Slowly Plugging Away on the Back Hall

I was able to get the bead board and trim stained this past weekend using the new technique of the alcohol dye. I'm pretty happy with the results the color isn't as vibrant as the dyed shellac but the tone is much more even and it's far easier to work with.

Before we removed the Vinyl flooring from the back hall my plan was to just paint the back steps I figured they would be in horrible condition and it wouldn't be worth the time to ready them for a clear finish. Then I would have added some sand to the tread to keep people slipping with wet feet.

Turns out the stairs other than some damage from the metal tips the stairs were in rather good condition. So I decided to stain and clear coat them however I was still concerned about them being slick so I did a little online research and found out that you could at a clear sand like material to the clear coat to give the stairs some grip I called around and found this http://www.hcconcrete.com/products/solid-color-stains/Shark_Grip_Slip_Resistant_Additive/index.jsp at Sherwin Williams I mixed it in with Waterlox and rolled it onto the stair treads. It's barley noticeable when looking straight on which is really nice. But still gives you that grit that keeps you from riding down the stairs on your keester.

Here is one of the treads with the Clear Coat and SharkGrip

Tonight I'm going to apply another coat then one or two on Saturday and it should be it for the stairs then it's time for paint!

The Aftermath

Steadily through the course of this project we've cut off all the sources of light in the back hallway. First we lost the light in the back hall back in March, then we lost the outside light and the pantry light in June. And then finally we lost the light at the bottom of the basement 2 weeks ago when we started this project. Unfortunately, every step forward involves a couple steps back. As of last night the hall looks like this, but hey at least most of the lights work properly.

I made a small error with the 3 way switch that Chris corrected when I was at work Sunday afternoon I mixed up the common with one of the travelers.


Do you see the little yellow wire nuts in this picture? That cable will go to the light by the back door. Back when our house was built it wasn't necessary to have lights mounted to an electrical box now it is... I didn't forsee it but this has been one of the most problematic parts of the wiring project. I needed to find a 4" round old work box with tabs on the front to screw in to. All the old work boxes I was able to find locally were either too small or just had the wings attached to them. The wall is too thick for those wings to be a viable option. Fortunately I found one online but it has not arrived yet. I'm hoping it will arrive soon in time for installation next weekend.


There is also the matter of the light above the back door. The fixture that was up there was a porcelain bathroom sconce which still had all of it's original wiring and original socket. I removed the socket thinking that it would be simple enough to find a new one to complete the rewire. It's proving quite difficult as it is just a touch too narrow at the top to fit the modern sockets. So far I've gone to all of the major home improvement stores, an electrical contractors supply shop, a local hardware store, and a local antique dealer. I've also talked to an online vendor and so far nobody has anything that will fit it. If any one knows where I can find a socket that is slightly smaller than 1.2 inches in diameter please let me know. Here is what it looks like. I'd really like to make this work if it's at all possible.