Newels and Hardwoods, a Peek (Before & Kinda-After)

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

As I mentioned last week, we decided to refinish the hardwoods before moving in. Boooo for the checkbook, yay for the floors!

As you can see in this snapshot, the previous owners left a few scratches from their own sweet pets. 

We decided to make the plunge and enjoy the opportunity to scratch newly refinished hardwoods ourselves. Why scratch floors that are already marked up?  There's no fun in that.  It's much more interesting to spend lots of hard-earned money and watch your dog scratch them twice, really bad, in a week. (Not that I know what that's like or anything...). Ha!

Moving along... so I decided to switch out our stairposts. Apparently, whether I wanted them to or not, the hardwood company was going to take the stair posts down,  and replace them with new unfinished rails of the same style. (It's easier than trying to get all that finish off from little nooks and crannies.)

Hardwoods + Newels BEFORE

So I'm thinking, this is an opportunity to make this minor upgrade that (I think) makes a big difference aesthetically, for the money. It was probably a difference of about $300 for two newel posts, versus them replacing them with the same style we had before.

I showed inspiration photos to our hardwood guy who very fortunately had two on-hand!

Why these newels?
1. Box newels look a little less "builder" to me than the style that was installed (I'm not talkin' nasty about "builder" homes. HEY.  We all have builder homes! But you guys know what I'm sayin....). 
2. The lines seem more classic architecturally... and suit the style of the house
3. Antique or custom newels would have been wonderful, but I didn't have the budget or time to investigate that as an option.
4. I was able to get them in our timeline (and not wait for shipping)
5. They're affordable.

Ready for a look at the "almost" after?

Newel posts, (dwell and tell)

From anothah angle...

Newel posts, (dwell and tell)

I'm really happy with the result so far! And I love the hardwood color!

Why do I say "so far"? Well, it all looks pretty good, until you zoom in a little...

Yup, my friends, there was a LOT of mess (hardwood stain that was slopped onto the trim) on the stairs, all over the trim and even the doors and door frames. Fortunately, the hardwood company is paying to have them repainted. I'll try to keep you posted on that.

So what do ya think? Agree with the update? Do you have a preference about newel styles or stair rails? Do you have any experience with hardwood floor refinishing--good or bad?

Staircase Inspiration + Hunting Some NEW Newels

I have some lovely eye-candy that I found as inspiration for our first "project" that had to be tackled at the new house, even before we moved in.

One of the things the inspector (and our own eyes) identified at the inspection was that the hardwoods really need to be refinished. The planks were cupping from moisture under the house and they were pretty scratched up in a few areas. Sure, it could have been put off for awhile, but anyone who has had this done will tell you it's best get this done before you move all your furniture inside! 

The hardwood company said they have to replace the stair rails (apparently it's easier to do that than sand down the existing post and re-stain it). I wasn't thrilled with the shape of the current stair posts, and figured, hey, may as well update those suckers now! How often will I have the opportunity to do this sort of work for me?

I started doing some digging on the posts that I wanted for the stairs. I had to make a decision within a couple of days to fit our timeline for the move so I immediately started hunting inspiration. Here are a few examples of a few of my favorite images that show what a difference a lovely stair post (newel post) can make!

First up, this dramatic, large newel post. Totally drool-worthy... 

by Rachel Rider Interiors, via Houzz

...but our entryway isn't grand enough to handle it. AND my timeline and budget didn't allow to go this route!

I quickly focused on another alternative: box newels. They are beautiful, can be very cost-effective (especially for the simpler designs), and I think they have a classic, polished appeal.

Here's an example of a box newel sained the same color as the stairs and floor... 

designed by Clawson Architect Projects, via Houzz

Here's one with a white base and a stained top...

via House & Home (April 2008 issue)

And painted black, with a matching stair rail...

via Lonny, Sept/Oct 2011 issue

Isn't she pretty painted white, and dressed up for the holidays?.... 

Maison and Demeure November 2010 issue via House & Home 

In the end, I opted for the box newels and I'm so happy with how they turned out! I shall share the results next week!

What do you think about box newels or stair posts? Do any of these appeal to you more than the other? Which would you prefer for your home? 

Lots of Catching Up, And a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

I've been MIA recently, I know. Wait until ya judge.... Wait until you hear how much we've had going on!

Fortunately, most of them are housey things I can pass on.  Like, how about this...

Yup. Packing. 

And Moving. 

We bought a house! After considering lots of areas and options, we found a great house in a really wonderful neighborhood... and somehow managed to list our condo for rent and sign a lease within a week-or-so of listing it. (With this market, there's just no way to come close to breaking even, so this seemed like the best plan for us, for now.)

We've been kind of pinching ourselves, even while we were knashing teeth at times, with all these changes!... 

And then, suddenly, one of the most important people in my life passed away. 

 

My grandfather, Papa, met the Lord last week. He was an inspiration to me and anyone who really knew him. Even after losing most of his sight (everything except some peripheral vision), he continued living life as fully as possible, finding ways to go about his daily life. He was active, mowed his lawn, walked, helped my Gran around the house. He was known for his stories, which got longer and more interesting with age. All full of amazingly accurate details.

He was a God-fearing, God-loving, World War II veteran who saw the flag raised at Iwo Jima! I planned on interviewing him this fall about his time in the war (and his incredible stories from those experiences), and will regret putting that off for the rest of my life.

Papa made me want to be a better person. He constantly made me strive to make him proud. And fortunately, I did. I could hardly get the words "I love you so much" out of my mouth because he would immediately start telling me how much they (he and my Gran) love me, and how proud they are. He left the most beautiful legacy of love and strong family.

It's been quite a mixed bag, this last week. The stress of packing and preparing to rent our condo. The excitement of moving. The sadness of this sudden loss. And especially worrying about my grandmother now.

These housey things seem a little silly right now. But then I think about my DIY grandfather, and think he would want me to continue pursuing my interests, hobbies and passions... just like he did his own (fishing being the first on the list).

So I will continue to chronicle our tales, progress, and obsessions as best I can. Stay tuned... :)