Which one are you, V or E?

Me? I'm a voyeur, not an exhibitionist. That means I spend countless hours reading blogs rather than posting to my own.

Eons ago, I promised Mindy I would post pics of the finished stairs. Now it seems that I will soon need advice from houseblogger land, so I thought I would catch everyone up with what's been going on at the Time Thief. Without further ado.........I give you The Stairs:



Viewing from the office. I was messing with my camera's settings. I think this was taken in "Museum" mode, so the colors are a bit funny.



The half-newel. There is a pocket door behind this wall, so I had to get creative with attaching it. The newel extends below the floor and attaches to the framing. Up top, I hollowed out a large rectangle from the back side. I then slid that over a wedge I had mounted to the wall with anchors. A few finish nails through the side into the wedge makes everything sturdy.



The railing. I used "Wipe On Poly" for all the dark-stained wood. It provides protection to the wood, but you can still feel the grain under your hands as you grab on. Very nice effect that I hadn't expected.



Big mama newel. Attached to the framing with bolts and screws. The floor in the hallway (where I was standing) was pre-finished. The stair treads and bullnose along the edge of the stairs, I stained to match. Not 100% perfect, but pretty close. The "not matching" part makes it seem older than it is. That's my story anyway.



Lighting. The Rejuvenation fixtures cast kind of a weird shadow that has caused me to re-consider my original plans for art up here....as evidenced by the blank walls.



Trying angles. I joined these pieces with epoxy rather than screws and dowels.....as recommended by some magazine in the archives. I think it was 'Family Handyman'.



The different wood colors...I take it some people are bothered by that?? I like it. If I were to change anything, it would be to lighten the treads/add more yellow, but since that would involve refinishing the floors in the entire house, that ain't gonna happen.



Quin says, "What are you doing now, woman?! I am not amused."



Frightening ascent....made slightly less frightening by the new handrail.



Finishing everything off by framing in the wall with trim was tedious. I think it looks kinda cool though.



Glamour shot.


I use the handrail ALLL the time now. Whoda thunk? I'm really not sure how I got along all those years without it. Here's to fall-free stairs!