Goodbye to my first trim project

March 09, 2016

Late last year I took down the trim "boxes" I had on our staircase -- they were the first trim project I tried more than ten years ago and the newbie-ness showed. :) They weren't flush with the wall and were kind of a mess, but I was proud of them for all those years! 

I usually decide to tear stuff up before big events like people coming over, a big party or major holidays. It's how I do. This one was no exception -- I took the trim down in December and it's looked like this since: 

I used to have a darker color in the squares and the old wall color was behind that -- you can really see how pink those walls were! 

I didn't think I had used glue on the trim but I was wrong. This is why I tell you all NOT to use glue on your trimwork unless you are 100 percent sure it will never come down. Use studs and caulk if you need to -- but glue leaves a mess when you take it down. 

There were hundreds of little divots in the wall where the glue pulled drywall off: 
Repairing damaged drywall

I must have lathered the corner pieces with glue because they pulled entire chunks off the wall. Good times. That's why I put this off for so long! I loathe drywall work. 

I used this filler to for all of those spots and then sanded and wiped it all down after it dried: 
Filling holes in drywall

I had to do a few coats on the corner spots and it still isn't perfect by any stretch. This is a fix until my bigger plan for this staircase comes to fruition -- which will probably be next year. I just wanted to get rid of the mess on the wall for now. 

The mirror looked sad and tiny on that big wall after I painted, so I grabbed some old window grids out of the garage. I've had these for six years easy (Goodwill find for $1.99 each!) and they've survived many garage clean outs -- I loved them and knew I'd use them one day: 
Gallery wall on stairs
They had some plastic doodads I pulled out of the sides and other than cleaning them up a bit that was it. They won't stay here forever but I love them until the upgrades happen!

I also painted the dark strip down by the baseboards. It has been a darker accent color for as long as I can remember and I wanted to brighten it up. It gives the illusion of thicker baseboards (which I will beef up later): 
Beefing up baseboard trick
I've never been so happy to have a plain, painted wall! I was so tired of looking at that drywall mess all those months. 

By the way, these walls are analytical gray by Sherwin Williams -- a great neutral! I love it with the contrast of black and white:
Wood stairs painted risers

I'm so happy to have another one knocked off that list! I didn't spend anything to finish this up either, which is always a bonus. This staircase has been through many changes over the years, but this will be the last I do anything to it until I start the big project next year:
Gallery wall wood stairs

Here's a throwback to how it looked before I ripped the carpet off and started the transformation: 
How to take carpet off stairs

I know the quality is awful, but it's the only before pic I can find. 

And here's how it looks today! The cat posed for you: 
Taking carpet off stairs

If you'd like all the info on how I transformed the stairs, check out these posts:
Removing carpet from stairs
The finishing process
Adding trim below the railing


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Comments

  1. I love your staircase refresh, those window grids were such a score!!

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  2. I love it! Your stairs look gorgeous. The grids are perfect! Julie

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  3. I love projects like this! Sometimes just cleaning it up can feel SO good. And your kitty - model adorable. So cute.

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  4. I love how the cat is in most of your pics! He must be as "helpful" as my Uma is. The stairwell looks great!

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  5. Looks beautiful.. Love the window grids, they are perfect for that space. The stair make over is beautiful too.

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  6. Looks great! Love those window grids!

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  7. It's so HARD to let go of the 'firsts' I have my first DIY dresser from years ago...and good lord..it needs some love...but I cant sell it ive tried...maybe no one would buy it because it was ugly....hahah oh well...its MINE.

    http://k-g.us/

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  8. Man, every time I read your blog I get super inspired to tackle all of the little things that I *mean* to get done but never get around to. Instead of loading up Netflix I am off to finish organizing the baby gear in the basement. Thank you!!!!! :) :) :)

    P.S. Staircase looks great!

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  9. Did you just use glue just on the corners? Oh my, I have a trim project I did a few years back - the nail gun was forgotten and I wanted it done NOW so I used hot glue. A lot of hot glue the whole way around the trim pieces. I want to remove it and can't imagine the wall damage. :(
    The wall looks great. I really like the grid panels.

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  10. I LOVE what you did! That darker wall color is amazing!!

    Mel | www.thegossipdarling.com

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