Another Small Home Improvement Project - The Upstairs Hallway

I began this project on Labor Day weekend and thought I could get it all completed in those three days.  I have no idea what I was smoking, but it took way longer than I was originally anticipating.  Two weeks before my youngest started back to school on the 19th of August and that Friday I had moved my oldest into the dorms and she was off to college.  I spent the better part of those next two weeks trying to make sense of the aftermath from moving her out of the house.  Not as smooth as I had hoped.  Way messier!  LOL

I added new moulding to the ceiling that jutted out over the stairwell

Along with high school activities we adopted a kitty, went to homecoming, got ourselves busy stocking up the house for winter and cleaned up our yard after two really good storms came through and made a mess of things.  I worked on the upstairs hallway whenever I had a spare moment which didn't really allow me to maintain my momentum and the project dragged.  I thought I would never get it done, but somehow it all came together.  Finally!

More new trim as well as all new doors!

After hanging the doors and installing all of the casings, new baseboards and most of the new trim along the ceiling I took a short break over the following week.  Once the weekend arrived I was right back at it.  That weekend we borrowed our neighbor's extension ladder so I could finish the moulding along the ceiling over the stairwell.  That was fun....

Then caulking and painting everything

Then it was time for my favorite part (not!), caulking all of the trim and filling all of the nail holes.  I let that set overnight to cure and then I painted all of the trim, the doors, finished the ceiling and the walls.  I took forever!  I really struggled getting all of this painting done.  I think I might be a little burnt out on painting right now.  Too bad, cause there is more to do on yet another project.

A month with no carpet and a week with an extension ladder on the stairs

Next was to finish the carpet and get that installed.  Once that was done things were really coming along.  I love, love, love having the carpet completed and how pretty it all looks.

And then it was done!

To save some money I plan to take our old door knobs and give them a good scrub and then paint them with the Rustoleum Metallic spray paint I have in the garage.  As soon as the weather is more cooperative anyway.  This will update them quite nicely and save me quite a bit of money over purchasing three new ones.  The doorknobs are perfectly fine and still functional so it makes sense to give them a makeover and reuse them rather than toss them out and add them to the landfill.

Oh my goodness!  Light, bright, fresh and new!

The final result so far is exactly what I was hoping for and I am so happy about it.  I have wanted these doors replaced since the day I moved in to this house nearly twenty five years ago.  Especially the one to the master bedroom as it had a hole punched in it by a previous owner.  I think this project has turned out amazing and this mama is just thrilled to finally have this part of our home completed.