It’s Saturday and it’s been a week since I tore the carpet off the stairs. I am happy to report that I have worked 6 of the last 7 days. All 3 of my kiddos were home sick on Thursday. 🙁 Although the stairs aren’t done, they are ready to be stained. But before I stain them I need to replace two spindles and put up some molding, but we’ve come a long way already. So far I’ve shown you how I tore the carpet off the stairs and then I shared the tedious job of removing staples and my solution for a bizarre ledge. Day 5 (yesterday) was a long day! I hand sanded the edge of the stairs, the part that overhangs and you see as soon as you walk in the door. This is what they looked like after the carpet came off.
+-+logo.jpg?resize=640%2C420 "Smart Girls DIY: Renovating curved staircase by taking off carpet")
+-+logo.jpg?resize=640%2C422 "Smart Girls DIY: Renovating curved staircase by taking off carpet")
And boy were there a lot of holes! And a lot of sanding to do. I used 80-120 grit sandpaper in a variety of forms. I really like the foam sanding blocks, but sometimes I just used strips of sandpaper.
+-+logo.jpg?resize=640%2C422 "Smart Girls DIY: Renovating curved staircase by taking off carpet")
I was barely starting my day, but already getting burnt out. But the results were making me so happy, it was easy to keep going. Just seeing the wood on the overhang makes the stairs look so much better!! Yay!!
+-+logo.jpg?resize=422%2C640 "Smart Girls DIY: Renovating curved staircase by taking off carpet")
The white paint was thicker than I thought, so it was time to call in the reinforcements! I used Citristrip stripping gel, but let me point out that this is NOT an all natural product. It is chemical based, but “safer” and smells better.
It was a process. But luckily, not a very long one. First I poured the orange goop into a disposable cup. I doubled the cups up, which was a good thing, because eventually the stuff ate through both cups. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I painted it onto the stair treads with a paint brush. I did this on both sides, because, ya know we needed a way to walk up the stairs.
+-+logo.jpg?resize=263%2C400 "Smart Girls DIY: Using Citristrip to strip paint off stairs")
The directions state that you can begin stripping in 30 minutes or wait up to 24 hours. Hmmm. I am impatient, so I started stripping after an hour. I wasn’t have the best luck, then I figured out that scrubbing the Citristip with a toothbrush, then wiping it off worked really well. This was definitely the best method to use around the spindles.
+-+logo.jpg?resize=400%2C263 "Smart Girls DIY: Using Citristrip to strip paint off stairs with toothbrush")
+-+logo.jpg?resize=400%2C263 "Smart Girls DIY: Using Citristrip to strip paint off stairs with toothbrush")
I decided to let the rest soak in overnight. I spent my morning (today is day 6!) scraping the steps. This is what they looked like after I scraped. The top step still has the orange (pinkish when it dries) Citristrip. The two below are ones I’ve scraped.
+-+logo.jpg?resize=400%2C262 "Smart Girls DIY: Using Citristrip to take paint off stairs")
Here’s a look at the same step, first with the dried on Citristrip. Funny how people walked through it anyway, even though I left the middle clear. Hee hee.
+-+logo.jpg?resize=400%2C263 "Smart Girls DIY: Using Citristrip to strip paint off stairs")
+-+logo.jpg?resize=400%2C263 "Smart Girls DIY: Using Citristrip to strip paint off stairs")
+-+logo.jpg?resize=400%2C263 "Smart Girls DIY: Using Citristrip to strip paint off stairs")
This is a really good shot because it shows all three stages at once. The bottom 3 steps still have the dried on Citristrip, the middle 3 have been scraped and swept, the top 3 have been scrubbed with a damp cloth.
+-+logo.jpg?resize=640%2C422 "Smart Girls DIY: Using Citristrip to strip paint off stairs")
Now I was ready to sand. Well almost ready. I vacuumed the stairs first so I could get a good look at what I was sanding. I hate prep work, but it was essential here. I tape off all the openings downstairs and closed all the bedroom doors upstairs.
+-+logo.jpg?resize=400%2C263 "Smart Girls DIY: Prepping to sand down staircase")
+-+logo.jpg?resize=400%2C263 "Smart Girls DIY: Prepping to sand down staircase")
+-+logo.jpg?resize=400%2C300 "Smart Girl sanding her staircase after taking off the carpet")
+-+logo.jpg?resize=420%2C640 "Smart Girls DIY: Taking carpet off stairs - all sanded down")
+-+logo.jpg?resize=400%2C263 "Smart Girls DIY: Using minwax stainable wood filler")
See, it does make a mess. I had to vacuum again, fill more holes, vacuum again, then sand again. No joke.+-+logo.jpg?resize=400%2C263 "Smart Girls DIY: Using minwax stainable wood filler")
.JPG?resize=400%2C263 "Smart Girls DIY: Using spackle on stair risers")
Check out more on the stairway makeover:
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Whew! I am exhausted reading your post! lol 😉 Amazing and very hard work! Your stairs are going to look stunning when you are done. 😀
Incredible work!
Hi. I’m new to your blog and not quite sure how all this works, but you have inspired me to redo my stairs! Was wondering if you showed your staining and painting steps?
Hi Dana. You should totally go for it and redo your stairs! If they’re half as ugly as my carpeted stairs were, then it will be a big improvement. I hadn’t realized, but I never posted pics of the staining processor the finished product. Definitely a downfall to doing so many projects at the same time, which is totally my thing. For now, check out the finished product in this post (http://smartgirlsdiy.blogspot.com/2013/10/halloween-to-do-list-done.html) and I will write about the staining process very soon. I have a heck of a lot of pics!
Wow! Great job! I wish I could do my own staircase remodeling. I might have to show this to my son and have him help me. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Earl! I’m sure you and your son could handle this. The hardest thing for me was dealing with that platform area, and you probably won’t have that challenge. The rest is a little tedious, but not too difficult. Good luck!
May i ask what sander you were using? the name, the brand and model? I’m new in renovation and am learning.
This is the newer version of the sander I was using… Black & Decker QS900 1/4-Sheet Sander. I like the square palm sanders better than the circular ones because I can use any sandpaper I want. You can buy large sheets and cut them in quarters yourself. It’s cheaper and easier to change the sand paper. This model is about $30 on Amazon… http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001K31KOQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001K31KOQ&linkCode=as2&tag=smgidi-20&linkId=XEP4GO33CWOKTOHA
Did you find that the stain you used worked equally well on the wooden treads AND the filler you used to fill all of the holes? If it did, can you tell my what brand of stain you used, if you remember? I’ve been on other blogs and people have found that the supposedly stainable filler they used did not absorb the stain the same as the wood, and they ended up having to paint both the riser and the tread of their stairs. My stairs are OLD and coverered in paint and what looks like adhesive of some sort. For now my 11-year-old and I are going to try to get the GROSS baby blue carpet up while DH is at work. Why we are doing this on a gorgeous beach day is beyond me. 😉
It did not stain exactly the same, but it was pretty darn close. If I had to do it again, I would have only filled the worst holes and left the rest the way they were. I used Rust-Oleum Ultimate Wood Stain in American Walnut. They really look great now!!
Hi Liz. Great job. I just started doing this exact project. I am in the process of getting ALL the staples out. So there is my question. Did you literally get every single staple out??
Yes. I took out EVERY SINGLE STAPLE. Drink some wine — it will help. So will large pliers. Good luck!
Hi Liz, your stairs look great! I have the exact same issue in my house and am planning to stain the treads/paint the risers. One question, did you sand first, then Citristrip, then stand again? Or did you use the Citristrip only first and then sand?
Hi Diane! I used Citristrip, then sanded. No need to sand first. Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Hi! I realize this post is 3 years old but hopefully you will see this! I am currently redoing my stairs and they look almost exactly like yours. The outside edges and corners of my stair treads are full of staple holes and chipped wood JUST LIKE IN YOUR PICTURE! Can you show me a close-up of what the finished product looks like? My husband thinks ours will still look crappy if we fill in the holes on the outside corners of the treads so I’d love to see what yours looks like all finished!