This basement stairwell before and after makeover is admittedly… a little boring. We have one of those homes (you can see before photos in the Townhouse Tour) that looked so bad when we bought it, that even looking not-bad, looks good. So what might seem like a simple, boring makeover is a major improvement for us – especially when you consider that we spent very little money. We did what we could, and now this area of our home looks fresher and less abandoned.
Here’s the before. And yes, the mess is included. Because the stairwell looked so ratty, it was easy to rationalize not tidying up. I would shove things there, instead of putting them away. It looked terrible and was a major trip hazard. Plus, the paint was dingy and chipped, the wooden railing was faded and worn, the mirror and art I randomly hung did nothing for the space, the light fixture appeared dis-colored and the carpet was a major eyesore.
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| Various problems . . . |
Here is the Stairwell Now:
What Did This Stairwell Makeover Entail?
- I tidied, cleaned, scrubbed, and de-cluttered.
- I painted the walls (Glacial Till, by Benjamin Moore).
- I painted the railing & hardware black with leftover paint.
- I hung my DIY framed bakelite brooches (finally, they have a home).
- I made a graphic, black & white painting for the space.
- I cleaned the light fixture and replaced the mis-matched light-bulbs – all of a sudden it no longer looked discolored so no need to replace!
The seems like simple work, but I suffered. I’m still finding paint streaks buried under the layers (how?!?):
How Did I Reach Hard to Reach Areas to Paint?
I still want to steam clean the carpets (which are less noticeable now that the walls are a lovely greige, making the line between wall & carpet a little less obvious):
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| Since replacing the carpet was out of the question, painting the walls a greige shade make the carpet stand out less. |
But even with just a little freshening up, the entrance to the basement looks less tired, less dated and just, well, prettier. More like part of the home, and less like a space we enthusiastically ignore. The rest of the stairwell still needs art & accessories, but it already looks so much better painted:
Next I’m moving downward, to complete the rest of this very inexpensive basement makeover! We are quite further along than you might think… But it’s been real drudgery to do this and so I’m not sharing real time updates with you because that’s just too cruel. This has been my timeline so far:
Day 1: Painted stairwell for five hours, got paint in hair.
Day 2: Painted second coat in stairwell, got more paint in hair.
Day 3: Gave up on painting, can’t get paint out of hair.
Days 4-9 Ditto.
Day 10: Decided basement won’t paint itself.
Day 11: Started painting again.
Day 12: More painting.
Day 13: I hate painting, I quit.
Day 14: Started painting in basement again.
Day 18: Attacked by centipede, took well-deserved painting break.
Day 19: Ignored basement, but then went to buy drywall supplies.
Day 20: Put up drywall.
Until the end of time: Put up drywall.
Day 25: Put up drywall.
Day 26: Drywall.
Day 27: Movie day, screw the drywall.
Day 30: Emptied laundry room.
Day 35: Realized I forgot to do laundry before disconnecting washing machine.
Day 36: Painted floors.
Day 37: Painted floors.
Days 38-100 Kept painting basement because it isn’t done, I had just moved onto another task.
Day 101: Crum, floor needs another coat.
Day 102: Where is the washing machine? I can’t remember where we put it.
Looking good, Tanya!
Your fabulous painting fancies up that stairwell! I have a similar project on my To Do list. The stairwell leading to the basement & garage is very unfortunate.
That stairway looks so much better now. I really like the home-made art. Now, about that carpet…
Ack! You're supposed to briefly glance at the carpet, agree it is less noticeable and pretend it isn't there. Lol. I don't have the beans to replace it. Frankly, it is pretty new, it just looks old because it needs a good, thorough clean. Blech, I hate carpet.
Love the color you used in this space, and the fact that you painted the handrail black. It compliments your artwork perfectly. That piece actually reminds me of something my sister did. Looks great!
Thanks! Hope you blog about your sister's art on your soon-to-be-awesome DIY projects page.
Ditto, I love how the colours echo each-other design wise. It really pulls everything together to make a unified space.
great painting!
Looks great! Love the painting there.
That painting still gets me every time. I love it!
Love it! You accomplished such a great transformation. I agree that the carpet is less noticeable now and I LOVE that painting there. Great job!
Yay for the carpet blending in!!
It's really coming together, and the artwork fits perfectly there. 🙂
Great job! Looks awesome!
looks great! I love that painting!
Looks GREAT! 🙂
It looks fabulous! I love your art and those green frames – stunning!
Looks great and I LOVE that painting – it really stands out in the space! I'm planning to try following your tutorial to create something similar for our mantle.
Oooo – can't wait to see what you create!!
Simple, minimal and yet delicious!
So nice!!! Great job!
I really like the graphic you made – I think bold art in small places looks so good
That looks great! Your art was made for that space.
Yep, literally. I painted it with the stairwell in mind, lol. Thanks for the compliment!
What a difference! Oh, the power of paint 🙂 And I love your artwork – it's perfect for that space and adds such great impact.
I love the artwork too! The whole space looks calming and serene and blends so nicely. I agree, the carpet is much less noticeable too. Great job Tanya, thanks so much for sharing this!