the stairs

I love our stairs.  Really and truly.  

Initially we had considered a ship's ladder to get upstairs (in hindsight I am shaking my head in disbelief)...

image from dwell
I still think that for older kids this would be fantastic!

and then we thought we could do skinny stairs...

image from Mister Step

and eventually we realized we could do full sized stairs (yay!).  The full width is so much more practical, and I am thrilled that we have room for them.

no they're not crooked, that's just my photography skills

They are clad in white birch ply, with maple stair nosing.  The posts and rails are hemlock, and the railing panels are birch (although I don't know what species).  The different woods work together beautifully and just blend into blond loveliness.

  

exposed lag bolts 

sure doesn't look like three wood species

The round edge was trimmed off the stair nosing in favour of a square edge, and the risers are kicked back at an angle.

the landing.. ignore the green tape on the left (that railing is the last thing still to be oiled!)

Our finishing carpenter James Ball once again worked his magic, and turned our homely looking staircase into a work of art.  I think it turned out pretty darn stunning.

the stair nosing before - stock Maple

the stair nosing after

I could not be happier.  They are lovely, soft, warm, and unlike any staircase we have had before.  Perfection.

Osmo oiling

Today is the day before moving day!  Yesterday Greg and I spent 18 hours cleaning and buffing at the house, and I am exhausted but happy.  I thought I would show you a few more pictures of the oiling process, and my next post will be from the new house as soon as I get the computers up and running!

the bare plywood

 I took these shots as Greg was oiling the wood for the floor in the loft.  He got one coat on before installation, and this was his system..

you can see how thick and sticky this stuff is.. much elbow grease is needed!

 We have used a few methods for application throughout the build, here Greg used a rag to wipe it on...

then a squeegee to wipe it off...

a clear blade works best.. black blades colour the wax 

the foreground is wiped, the background is not

After being squeegeed, the oil feels almost dry.  Really, we should probably have buffed each piece with a white rag at this point, but the sheer volume of wood we needed to oil was overwhelming.  Greg checked to make sure there were no thick spots, then stacked them to dry overnight...

the drying system.. my man is so clever

I have so many photos to show you of the finishes that have gone in!  Seeing it all come together has been so exciting, and I can't wait to show you!  Think happy moving thoughts for us!