Chalk and Cheese...

I've been busy since my last blog; wallpaper has been ordered, I'm getting an idea of what the exterior colours will look like and I have been thoroughly enjoying myself making up the staircases. However, as happily as the first floor staircase went together, the second floor staircase was (to put it politely) a challenge!

Some of the pieces I had duplicated from the replacement window sheets so I never envisaged any problems, but the main back piece (where the shelves go) was snapped on one sheet and the wood on the second crumbled whenever I went near it - I cut and punched the pieces out as carefully as I could, but sanding proved even more damaging. The fronts of almost all the pieces were damaged too but the back of the pieces was a much better quality wood, just a lot darker. In the end I glued everything together to avoid any more damage, trimmed the excess on the tabs etc with a hacksaw blade and then filled, filled and filled some more.



I drove my very patient family mad with two days of obsessive filling and sanding but I'm pleased with the results. By putting the filler on with my fingers I was able to manipulate it easily and rub off any excess straight away, and then I sanded with a very fine paper just before the filler went off, which is easier and results in a very smooth finish. Both staircases, Chalk and Cheese as they are now fondly known, are now being painted white. Mental note to self for the next time though, paint the interior piecess of the (oh so teeny, tiny) shelves before gluing them all together!