Look What I Found

I've been toying with the idea of tearing the carpet off my stairs for the last few weeks.  I've been working on refinishing my hardwood floors for some time now and I thought why not just refinish the steps while I'm at it.  The only thing holding me back is all the work it would be and I wasn't quite sure what the quality of the wood was under the carpet.  I realized that in the 25 years I've lived in my house, I've never seen the stairs without carpet.  The only way to find out was to start ripping up the carpet, but then there would be no turning back. So, last night I took the plunge and this is what I found.  

  I found exactly what I was hoping for ~ hardwood treads.  Only they were quite a mess with tons of staples in them.  

  The side boards have years of paint on them and will need stripping with a heat gun to make them look new again.  

  Lots of paint crud accumulated over the years.  Stripping paint is not a job I like or want to do, but if I'm going to do it, I might as well do it right.  

  My stairway is not open and exposed like most homes,  but is between two walls.    

  It's not a part of the house that is even seen by many, but I am excited at the prospect of having beautiful steps instead of dirty carpet. I'm excited to get started on them and to share them with you when I'm done. Meanwhile, lots of ripping, staple removing, paint stripping, sanding, staining, and repainting is on the agenda for the next few weeks.