October 16, 2013

one room challenge - family room week 3

One note before we get started - I am lucky enough to participate in the Take Two series over at designPost today. Make sure to check it out here.

We are at the half way point people! (click here if you missed week 1 or 2) And what am I still doing? Painting. I am sure you are as sick of here about my painting as I am of actually painting. But we are in the home stretch, so stick with me. I promise good things.

Last week we were left with a nice bright, white room and a primed staircase.


But those of you who know me know I can't leave a room white for long. I am, after all, a color girl. Enter those mystery stripes I mentioned on the inspiration board.


The painter's tape came out and I got to work on one of my very favorite "I want to do that some day" pins, a painted stair runner.


And I can't leave the stairs all alone so I thought some stripes on the floor would be fun too.


The floors were simple to tape out. I just measured the length of the room, randomly choose a width for each stripe by eyeballing what 'looked good' and then divided the width out by the total length. Easy peasy.


The stairs were a bit trickier. These stairs, along with everything else in my charming old home, are not level. In fact, I think if you tried to put a level on these stairs you would actually be able to hear laughter coming from the treads. So trying to measure would just result in a trip to the sanitarium. So I trusted those eye balls of mine.


Using the same Porch and Floor paint from Sherwin-Williams, I painted the navy stripes. I went one shade lighter than the navy I used on the girls' dresser. And thanks to excellent paint, the floor only needed two coats. It helps to watch Orange is the New Black while you paint floors, in case you were wondering.

As for the stairs,


they need a little clean up but for the most part I am thrilled. My eyeballing would have been perfect if I hadn't decided to make the skinny lines just a tad bit thicker. I didn't overlap my tape perfectly on the left there, so mamma has some touching up to do. No worries.

And one word of caution if you are thinking of painting stairs: unless you have multiple stairwells in your house leading from one floor to the next, this is a task that can cause some grumpy tenants. When you look at those cute pictures on Pinterest you forget that said stairs need to dry for long periods of time, aka you can't walk on them. Laundry is then sitting, waiting, unable to be reached as though it is on a deserted island. And some people can't go downstairs and watch sporting events on their big TVs and they find this frustrating. Which some other people don't really get because the couch isn't down there anyway. But I digress. Also, painting stairs can cause you to contort your body in weird Cirque du Soleil ways. Just an FYI.


The floor stripes however didn't give me an once of trouble and they look just like I wanted them to. Look at those straight lines! Raise the roof with me people. This picture is right before I put a coat of sealer on so the floor now has just the slightest glow, a happy floor glow.

And in other news, I found the perfect rugs to go on this smashing floor. Some of the outdoor variety and some of the vintage flavor.


A sneak peak.

And one last update,


this is happening.

So I'm moving forward. I also found a few things for the room and am currently in the middle of a fabric do-over conundrum. I'll keep you posted.

What can we cross off the list this week?
Rip up gross carpet (floor and stairs) and replace flooring
Paint and plank walls and bookshelves
- Recover estate sale chairs
- Create some sort of art station for the girls
- Paint chairs and table
- Repair and paint coffee table
- Create toy storage that doesn't involve the words 'pink' or 'plastic'
- Get some art on those walls
- Find rugs
- New Lighting

Be sure to check out how everyone else is progressing:


Now spill it - have you ever painted stairs before? Did you remember to pick your phone off the dryer and put it in your pocket before painting yourself out of the basement for two days? I know I did, I was just checking.

54 comments:

  1. ooooh i love he stairs and floor!!!!!! love the color and pattern!

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  2. The painting must have been back-breaking but worth the effort. So stunning! The rug is absolutely gorgeous, from the little one can see. I cannot wait to see it in place!

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  3. Your newly painted floors and stairs look so fresh and fabulous! Can't wait to see the finished room!

    Jessie
    www.mixandchic.com

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  4. I'm such a stripe person. The stripes came out amazing! And yes, I imagine that did cause a lot of grumpiness from the family! I can't wait to see how all of this pulls together.

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  5. This looks great. Love that you carried it over on the floor. What a great way to spruce up the subflooring - so much cheaper than wall to wall! And it is going to look awesome with the rugs.

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  6. Looking fabulous! You blow my mind with your projects! I bet you're sore after all of that Cirque du Soleil!

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  7. Ha ha- the perils of us impulsive girls :) My phone would have been stranded for sure! It is all looking awesome!!

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  8. I am amazed by how fast you work. Do I spy plank walls? Yay!

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  9. What the what!?!?! This is shaping up to be such a fun space (though I'd expect no less from you). How long do you think the painted floor will hold up? I'm always curious because I love the look.

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  10. Good point about stair access ... even when we replaced our stairway carpet and the stairs were out of commission for just one day it would have been nice to be told in advance to make sure and grab everything we might need from up-stairs for the day, so this is a take away from your post that everyone thinking about some change to their stairway can benefit from. This room looks like it will be simply **perfect** when you are done!

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  11. That's the good thing about laundry, it's waiting for you when you go downstairs. Love the stripes. I have never pained stairs and yours came out great. The stripes make it look level even if it isn't. The floor is my favorite part. Great job.

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  12. wall paneling? Is that what I see?
    So the stripes look fantastic! What a happy space.
    PS- glad the stairs didn't send you straight to the loony bin

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  13. I am amazed by your floor and stair painting bravery. I totally would have painted down and been stuck in the basement for a week.
    That rug looks delicious!

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  14. I just striped our floors this summer! And my stairs have actually been waiting for a paint job all summer. They are still bare with wood filler. ha. at least the nasty carpet is off them. ;) Love how yours turned out! look forward to next week's update...

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  15. Loving those stripes!! So very cool and totally worth the cirque de soleil strains (ha). You are setting the stage for one spectacular space. I'm so excited to see it come together!!!

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  16. I'm loving this!!! Ahhh those stripes! I seriously love your style and can't wait to see this room all put together!!!

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  17. You're floors look great! You've given me hope. Love the stripes.

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  18. Stripes, my favorite! Love how that classic and playful vibe, totally perked up your space! I've been there with the wet stairs, except the cat didn't get the caution tape I put up! :)

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  19. Wow...that looks like it was quite the task!?! But, totally well worth it...it's stunning!!! Absolutely gorgeous...raising the roof over here with you! ;)

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  20. Aaaaaahh, totally looks like a whole different space! You know I'm a sucker for stripes Elizabeth and I LOVE your floors!

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  21. The stairs and floor are more than amazing! Whatever "IT" IS? YOU HAVE IT!!!

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  22. Laundry can wait...a beautiful new room must be done NOW!! Looking good so far...

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  23. Oh my goodness -- navy stripes!!! Loooooove! After sitting so long working on my little DIY I was so sore -- can't even imagine how I'd feel if I did those stairs!

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  24. Oh my goodness -- navy stripes!!! Loooooove! After sitting so long working on my little DIY I was so sore -- can't even imagine how I'd feel if I did those stairs!

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  25. I'm LOVING the stripes! Such a good idea! Michelle 29 + Nona

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  26. The stripes are fabulous. This is quite a DIY feat - I am so impressed.

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  27. So awesome Elizabeth!!! I love the striped floor - it came out so great! I have done a painted runner on stairs too and it's still one of my fave projects. Gotta love the power of paint and little creativity. You are a superhero with the magnitude of projects you're accomplishing week to week in the ORC by the way!

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  28. Get it! Those painted floors and stairs are so exciting! Love the look.

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  29. That floor and stairs look fab! Can't wait to see the rugs with the floor.

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  30. What a fun idea for a basement! LOVE!

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  31. so much work, but it already looks amazing, and that rug looks awesome!

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  32. this is such an ambitious project! Loving these stripes. They are so fun. I really like their width and think the stairs look fantastic as well. You are going to be the most popular house on the block with this playroom!

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  33. You are a girl after my own heart! Fellow colour lover. When I went to the paint store to purchase white paint for the bedroom, they asked me if I
    was sure! That's where I get all my
    paint and it's always colour:-). Love your stripes! Looks fab!!

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  34. Are
    You
    Kidding
    Me?
    I can't believe you painted those floors and stairs. You are now my hero for real. I know that I am going to be sick when I see this room come together!

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  35. Whoa, you're brave with all of those stripes...looking good! I'm intrigued to find out what the wood strips are!

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  36. Ahh I can't wait to see this room done!! I'd love to have a room with giant stripes on the floor so I'm loving the ones you did in here! Also love that rug- can't wait to see that whole thing. The first picture of the room totally looks like the white box challenge (or white room challenge??) on hgtv.

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  37. Where did you find that rug? I llove it!

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  38. Oh it gets better! Great job...the stripes look insane!

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  39. Wow, wow, WOW!!! Those stairs are stunning! I love them so much!!! Great work, as always!

    XOXO,
    The Glam Pad

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  40. Looking super amazing, lady! I commend your patience and sheer determination. What will you wow us with next week????

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  41. Loving the paint job ... I would be the one to end up painted in the corner!! Love the look of the rug!! you go girl! xo

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  42. Wow - love the blue and white stripes on the floor... cant believe that you had the patience to do it and end up with straight lines ... i'm amazed!! congrats

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  43. holy cow. love! love that you're painting the floors....know you're probably sick of the paint but it is looking darn good!

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  44. I am loving the stripes! The stairs are going to be awesome. That rug is a great find! I am so excited to be following this along! Its headed for an amazing reveal and I am impressed with your progress

    Laura
    House Envy

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  45. Oh Elizabeth, I have the utmost admiration for your patience. I'm sure there'd be a big blue splotch on the stairs where I threw a paintbrush in frustration if I attempted this. Good for you! they look great, and I'm digging that rug sneak peek!

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  46. You keep just pulling it outta the bag, doncha. How the heck do you manage to do this stuff with 2 kids?! I'm in awe of your patience. It looks amazing already - can't wait to see how this progresses!! And that RUG!! Oh my gawd. xxx

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  47. Seriously? I love this room so much I can't even handle it. Practically gives me heart palpitations, bc I know the end result is going to knock my socks off. Always love everything you do.

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  48. I seriously cannot wait to see how this turns out! I'm so impressed already!

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  49. Loving your stripes! Can't wait to see how it all comes together!

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  50. OMG. You got some serious skills and chutzpah. I could not imagine doing all that. Bravo.

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  51. The stripes are such a fun element! great job!

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  52. That room looks so amazing - I love all the stripes! Can't wait to see the room in its entirety!

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  53. Oh love the stripes. Navy with that green couch will be beautiful! And boo hoo can't do the laundry ;) I hear you on the old house and not level. I don't understand but our front door looks like it is about 3 inches off from one side to the next when closed. I'm afraid to find out the answer.

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