Another Small Home Improvement - Up The Stairs Part II

The next thing to do was deal with the big gap between the risers and the wall.  It was full of dirt and debris and the drywall was missing in a few places next to the new treads.  Plus there was the big piece of drywall missing on the landing that left a gaping hole.

Great place to collect dirt

Like that big gap in the drywall?

I decided the best thing to do in this instance was to grab a couple cans of Great Stuff and fill up those spaces and it worked great.  Not only did it fill in along the stairs, but it filled behind and stiffened up the drywall were before it moved and wasn't properly attached.  It also allowed me a way to make some drywall repairs.

After cleaning out the gaps next to the risers I filled them with blow foam

After letting the foam cure overnight I got up the next morning and trimmed away the excess.  Then I got busy with a putty knife and some joint compound to do the repairs to the drywall where the sheetrock was missing or broken.

Filled in the gap and pushed the drywall into place.  Yes!

After letting the foam cure overnight I got up the next morning and trimmed away the excess.  Then I got busy with a putty knife and some joint compound to do the repairs to the drywall where the sheetrock was missing or broken.  I let that set up overnight and planned to sand it smooth and paint it the next day, but the landing took a lot more time than I had planned.

Even after scraping and cleaning it i\was still pretty nasty

The landing was a mess and it presented me with a lot of challenges.  As I said the drywall was missing in the corner and beside the first step.  I had shot some foam in the corner gap which stabilized the existing drywall and filled in the hole.  The spot would require something else .  I had purchased a sheet of plywood for a project for the motorhome, but decided to use it on the landing instead.  I measured and cut pieces to go over the risers and the floor, glued and nailed them into place.

Wee bit of a mess here with the drywall

That's better but the treads and risers were still pretty disgusting

There were all kinds of angles and cuts to make and since it has been a while since I sat in geometry class it took me a fair bit of time to get it all figured out.  But I got it and then it was time to go to the garage and pick out trim to finish it off along the sides and edges.  Once those pieces were in place I stained it and left it to dry for at least 24 hours.

I used painters tape to minimize chipping and splintering as I cut the wood

Bags of Capri Sun and two boxes of sparkling water
make great weights while the glue sets up

By this time I was plenty pooped out and ready to call it a day.  Although I didn't make the progress I had planned to last weekend I'm really happy so far with how it is turning out.  By taking my time and thinking things through I was able to get it the way I was hoping to, which is really satisfying.  I also know that by pushing myself past tired I won't get the results I'm going for and that is very frustrating.

Looking pretty darn good and ready for some stain

I still need to finish trimming the risers and along the walls
Once that is done I can finish up painting

I still have plenty left to do so of course there will be a part three, hopefully next week.  I'd love to be able to wrap this all up and be finished next weekend.  We'll just have to wait and see how it goes.