More staining

A year ago I finished the front stairs and I joked that I would get around to the back stairs in the New Year. Well at least I got there before this year ended.
Inspired by the beauty of the newly stained siding I finally got on and stained the back stairs. They were the most hellish job as some joker had glued the carpet to the stairs and carpet adhesive sticks really, really well y'know. I started this job with Verity's help in July. We sanded and sanded and then the humid weather kicked in so I had to leave it for a while. When it got cooler and I could open the windows I started with the adhesive remover. Several coats of adhesive remover, which you have to remove after it has worked its magic. Then I stained, and I realised that the stairs were still sticky so I stripped them again and again and again. Five different products and four months later and hurrah the back stairs match the front stairs.Two nights later Sadie fell down the back stairs and gouged a big track in her effort to hang on. The work never ends.

grass floors

We are now at the interesting stage of the remodeling process. Yesterday Pete the Flooring Guy started work laying the new bamboo floors upstairs. We had originally decided on horizontal carbonised bamboo in all the bedrooms with carpet on the landing and stairs. This was the solution we came up with to two problems: how to prevent scratches on the hardwood from the dog's nails as they chase the cats along the corridor; how to deal with the seven angles that merge on the landing that present a nightmare of cutting in and joining hardwood strips. However, during one of the chase-a-cat sessions the cat had peeed the length of the carpet and no amount of Nature's Miracle completely disguised the smell. So Steven took up the carpet one Sunday afternoon and then spent the next week and a half removing the grippers and staples.

Pete spent an hour moaning about the angles and the extra work involved in the project but agreed that it would look fantastic when it was finished. Unfortunately all those angles will add signifiicantly to the price on the project and even worse the timeframe for finishing has entered a different realm altogether. One thing I had not bargained on purchasing was a stairgate. I thought we had finished with those eighteen years ago. Late last evening I had to run out and purchase two gates for the front and back staircases so we can keep the dogs downstairs and away from the precious bamboo. We were really concerned that Sadie would suffer separation anxiety sleeping so far away from me but I think it did her good. She knocked down the gate once, which scared her, and then she slept in the den with Polly. The bonus was that the cats also stayed downstairs, so we slept uninterrupted till 6am.

We are really excited that the flooring is going down because now we can start to really live in our new house. Up to now we have felt more like we were camping amongst the dust and debris. That is the upside, the downside is that we realise how many more projects there are remaining - from the removal of that cute olive green and candy pink cabinet in Verity's bathroom to the crazy tiled bathroom left and the biggest remodel of all:
the kitchen.

The good news is that the floor in our bedroom and closet looks fantastic. The bad news is that I will have to wait another week before he can install any more flooring and I am slightly freaking about the floor getting scratched as it may not be as hardwearing as we were led to believe. I am in two minds whether or not to order oak flooring for the landing, as that will be where most of the traffic goes or should I just make everyone take their shoes off upstairs?