carpet starts to wear down.

The one thing I hated the most was the carpet.  Over time, the carpet had stains all over and it started to come apart.  The stairs in particular was the worse and it became a tripping hazard.  I had wanted to replace it for while but with one income, we just didn't have the means to do it.  I looked under the carpet hoping to find some nice finished wood on the bottom but that was hopeful thinking, so I ignored it as best as I could left it alone for a few years.

Recently, I stumbled upon a pin that inspired me to turn my ugly old stairs into something beautiful.  The blog is called Southern Hospitality which can be found here; http://southernhospitalityblog.com/the-down-dirty-on-the-stair-project/  After looking at her blog, I thought, "I can do this, my stairs look exactly like her's!" It got me really excited to tear up the old carpet and one day, I did it.  I tore up the old carpet and then called Ben to let him know what he's coming home to.  I just love Pinterest.

This was a few years ago after I put the wainscoting on the wall.  You can see the part where the carpet came out a little.



Awe, that was little Lucy, she was maybe 2 years old?




Here is the progression of the stairs remodel. First I ripped up the old carpet, that was the easy part. Then I took out all the nails which took a few hours.  Isaiah helped me and he loved it!  Don't worry, I am being responsible with my child.


Look at the bottom step, see the difference after I sanded it down? I love this little sander, I got this from Home Depot for about $80 dollars.  It does a really good job, plus it has a vacuum to suck up dusts.



See the corner?  That was where it had chipped.  I am too cheap and lazy to replace it so I use wood putty to patch it up.  It's as good as new after I sanded it down.




I did have to replace two pieces of wood since one of them was completely cracked.  I bought one long 2 X12s at Home Depot and asked them to cut it into the right length for me.  I was lucky enough to have the right width so I didn't have to use a circular saw (that thing scares me to death).  One piece of wood cost me $10 and I was able to get two pieces of tread from that.  Btw, I learned that a 2x12 is actually a 2x11, don't let it fool you.



I had to chisel my way into wood before I can pry these suckers out.  After I got a grip, it wasn't so hard to remove them.




Look at how pretty the new one looked.  See the one above?  There is a huge gap on the right hand side of it.  I suppose there has to be in order for the carpet to be installed.  I had to improvise by gluing paint sticks in there to close the gap.  Then I caulked it and sanded it down.  That was the hardest part of the job.




I talked about lightweight spackling before.  Seriously love this stuff, it is so easy to sand down and very forgiving when you make mistakes.  It is cheap too!



Again, what do you see here?  My favorite recycled blinds.  They are all over my house.  Word of encouragement, do not be discouraged when it doesn't look good at first.  See it's not very pretty here, have no fear it will get better.



The below picture was after I sanded it down, see already better right?  I also added blinds on the sides and a piece of molding on the bottom to cover up the space.  One word of advice, add the bottom molding AFTER you paint the tread (I didn't do that,) that way you can have a nice clean line.  I also like to use non traditional moldings to add to the clean modern feel.  I had left over pieces from other projects so I ended not having to buy any of it.



Now the final product, Ta Da!  



Still need a little finishing touch but so pretty isn't it?  I used porch paint from Home Depot.  I wanted it in a black because it is sophisticated and modern.  It is definitely bold but it really pops!  

This project took me about a week to do and I spent about $40 on porch paint and a few brushes.  I did it when the kiddos played and the baby napped.   If I can do it, you can too.  In terms of the amount of work, it actually would've taken me less time if i did replace all the treads.   I really enjoyed sharing this with you.  Thanks for reading my post!


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About me

My name is Samantha Bartlett and I am a stay at home mom with two rambunctious and adorable children, Isaiah (almost 4) and Ana Lucia (almost 2). I am married to a Bartlett and that has been an adventure in itself. My challenge in life is to Love God with all my heart and to do the best with what I am given.

About me, I love projects! It is inherent in my genes; my dad is a natural born handy man that has an instinct to see how things work; my brother is an interior designer and furniture maker and my mom is a natural craftswoman; I grew up surrounded by these things. As for me, I love anything beautiful and to recreate something new from something old. My mind is filled with endless ideas on how to make things beautiful in a thrifty way. It is important to me to make my as warm, inviting, and efficient, as possible, and I believe anyone can do this in a practical and frugal way.