I already showed you the super weird platform created by my curved staircase in this post, but let’s revisit. 
You would think this platform must be a common occurrence when you have a circular staircase up against two walls. So there must be some great ideas out there for what to do with the space left in the corner, right? Not so much. In my neighborhood all the models with my type of stairs have the same crazy platform. To clarify, I consider it crazy because (1) it is two different levels, making it super hard to display anything in the sunken area and (2) the whole freaking platform was covered in CARPET!
I must admit, the weird platform did get some use during parties, when the kids would go hang out up there. But now that it’s been “fixed” they can still sit there, it just doesn’t look so horrifying. Plus the kids are a heck of a lot bigger now, so they probably won’t fit that well on the platform anyway.
Anyway, getting back to the renovation… first I removed the carpet, then cut the overhang with a jigsaw.
Then I cut out a piece of plywood to fit over the existing space, so now it is all one level. Thank goodness!
So picking up where we left off… I cut the plywood and made sure it fit the space, then I brought it outside and stained it. I painted it on with a brush, then after about 10 minutes I wiped the excess off with a rag. Next time I think I’ll skip the paint brush and just use a rag.
The supports are simple stacked 2x4s. I glued the plywood down and then used my finish nailer to attach it.
The 4′ x 8′ piece of plywood wasn’t big enough to cover the entire area, so I made a second, smaller piece to fill the gap. Now it just needs to be attached and some trim added.
Attaching trim on a curved wall isn’t so easy. I was having a hard time just finding the right trim to use. First I bought foam casing from Lowe’s. It’s actually polystyrene, the same stuff used to make plastic cutlery. So bad for the environment! The reason I went with the foam casing was so I could bend it around the wall. It worked great on the right side, where the curve was not as steep, but I couldn’t get it to bend enough to work on the left side. I tried cutting slits in the back of the molding but when I tried to bend it, it freaking broke. Damn it.
I checked Home Depot for alternatives and there were none. Back to Lowe’s, where I talked to a dude who tried to special order me flexible molding. I almost choked when he told me a 12′ piece would be $180. Um, no. I moved on to wood. I researched how to steam and bend wood molding. I borrowed a steamer and was ready to go, but I decided to try the polystyrene molding again. I was able to get it to work by using two pieces, each with the right amount of bend. They came in 7′ lengths and were under $6.
Here’s me installing the trim molding.
But since I ended up using two pieces, I had to find a way to join them together.
Here it is installed. I had to fill the nail holes and the seem, and spackle the ends too.
Finally the platform is done. Yay! What do you think?
I can’t even explain to you how much better this staircase makes me feel!!! I’m loving it! What do you think?
Comparison shots:
This is an amazing transformation! You have worked very hard to get here! Superb work in figuring out a way to bend the molding. 😀 Your staircase looks very classy now and I love the suitcases and globe on the platform. 🙂
Thanks Julie. I wish I had larger chunks of time to work on things. I am going to wait until Mother’s Day weekend to apply the polyurethane. We’ll be away and it will give the steps a chance to dry. I am so ready to call it done!
Looks fantastic!!
Thanks Donna! Hope you didn’t mind seeing your kids on my blog. 🙂
You did a great job!! You took an outdated staircase and made so sophisticated!!
XO,
Christy
Confessionsofaserialdiyer.com
Thanks so much for the encouragement Christy! I wish I had done it sooner!! But then again, when have you ever finished a DIY project and wished you had waited longer?! Lol
Great job! It looks great.
Princess Splendor
http://www.princesssplendor.com
I love the transformation! That carpet was awfull. 🙂
Looks great and I’m looking to do something similar but I can’t find that exact casing with an indent on the back. Every casing is completely straight on the back.
What kind of casing is this? I can’t find it at Lowes. I need the same type that isn’t completely straight on the back.
Hi. Most of the casing I’ve seem comes with the notches on the back. For this project I used 5/8-in x 2-1/4-in x 7-ft White Polystyrene Casing. Item #: 95866 Model #: 94420700032
Here’s the link. http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=95866-19-94420700032&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=3120419&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=rel&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1
Good luck!
Did you just stain the stair frame or did you add something on top after you lifted the carpet?
Hi Nicole. I stained the existing wood, I didn’t add anything after I lifted the carpet.
I love the stairs! It looks like the pervious r owners of the house I bought tried to do the same thing as you but there are gaps next to the walls and they didn’t use stainable fill on the holes. Ug. Anyway I was wondering if you could tell me how you made the molding that didn’t quite line up look good and if you had any tips for filling in the gap between the wall and the steps without using quarter round because I also hate it.
Hi Jackie! Thanks for stopping by my blog! I’m not exactly sure which molding you’re talking about… can you email me a picture? smartgirlsdiy@gmail.com Boo for quarter round! If the gap is next to the wall I think more of a base molding look would work. Did you see my board and batten post? That all started because of the gap left between the wall and hardwood flooring after I removed the quarter round. A 3/4″ piece of trim did the trick for me. Also do your stairs curve? No stainable fill?! Oh no! Are you going to have to paint them? And which moldings of mine are referring to that didn’t line up?
You might be my new hero!