White Painted Staircase
So you thought that when I was taking my extended blog break in the summer that I was lounging in the hammock, hanging out at the beach and taking three naps a day? Well, not exactly.
We did a bit of all of that and more, but mostly we were very busy.
I was busy doing one of my favorite things in the world. Paint stuff white.
Very white…..
A lot of stuff…..
Like a white painted staircase….
Hmm make that two white painted staircases.
Years ago, you may remember I started project White-out. Trying to get rid of all of the yellow colored woodwork in our house. I was on a roll back then. In one week I finished all of the downstairs which included 6 doors, a pantry and a lot of windows. It was beautiful and I loved it and it made all the remaining yellow wood look even worse than before. I was all gung ho to get the rest painted too.
Didn’t happen…
Didn’t happen for so long that I included it in my publicly announced plans for 2013….
Still didn’t happen…..
But now it did!!!
This summer I painted another 5 doors, 3 large window frames, yards of baseboard and two complete staircases.
And it all is white! So very brightly white! And I love it.
I know that in time the white will tone down a little, since I can see the difference between the parts I painted three years ago and the new parts and that is ok. But for now everything looks as pristine as freshly fallen snow.
This particular makeover is a huge weight of my back. Just not having that project on my eternal internal to-do list has freed up so much energy.
Just look at the difference a little paint makes.
Sigh I love it, and it has got me totally motivated to start working on some other projects of that 2013 list of home goals 😀
PS in case you are wondering.
– I used a super hard paint that is supposed to withstand staining and scratching like a champ, probably better than the last coat of paint that lasted us 10 years. It is a Dutch/European brand called Sigma, the white color is from the Histor paint line and called Hoornwit.
– This time I used a water based paint, to prevent the yellowing that happened with our previous stain. I added Floetrol to the paint to make it easier to apply: a game changer. I used a short-handled brush for practically all of the painting, loved it. I bought it in the States while on holiday. Wishing very hard they will become available over here soon too.
– I painted the stairs while still living in the house and using the upstairs. During the day we had a ladder going up to the upper floor from the outside. It involved some climbing over balcony walls and receiving comments from neighbours but it worked. I made sure I finished painting the risers well before midday, and we waited until late at night before we carefully walked upstairs on our socks. The water based paint had dried by then, although not fully hardened. It worked and our stairs are scratch and damage free (so far….).
– Yes you see everything on that white, but dirty is dirty whether you see it or not, and I am much rather reminded that it is time to wipe down the stairs than forget it for too long.
– I have plans to make these stairs look even more spectacular. Now lets see if I can get that done before another three years are over…..
Marianne Songbird is the founder of Songbird, where she hopes to inspire everyone to create a home they love, one DIY project at a time. She shares anything from craft ideas to home decor inspiration and from DIY projects to decorating hacks. Originally from the Netherlands Marianne and her husband Lex are currently renovating a 250-year-old farmhouse in Germany.
I love the white as snow look! I do! But living here in the country with the Littles running
About and a dog … I Just can’t make it work for us.
Now as to the ladder-and painting stairs … I thought you’re supposed to paint every other one so that you
Can continue to use them? Just a thought.
Whatever works. I think the ladder was probably more exciting for you AND YOUR NEIGHBORS!
Ha!
I can see how all that white can be daunting with a few little ones running around.
I thought about painting every other one, but that would have taken twice as long. This worked out great too. But the fast drying paint, the summer weather and waiting for as long as we could before walking over it once to go upstairs worked too. And yes climbing the ladder was fun, for us and our neighbours.
Wow, what an amazing difference! I’m about to tackle the woodwork in my living room, looks daunting, but if you can do all that so can I!!
You sure can! After I am finished I am always amazed that it was so much easier and less daunting in reality than it was in my mind. Such a waste of time procrastinating. Have fun painting!
Oh sooo ambitious!!! But what a beautiful result. It looks so clean and European now!!!
Love, Love, the white!
So beautiful! I just love your winding staircases! So romantic!!
Well that almost makes me look forward to freshly fallen snow. Beeeuuuutifullll!
Give us a tiny hint of what’s coming next, please, please, please! That thing you mentioned to make these stairs look even more spectacular. If you put that off for another 3 years, curiosity will kill this cat, lol.
GOOOORGEOUS!