Stairs in the Swedish House - the Next Step

Over the weekend I made some progress on my Swedish House's staircase. I began it some time ago.

I completed the balastrading by first finishing off the remaining ice cream sticks which I had begun cutting earlier. To get an even rounded edge I used a small chisel. The wood was very hard, and quite tough to cut.

I replaced the posts I made earlier with harder base wood which is less likely to be damaged or dinted. 

I moved the staircase between the house and my work bench to make sure that everything fit properly as I was making it.

Unfortunately at one point, the "easy to slide in" staircase got wedged. I had to shove it quite hard to get it out!

I then painted the hallway in a grey tinted white. I will not wall paper this wall, I think a plain and minimal look is best. It took a few coats to get an even finish.

I also painted the stairs.

I am pleased with the result. 

Next job: parquetry flooring for the entrance, and to find a suitable hall light!

A Little More Renovating

Since I have had a week off after Christmas, renovations have continued in earnest. They are coming along quite well, and I almost managed to finish the house (the attic still remains bare unfortunately). 

At the beginning of the week I discovered a picture of a house in the US which is very similar to the eBay house. I was very excited to discover this image. I am thinking of improving the exterior to look more like this house. 

The interior is basically a blank slate after I ripped out the old wall and floor furnishings. 

Before:

After:

I began by using a new tool my Mother had bought to cut a stair well and doorways in the thick MDF. This was quite a task due to the strange angles. 

But I got there, and was pleased with the result immediately. 

Next I began work on the staircase. 

I wanted to make it very simple at first, but then got carried away in the joy of mini staircase building - and it turned out a little more ornate then I planned.

Getting the angle of the bannister correct was very difficult!

I then felt that paneling was appropriate to complete the look.

                  

I then made the paneling for the rest of the same room. I made it from thin strips of balsa wood and other pieces of pre cut pine moldings.

A victorian fire place completed to room. I made it from several lengths of pre-cut moldings and cut one of the spare bannister posts in two halves and glued them on, instead of corbels. I used a Phoenix soft metal fire place insert - I think they are the most realistic to be bought. 

Next the painstaking task of choosing just the right wall paper. It took me two days to decide!

The dining room (below).

Next will come the attic, which I have resolved to divide into two rooms and make one a bathroom and one a maid's room. Stay tuned!

A New Little Stair Case for a Tired Old House

The Scandinavian house has been put to the side over the Christmas break, and for the moment I have been playing around with the new eBay house. I started by removing some wood to make holes for the stair case and a door upstairs and downstairs. 

I bought a pre-milled stair case kit for the house, but decided to use different balustrading (of much better quality than the kit provided).

This took quite a long time and was quite tedious! 

The result was pleasing though. 

I think the stair case has improved the over all look of the house a lot. It seems to have transformed it from a child's toy into a collector's miniature already. 

Tomorrow I will go out hunting for some nice wall paper and do a little more research on American Victorian style as I want the house to look authentic.

Little Stairs Continued

I continued my staircase today. Because my workshop is at my parent's place (I live in a small apartment in the city) I don't get to it as much as I would like. So when I do visit, I do as much work on my house as I can. 

I agonised over the choice of balustrade - round? straight? turned? In the end I decided on a flat stencil type cut. I have seen a lot of these type of balustrades in Scandinavian houses, so it seemed a good choice. 

I decided to use iceypole sticks because they are just the right size. I drew out the pattern on each stick and then cut them on the mini band saw.

I wanted to make the balustrades with a decorative hole, so a drilled holes to make it easier to cut.

Because iceypole sticks aren't the best quality wood, some split while I was cutting them. I glued them back together easily though. 

The result was quite pleasing.

Capping the posts made it look quite finished.

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Still some work to do. Look out for the next post!