Upstairs Downstairs

A little update to show that I am not discouraged by my boobies! The fabrication of this 'new' stair has gone very quickly compared to the first one. There ARE 4 flights and 4 landings, each furnished and lit so 6 ceiling lights and 2 reading lights for the seating area on the first landing. The third landing will also be lit from an overhead glazed panel that follows the shape of the mansard roof. 

Here you can see that I am still using my mock up space to mark out all the levels before transposing them to the mdf internal walls. Each wall will be double lined with mount board that holds the decor and then glued in place before the ceilings go up.

I add here that I have SO MUCH admiration for all you home makers as I had little idea starting out what was involved and had I known ? Yes I still would have done it, maybe smaller to begin with.

 Above the first landing has been built with the electrics running inside for the under light that will light the back hallway that leads from the hall to the garden and from the drawing room to the kitchen. I am running all the electrics out to the back at the same spots to be able to group the connections. There will be a transformer under the house in the center and at each side a drawer to hold things in between 'styling', the FUN part ! But oh so far away.

 Above you can see the risers being glued in place with the many clamps I buy each time I go home to Scotland as they are much cheaper there. You can never have too many.

 Above and below the second run of steps pinned in place. I used the same fine mdf to make the 'side panels' that also serve as skirting boards.  The landing will have wood floors and rugs. I had considered carpeting the stairs but could not find anything suitable. It might yet happen. 

 Below you can see me preparing to cover the risers with 350 g Kraft card to mask the construction.

 Below are the finished steps. The risers will be painted and the steps either stained and varnished or painted in faux wood. As much as I love this 'venetian blind' wood, it is tough to stain despite sanding there might me a finish through the wood. I haven't tried this new 'blind' wood yet so lets hope. 

 I realised that I could lay the tiles in the hall floor before glueing on the staircase. I used 10 x 10 mm tiles to edge the front opening, doorways and around the stair. I created a cross panel of small tiles in the center of the entrance for effect. I realised that I would run out of tiles since having deepened the house and rushed to make some more last night. I needed to do this during the laying down so that any differences in colour would not be seen as a join. 

 This is a LOT more difficult than I thought as the tiles need to be weighted down after just glueing a few as they tend to rise. I will varnish the tiles then grout and finish with some tinted wax polish. I am going to make a circular hall table that will sit in the center and there will also be the console table I showed before further up on the right. This gives me surfaces onto which to lay letters, packages and floral arrangements. I don't want to have a particular style of furniture but the sort of mix that I would have in my own home, antique, vintage and modern.