Beacon Hill Staircase Makeover [Step 6 ~ Bottom Stairs & Upper Railing]

Two orders arrived from miniatures.com (HBS), so work on the staircase is progressing. I very cleverly sliced a wee bit from the top of the staircase to allow for parquet flooring. The good doctor is pleased to see progress. He likes the sample of stained parquet. The foyer will be elegant when finished. I don't think he has noticed a couple of engineering issues that need to be resolved.

The staircase slides in and out rather nicely now, and the plan to handle the baluster issue is pretty much resolved. BUT ... in looking at the photo, another issue appears: how to slide it past the trim that will be on the doorway to the left. It will be impossible to twist it enough to clear the trim.

Removal of a slice from the section at upper right would move it far enough to the right to slide past the doorway, but when it is in place there would be a gap between the lower part of the staircase and the left wall. Something to ponder ... a strategically place bit of greenery? Maybe a piece of stripwood the same depth as the door trim and attached to the wall will blend in with the wood of the staircase. I don't believe the slight gap between the landing and the wall will be noticeable. If is is, a piece of baseboard/skirting on the wall would probably do the trick.

Hmm ... but now I see another problem: the upper right section will have to be trimmed to allow it to slide in along the cove moulding on the right wall. 

Have you noticed the Contractor is missing from this photo? I think he's in hiding.

Meanwhile, the railing that surrounds the upper story staircase hole is in the magnetic gluing jig. The piece at top is the kit solution. The balusters in the lower piece and the railing they stand on are glued. The light piece of quarter-round is raising the tip of the balusters so as to keep them horizontal. When the glue sets, the handrail will be glued in place. The balusters may be a tad bit far apart, but what did the Victorians know about OSHA? I think it will be aesthetically pleasing. 

Beacon Hill Staircase Makeover [Step 5 ~ Bottom stair begun]

The ground floor staircase has a bit of simple decoration. The panel inserts had 90-degree edges. I like them better beveled. All it took was a sharp eXacto knife and a little patience.

The inner panels edges have been beveled. The bit of quarter round taped in place is auditioning to see if edging the entire section would look better; it didn't make the cut. This view shows the wide balusters that are part of the kit. They will be replaced with the more delicate balusters like those used on the middle floor staircase.

Here are the beveled panels stained. I wish the grain of the wood were not so evident, but when it is installed in the house, I don't believe it will be as noticeable. 

And let the demolition begin! I started to saw off the balusters but realized quickly that the Easy Cutter would do a quicker and neater job of it. A little sanding and some stain, and the new balusters can be installed.

You can see how the balusters on the far side are truncated so the entire unit can slice in and out of the ground floor foyer. I haven't quite figured out how this can be accomplished with the new balusters. It may be that they will be attached to the handrail instead of the tread to become part of the middle floor railing unit. Still pondering this.

A little bonus: a set of wooden spoons turned up on the Greenleaf Dollhouse forum the other day. It inspired me to make a set for the Pierce/Bohemian Inn kitchen.

Here is the result of my first 1:12 attempt with its full size counterpart. The full size spoon was made by my father many years ago and is used frequently in my real life kitchen. The mini looks awfully small beside the full size spoon, but it is one inch long and the full size spoon is 12 inches long. (I just went back into the craft room and measured them to be sure!)

This closeup reveals the slight lopsidedness of the bowl. I used a couple very sharp eXacto knives, the carving tool in the photo above, and an emery board to get this far. A popsicle stick I happened to have on hand provided the wood; it has a nice, tight grain. A bit of paint will give it an aged, well used look.

In looking back over the file, I realized the Pierce was begun seven years ago, hibernated for two years, and after a brief spurt of effort has hibernated again for the past five years.  Poor Pierce. It's time to get the Beacon Hill finished so I can move on!

Beacon Hill Staircase Makeover - [Step 4 ~ Middle Stair Fitted]

How to attach the balusters to the treads, that was the question. As I recall, some have drilled holes and inserted wires or wooden pegs. I didn't have either on hand, so E-6000 glue to the fore. It will hold just about anything to anything and is strong.

The wall side of the staircase is on top. I put bits of quarter round under the balusters so they would not be glued at the very edge of the treads. Since the staircase is larger than the magnetic jig, I turned the jig upside down. You can't see the magnets holding it in place in this photo. The graph was cut from part of a quilting accessory. It is useful for lining up the bits and pieces. The newel post at the bottom of the stair is glued in place and will anchor the handrail. When the glue is thoroughly dry, the handrail will be glued in place by putting a tiny blob of glue on the ends of the balusters and again left to dry for a good long while.

The contractor and the doctor like what they see. The doctor is a bit put out that construction is taking so long, but this is New Orleans, which runs on its own schedule.

The E-6000 worked well. The unit looks flimsy but is really quite sturdy, even with the handrail not attached to anything at the very top. The contractor is explaining that a newel post will be part of the railing that will surround the opening in the floor. The handrail will fit snugly against it, giving the impression that it is all of one piece. [Smoke and mirrors. 😉 ] 

A coat of clear satin acrylic will be applied to all of the staircase sections when they are all finished. The next step is to tackle the ground floor stairs, which have two landings and need to be jury-rigged so as to slide in and out smoothly. I've ordered some flooring material, which means a bit will have to be shaved off so they'll fit.

Beacon Hill Staircase Makeover [Step 3~Staining]

Back to work on the Beacon Hill! It was too wet to work in the garden today, so the banisters and newel posts got stained.

I stained the ends of the banisters and newel posts and set them out to dry while I stained the handrails. They need to be stained before being glued in place, as the stain won't stick to glue. Staining them first means no little white spots. The staircase will receive a coat or two of clear satin poly after it is assembled and ready to install.

I used the stain pen. It was low on stain, so I tried to refill it with a small hypodermic needle without an actual needle. It didn't work very well, hence the two big blobs of stain. I ended up touching the tip of the felt to the surface of the stain in the can. It drew up enough liquid to cover one piece. The photos of the white staircase is my inspiration for this remodel.

The staircase has a void where the original banisters were cut off of the outer piece. I've ordered some 1/8" quarter round to fill in the gap. It will make a much neater finish. 

I'm working on the section of staircase from the middle floor as it is a straight run. While I'm waiting for the quarter round to arrive, I need to cut the original banisters away from the ground floor staircase with its two landings. I'm still determined to build the staircases individually so they can be removed easily.

Beacon Hill Staircase Makeover [Step 2 - 2nd floor demolition]

The staircase remodeling is going slowly, at a rate of two days of thinking for every two minutes of actual work, but the thinking is beginning to pay off. I'm starting with the second floor run, which is straight. This is what it looks like using kit parts.

Looking at the backside, the new bits are staged. As you can see, I've started staining the new parts. I finally figured out that the stain is Provincial by Minwax.

Not shown, the delicate procedure needed to detach the flat bannister/rail piece from the staircase unit. The thinking part included a debate between salvaging the lower part and making an entire new surface.  The salvage idea won. Using a combo of sharp utility knife, mini saw, and emery board, the demolition began. I cut it away to line up with the risers and the underside of the steps. This, however, left a disturbing void between the edge of the step and the outside plane of the facing, which triggered more thinking.

The result of the thinking calls for a piece of strip wood to extend the step a bit beyond the facing. It will be rounded to a bullnose silhouette and stained to match the rest of the unit. The facing has not been glued yet. It may need some gentle sanding on one or more steps to fit the strip wood snugly enough so as not to be very noticeable. The stripwood has been ordered.

Meanwhile, the thinking has shifted to the railings that edge the opening between the first and second floors. I think the balusters for the upper run of the ground floor unit will actually be attached to the 2nd floor railings and simply hang down, so they, too, can be removable. Need to make a mockup to test the theory.

Beacon Hill Staircase Makeover [Step 1 ~ Staging]

The staircase in the Beacon Hill reminds me more of a Craftsman style, not Victorian. I see it used in other Beacon Hills and it works well, but in this Beacon Hill, I want a more delicate appearance. To that end, I've laid in a supply of Houseworks balusters, Newel posts and handrails.

Before cutting away the current details, I used a bit of poster putty to put some of the elements in place. It's obvious that there will be adjustments to be made, but all in all, I believe I'm going to love this makeover.

You'll notice that the tops of the upper balusters are cut off. That's because I want the staircase to be removable.  With the more delicate balusters, I may need to rethink how the pieces will fit together. 

Some of the balusters may have to hang down from the piece that fits above this one. I'll think about that while I prepare the components. I want to stain them prior to assembly.

This concept is not original to me. I saw pictures of this kind of staircase that someone else had done beautifully. I thought I saved the photos for reference, but now I can't find them. If anyone can point me toward them, I'd be much obliged.

One step forward ...

Well, maybe not two steps back, but it sure feels like it. I've fiddled with the staircase and the lobby partition wall but I think they are now finished. I filled in the original stairway hole and gave the ceiling a couple coats of white ceiling paint. tonight I finally got up enough nerve to cut the new stairway opening. I measured about four times but still managed to be off enough that it took a little more plastic surgery to get it where it needs to be. The staircase unit slides out as one piece.

 Here is the lobby through the hole where the front door will go. I'm thinking of ways to keep it from getting too closed in so as not to lose too much of the view.

 I like the little flash of red glass in the clerestory windows.

 View through one of the oval windows in the lobby. I had to trim the frame of the other oval to accomodate the stair railing.

The underside of the stairs has been framed in. I see it needs a bit of detail work. Notice the doorknob on the little door into the desk area. Lloyd was concerned about how Alois was to get in and out.

There will be a hanging light in the lobby, behind the leaded glass windows. I think it will shine nicely. Am waiting for delivery so I can get it installed.

I've prepped the rest of the vertical pieces -- flat walls and tower walls. I painted both sides with flat white ceiling paint and then coated the inside surfaces with a skim coat of wallboard mud. I spread it on with a palette knife and like the way it looks. Tomorrow I'll paint it and put some of the walls in place.

Stairway to ... ??

The stairway is finished, painted with 3 or 4 coats of satin-finish polycrylic. I lost count, but I like the way it looks. The restaurant wall behind the stairway is made of foam core board. Part of the 2nd landing is braced with an arc detail. I extended that arc to make the entry to the restaurant area. It cried out for a stones, so out came the egg cartons. As seen here, the stones are painted a base gray. They will be enhanced to make them more realistic and the walls will be painted with gesso to mimic smooth plaster.

I wanted two shades of brown for the stairs and pulled two from the rack of paints. I was pleased with the darker shade, which mimics the walnut stain on the floor. When I opened the lighter color, it appeared to be way too orange. On my way back to the paint rack, I passed the base with the tile insert and realized that the color I had in my hand complemented that of the tiles. So, I followed my initial instinct and am pleased with the result. I even added some panel detailing using the lighter color for accent.

The unpainted area will be covered by part of a wall, although I've not worked out the logistics yet. Also, note the missing top of the railing against the wall.

My thought is to make this wall and stairway removable. However, there's the matter of the railing sticking up through the ceiling. I may have to make the wall removable and fix the stairway in place (although dusting it will become a royal pain). Still thinking about this one.

And then there's the challenge of the divider between the foyer and the bar (the area to the right). The irregularly shaped white cardboard is a stand-in for a divider. If I put it here, it will cut through the tiled area. If I move it to the right, it will mess up the restaurant entrance. I think I may have to figure out a jog in the wall, but I'm leaving that for another day!

While waiting for the paint to dry, I filled in the slots on the porch with Spackle. They're now sanded smooth, so they shouldn't show under the floor paint.

Wallpaper is Up

The railing is in place on the stairs. I had hoped to make the upper part removable, but in order to run the handrail all the way to the top, it was necessary to glue everything in place. None the less, I like the way it turned out. The rest of the baseboards have also been installed, both upstairs and down. They lack only the quarter round to finish them off, but I haven't ordered it yet.

Then -- I did the wallpaper in the kitchen, finally. Making the templates took waaaaay longer than hanging the wallpaper. I used liquid starch for paste and really like the way it handled. I could slide the paper around to get it seated properly, which was very helpful in such tight quarters. It was easy to paint on with a brush, and it did not bleed through the paper. The blue tape is holding the baseboard in place and holding together the two sections of linoleum while the glue dries.

I must confess, I did only three walls. The other side of the wall that divides these two rooms was just more than I wanted to deal with. It is painted white, but I think it will be covered over with shelves on either side of the doorway and maybe a shelf above the doorway as well.

So, except for the quarter round, I believe the house is finished, except for the fourth wall, which needs to be cleaned up and painted. Yet to come, landscaping and interior items.

Mini OHSA is now Welcome

It has been a while since I worked on the quilt shop. I know I have to jump through hoops and worse to wallpaper the kitchen, so I've been practicing avoidance techniques. I'm good at them.

But I've missed doing minis, so today I worked on the stairway railings. I bought the components from Hobby Builders Supply and stained them Golden Oak with a stain pen. For little bitty bits, I like the felt tip touch-up pen better than a brush or rag. The upstairs rail is simple, an L shape. You can't see the short leg of the L; it's on the left. The ballusters are three quarters of an inch apart, the equivalent of nine inches in real life. I used my magnetic jig tray to put it together. What a treat!

The railing is not glued in place. This floor will have golden oak wood flooring laid to cover the damaged original floor. I'll glue the railing in place when the flooring is finished. The downstairs rail, which follows the pitch of the stairs, is a bit trickier. I made individual treads for each step, since the original steps were very plain. These are stained golden oak, too. For the handrail, I glued one balluster to each step. The handrail is leaning against the wall. None of this is glued in place yet. First I had to figure out the height of the Newell post and couldn't do that until the linoleum flooring was installed. Had to add a piece to the bottom of the Newell post to adjust it so the handrail will hit it properly.

At one point, I took a photo up the stairs, a view that isn't easily seen but is visible if you look in one of the windows. Luckily, I took the photo before I glued in the treads and handrail. Notice the right side wall of the stairwell. It isn't painted! The treads in the photo are already glued in place, so it will take some creative taping to protect them from a paintbrush that needs to spread paint where it can't be seen while one is doing the painting. What a pain. Anyway, I decided it's way too late to do any painting, so the lower treads and handrail will just have to wait for installation at a later date.

If you look to the right in this last photo, you're looking into the kitchen, where the dreaded wallpaper caper must eventually take place. I wish I weren't quite so set on wallpaper in there.