August 20

Stair project, day 4: all the missing cove moulding has been replaced, all the blue border has been painted, and we’ve put down an example of the final tan color for the center of the faux runner.  All in all a pretty tiring evening.

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And yes, that’s a footprint on the bottom tread — the paint was dry to the touch but still tacky enough in all this humidity to grab onto dirt on both Lis’s and my feet.  It needs a second coat anyway.

August 19

Stair theme, day 3: most progress tonight was not visible (finalizing the design; picking up & priming cove moulding for replacing missing pieces) but here you can see the beginning of the blue border for the runner.
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August 18

Part 2 of the stair project mini-theme:
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Here we’ve finished priming, and have painted the base color on the outsides of the treads (again, leaving the middle for walking).  You can also see color chips for the other 2 colors to come later.

August 17

We are back from vacation.  The new oak floor looks marvelous.  The stairs.. not so much.  It turns out their materials and condition are not conducive to staining and clear-finish.  After brainstorming with Jen, our interior-designer friend, we have decided to do a faux runner on the main stairs.  The next few days of posts will feature a mini-theme following its progress. 
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Here we’ve patched & sanded the worst of the defects, and primed one side (leaving the other side clear for walking until it dries).

August 15

Ahh, Saturday on the Vineyard… the day of our traditional eat-at-home lobster dinner.  We do this on Saturday to avoid the restaurant crowds.
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This year’s feast was especially yummy because of farmer’s market goodies picked out by Lis and Rachel.