Sanding the Stairs

After the floors were refinished (will post pictures soon, I promise), we decided that the first project should be sanding and restaining the banister to the stairs. As Stuart is doing most of the work himself, I figured this would be a small project with quick results to get him motivated for the rest of the house! He also had the help of my brother and they completed the project in about 2 days.



The banister had a very old stain on it that became way more noticeable after the hardwoods were refinished. The above picture was taken after an initial sanding was done.



And the light wood color is revealed with a little elbow grease...





Props to Hunter and Stuart for their extensive efforts to protect the floors during the process! They also did some work on the stair risers but we have a little more to do with that...Next post will be after pictures of the newly stained banister. Thanks for following!

I Can't Believe I've Started A Blog

That's right--I can't believe this. None the less, I've started a blog to document the renovation of my fiance's and my first home. We recently purchased the home in April 2010 in North Carolina. Built in 1928, the house has only been owned by one family until now. Thus, our homeowning and renovating adventure begins.



Our house is a little over 2,000 square ft with 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. I've included several pictures below of the house when we purchased it.

Living Room:


Dining Room:



Pitiful Kitchen:



Downstairs Bathroom:



Guest Bedroom/Office 1:


Guest Bedroom 2:


Master Bedroom:


Upstairs Bath:


So there it is ladies and gentlemen! Our first house. Although some of the floors look like they are in good condition from these pictures, they all needed refinishing. We recently had them refinished and I will post some pictures in my next entry. Also, Stuart (my fiance) and Hunter (my brother) have begun to strip/sand/paint/stain our banister, stairs, and spindles. Will also post pictures of that process!

The renovation is going to be quite an adventure, as Stuart nor I have any real experience with this sort of thing. However, we are eager to learn and love our old house!