A Big Step

I don't think we've mentioned these details yet, but (1) Chris and I only looked at our house once before making an offer and (2) this is the only house we looked at. We realize it's a rather unusual way to go about the house hunt, but it's worked for us so far.

As a result, we moved into the house knowing that there were lots of small things that required fixing (like paint colors) and some large things as well (like the kitchen), but we by no means moved in fully aware of what we were getting into. So, as we settled in last summer, we quickly realized that the stairs needed some attention.

We're fairly certain that the old stairs treads were original, and are absolutely certain that they'd experienced some serious neglect. The finished had worn off them long ago, and many had cracked down the middle. Someone at some point had decided that 16 penny nails were the way to fix the problem, and had hammered them in all along the top. The result: gross, rough wood that creaked and had big nail heads sticking out, and that even pinched your feet when you walked upstairs.



We debated trying to refinish and reglue the old treads, but decided to scrap them and start fresh. So, we purchased the new lumber and took it home over New Year's for my dad's help and chop saw. We brought them back and over the next two weeks removed the old treads and stained, installed and sealed the new ones. In the process we learned all about countersinking and grew a great appreciation for wood plugs. We also had to get very creative in working around them as the polyurethane set up.





To date, this is without a doubt one of our most satisfying fixes. This is truly the only floor in our house that doesn't creak (we'll get to the rest someday!) and the new surfaces are beautiful and smooth.



While most people coming over to our house just see stairs and have absolutely no idea how much work they have been, and no way of knowing the improvement that has occurred here, we feel like we'll never forget. I imagine we'll have lots of projects like this - that no one else can possibly appreciate as much as we do.

We still find ourselves walking up and down them from time to time, just to enjoy the feel of the smooth wood underfoot.

So if you come over, be sure to check out the stairs.