Will have to get use to the new way heh Sanding and balusters are on the list, final tread and riser needs securing, but before that i need to secure the half newel post to wall and a few more fixings in the wall stringers. Question time.. I could really use a good tip how to paint the stairs, do i sand in between the coats? I have sanded all the wood before i assembled it with 240 grit. Are there some good brands out there that i don't know about. I could use a tough and durable paint because the wood is quite soft... I will upload some pictures later or tomorrow.
@SoManyUserNames Pictures, I have probably overkilled a bit with the blocks and extra support for winder corners, but why not it's how I do things and nobody will be able to see it once done and I will be able to sleep better at night.. Here is my little trouble I couldn't fully align the tread no matter how hard I tried to bend the stringer. I had 0.5 -1 mm gap at the newel post side so I used filler to hide it (guilty), but I will try to sand it off, make pva and very fine saw dust mixture to hide it better.. Staircase feels very sturdy just a little bit left to do.
@Halfaudio Looks good, nope not too many glue blocks, I normally go with 3 per tread and extra on winders. As for the painting, you probably don't need to rub down between coats, unless you get runs! there may be someone else watching this thread that can help with this one. I would probably sand to 150 grit for a paint finish, I take close grain timber down to 240 for hand over to polishers. A small bit of filler is not a problem, you have done extremely well, this is better than some staircases that I have seen come out of joinery shops. Top marks.
It really is better than a lot of staircases I've seen and fitted. I'd paint the strings and newel but stain the treads if it was me, all tastes are different though. Top thread and top marks to student and teacher. Bit gutted really that the finish line is in sight, Halfaudio you fancy converting the loft whilst you're on a roll?
In all honesty I have gotten used to coming here, feels weird that I have no questions to ask or next tasks to do... I have been in the loft and after days of cleaning, sweating and replacing the insulation we sealed the brick work and we built a storage area there. I do have to still do the rest of the ground floor, extension, garage and large storage shed both large gardens and the fence is screaming for help (god help me..) Once I will be done, after so many years I will have to start all over to fix and update ..
Ah, so more mega threads to come? I bet the family are thrilled the extension ladders are finished with now I can't remember if I or anyone else asked earlier in the thread but what do you normally do for a living?
@SoManyUserNames @Jord86 I used to work in finance now working as an interpreter and few other boring things.. English is my third language so this wasn't the easiest task for me. I am originally from Baltic states, but I try to hide it because we have had a few unpleasant experiences, but I am sure there were some tell tale signs... Anyway Tomorrow is the final piece day! I have to fit the last riser secure the final tread and replace the old chipboard with new one so it all fits close and neat... Pictures.. Made pilot holes so it doesn't split ... This took some trickery had to sand off bottom half side 1mm and top side 1mm just to punch the baluster in sits tight so no worries here. SAND THE BALLSUTERS BEFORE I almost forgot, that would have been a hell to do after.. Not the neatest job, but hey my first one so really happy.. made a 12mm hole 1.5cm deep then drilled 8mm with sds pushed wall plugs very deep since I prefer it like that khmm and punched 8 mm dowel with glue just to block the hole maybe 2 cm long, then took a drill bit made a hole again. Screwed them all in and plugged the hole with glue and 12mm pine dowel cut off the excess with my favourite oscillating multi tool. This may be a weird way, but it was completely my way and seems that it worked (fingers crossed) Around 6cm gap we decided that it was too close.. and it didn't look too natural We decided to go for the metal caps since there are metal decking spot leds that I haven't revealed yet.
@Halfaudio I didn't see your post before you edited it, you should never hide who you are or where you come from, if people don't like it then that's their sad little problem not yours. There actually weren't any telltale signs of your background being as your command of English is far better and far more measured than the majority of people who come on here looking for help but can't be bothered to string a coherent sentence together. I think anyone who has read this can say that it's been a brilliant thread from all angles both your and @SoManyUserNames input as student and teacher has been superb. If I were you I'd step up the amateur woodworking input as your work has been far better than a lot of carpenters efforts I've had the misfortune of encountering.
Thx @Jord86 Glad you like the work and thank you for helping and supporting me along the way. I still owe Master Yoda @SoManyUserNames a massive Thank you, I greatly appreciate the time and effort you had to put in to this to make this happen. Really can't believe you actually believed in me I wasn't even sure I will ever be able to pull this off, but thx to you this is finally done! I shall find a way how to send you a gift I will get in touch with you trough https://www.knostairs.com/ if that's ok?
I think this is the best thread I have read over the years. All credit to the OP for his cracking work which would I suspect put some "professional" joiners to shame and to SMUM for an amazing tutorial. Well done both. I fully endorse Jord's view that your english is better than many on here OP.
@Halfaudio Fantastic job, a teacher is only as good as his student, so thank you, you have made me look much better than I am. I am glad you saw it through and hope you get many happy years of use out of the staircase, you must let us know what project you take on next and then think, what have I done? By all means, you can contact me through the website but I think I have had as much reward from doing this as you have, it has taught me a lot about how I need to explain certain aspects and how to demonstrate those aspects, this will help me building the website for others to use. I did not pick up that English was not your first language, as you can speak proper like, like what I does. Glad to have been a part of this thread, let's see how many more brave souls are out there willing to try a project like this.
@SoManyUserNames I guess we can still carry on in the same tread since I am still technically working on and under the new staircase right!? Well since you asked I am planning to make under stair storage. Something like this! Can't get over the newel post cap that sits wrong in this picture it drives me nuts... Then I still need to find the right colour for the staircase. Tikkurila company seems to have good reviews and very competitive price we have ordered a few samples. Right now I am patching up a few battle scars we left on the walls when we were assembling the staircase.
Sounds very reasonable to me, it has been a while since I made cupboards, draws etc. so this will make me think but I am sure we can figure something out between us. Do you have an idea of how you would like to divide the space up?
Special design feature, it stops you from leaving your coffee cup on the newel post, fails with wine glasses as once you have had a few it looks perfectly level.
I keep disappearing, finally had the time to tidy up the garden a bit..Still need to cut down one tree and a few more in the future. I have a few ideas I will have to use my outstanding paint skills again and show you what i had in mind, most likely tomorrow.
@SoManyUserNames This was done under every tread and it made a massive difference. It sounds very dense? before it made more of a hollow sound when I was walking up and down the staircase. Finally found in stock 22mm chipboard. Is there any sparky here that can confirm if this is ok to conceal wires like that? Main menu today got to love my paint skill... There are quite a few ways how to make them, but I have a feel my misses is steering this ship now... I was thinking about large coat hangers sliding in and out in the large space and split in two sections and some for kids much lower. On the other side just some sliding drawers. I am all ears if anyone has a better layout idea.