Farm House Restoration | Refinishing the Stairs | EP. 5 |

On this episode of our 100+ year old farm house restoration we are refinishing the stairs. After first trying to paint the stairs and that not working out, we then sanded them down to expose the wood that probably hasn't seen the light of day in at least my life time.
For more information about us and all our renovations - www.wabisab-e.com
Support us on Patreon - / wabisabe
Instagram - / wabisab_e
Music:
Artificial Music - And So it Begins - / artificial-music
Dyalla - Ill be Bad - / dyallas
Cee Roo - Bring Colours to your life - / cee-roo

[@MrFartingGiraffe]

I am glad the paint didn't work... hahaha. The natural wood grain is much better looking than that lipstick colored paint.

[@WabiSabE]

I completely agree, it became a happy accident - so much better than paint!

[@HiltsyAdventure]

But then you painted the railing? lol in 30 years they are going to look like the steps, then someone will remove that paint and stain it lol

[@minxy8926]

They look so much better painted, I think they made a great choice :)

[@Dahlia3791]

@@WabiSabE I would have painted the top rail and king post and then left the rails stained. but it does look good how you have it. great job.

[@kaylac8287]

Totally agree with u

[@explaincauseidontgetit3294]

Sorry you had to strip it and sand...but watching you get to the very original wood was oddly satisfying! Your place is beautiful!

[@victoriastevens3166]

N then paint it back over again? :( ... The banister It's nice you left the stairs wood though.

[@marneyholzmer7797]

Latex paint on top of oil based paint will not adhere without a specialized primer. Kilz 2 is the best I have used so far. I love the stairs though!

[@dk2614]

Most major paint stores carry bonding primer. Bonding primers are strong enough to allow painting on glass without peeling.

[@BarneyT]

This video's are so satisfying to watch. They fulfill me in a way that only watching someone else do hard work can.

[@WabiSabE]

It satisfies me that our hard work satisfies you! ;)

[@autumnarcher]

You should watch the channel primitive technology

[@niniandsunny1353]

😂

[@bailnye]

I love watching these videos, honestly! The music and editing is great, your progress is looking great, and you two are so cute together!

[@WabiSabE]

Thanks Bailey! Happy you enjoy them :)

[@darfjono]

that is one impressively fat cat. i wouldn't have painted the railing myself, but i get why you did. the wonders elbow grease and better lighting will do.

[@TalithaMeeuwsen]

Did you just fatshaming the cat...

[@allthingsiro]

@@TalithaMeeuwsen hahaha I think she was saying a compliment.

[@stephenbullard5321]

I’m so glad you guys sanded the stairs. When you guys scraped that paint off I literally stood up and cheered!

[@JensOdense]

You are doing wonderfull work of restoring a home to it's former glory. Continue the great work :)

[@WabiSabE]

Thanks so much, were slowly chipping away!

[@81victrolia]

When epic fails turn in to blessings in disguise! Love how it turned out in the end. Great job buckling down and redoing it, your hard work paid off BIG time.

[@CaitlynneRae]

I've watched all these episodes so many times they're so calming and relaxing to me

[@cathynuytten798]

Awesome. You did the right thing taking it back to the bare wood. They are beautiful. I know it’s hard work but you will enjoy it forever.

[@Borsch_TV]

Your videos make me smile. I like your style! I also liked the color of the stairs, after removing the paint: green and white! I would have left so;) You also have a very cool lawn in front of your house !!! And of course a good result at the end! You inspire me to do repairs at the cottege!

[@barbarastedillie1336]

I’ve restored, remodeled, and redecorated many, many, houses. I always have to make a house my family’s home. This is not criticism, only an observation (I certainly made my share of mistakes during the learning process!), but you’re doing so many things out of order. Example, maybe do the hand railings first, before the stairs. I’ve learned that what usually works out best is if you work from top to bottom. But I’m enjoying watching you young guys making your house your home!!

[@sandracunningham2689]

A lot more work but will last. Making it less work in the end. I really like the results. Hope you guys have a great summer and do something that is not work.

[@WabiSabE]

Hey Sandra! Thanks so much .. we definitely have been enjoying the summer and havent been working TOO hard :P

[@megasuperawesomestuf]

The lipstick colored paint not working was truly a God moment. Love it!! Love you two and your spirit and energy is just so lovely to spend time with on KZbin! Gives me inspiration to love OUR Farm House back to life when we close on it at the end of the month! I wish I could share pictures of our home. It is absolutely lovely and country with the most hideous carpeting!

[@TheSlvrSurfer]

Wow guys! Great work. I'm thinking the paint didn't work initially due to a gloss finish. Was the pink/red latex based? Kinda glad it didn't work to be honest. the natural finish looks waaaaaaay better IMO

[@WabiSabE]

After some input and research I learned the problem we ran into was putting latex paint over an oil based paint without doing the proper preparation. I completely agree, the wood looks way better than the paint!

[@anonymoose116]

I think maybe the bannister in natural wood would have been cool too. More balanced.

[@RichardVarn]

Y'all seem like happy people, and the warmth you're giving your house shows it!

[@rebs3378]

the trials... the tribulations... the rocky (cat version) triumph at the end. satisfying video.

[@WabiSabE]

definitely trials and tribulations throughout but it makes the end result more rewarding - it just sucks so much during.

[@ncooty]

Missed opportunity for click-bait: "USING A STRIPPER TO RENOVATE OUR FARMHOUSE!!!"

[@QueenShadowJay]

Such a great job! I can’t even image the amount of work it took, but the natural step tops with the white backing and railing is BEAUTIFUL!

[@nailsandstuff1]

Looks so amazing. Way better than the red

[@ChantelGrung]

These stairs looks much better now. I love it.

[@pamelaallen6543]

I'm staying with you two love birds and enjoying every minute. My favorite restoration story yet.

[@lhpl]

Ten years ago I did a staircase much like this one. I remember the desperation when realizing that the only right thing to do was to strip down to the wood, I remember the agony of sitting on my knees with a heat blower and sander, scraping and sanding for days that seemed endless. And I remember the satisfaction when at last the beautiful wooden planks reemerged. Respect!

[@Gdraven1]

The stairs turned out beautifully, even if the additional work wasn't expected. I'm thoroughly enjoying your videos. They show the mess, the labor, and the time that goes into renovation, unlike the over-produced, unrealistic shows we see on HGTV, etc. that make it look way easier than what it actually is. Well done!

[@janjones4772]

Those stairs are beautiful ! Y’all are great. Hard working nice kids, good luck wherever y’all are.😃 sorry you had trouble with the stairs.God Bless, Have a nice life.😃

[@gotohell077]

The stairs turned out so good! Also your cats are so cute

[@lanafletch6520]

Beautiful! I am so glad the paint didn't work out because this end result is WOW!

[@lorishackelford8543]

A couple of tips, caulking all the cracks first. And anytime you paint red, you soups use a tinted primer. Also there’s several choices for a durable step paint. If you go to a Benjamin Moore store or Sherwin Williams, they will tell you the better products to use. But more than likely it was an oil based paint that was on the stairs and you used latex to go over it.

[@reinventedhometx1857]

yall crack me up! When I was growing up, my parents bought a old home (1911 or so) and I was a part of the whole process of transforming the home. I grew up in that home and we also, for many years, lived in a construction site... maneuvering around the skill saw parked in the middle of the living room and having to watch our steps so we didnt trip over the extension cords. lol Those actually were the best years of my life, looking back. I really enjoy watching yalls videos and see all the transformations as they come! My husband and I are currently looking for land to start our homestead and I am hoping it comes with an old farmhouse on it, so we can dive in and start transforming too. There is something to be said about working with your hands and putting blood, sweat and tears into a project and smile at what yall have accomplished once its complete! Its the most gratifying feeling EVER!!! :) Im so excited to continue watching and witness yalls journey! Thanks so much for sharing it with all of us!

[@nelsondelmonte]

Any chance the stairs had oil-based paint on them? In the house I grew up in, the previous owners had painted latex over oil and it peeled very much like that.

[@WabiSabE]

Its possible but im not too sure. If paint scratches off easy you shouldn't paint over it because the base layer is the foundation and any layer on top will continue to scratch off.

[@NicoleMead]

Definitely an issue of latex over oil. My current home had the same issue on most of the moldings in the home. You just have to use an oil based paint if you don't want to strip it. The wood is lovely though. I may one day go back and strip where I painted over some of the trim in my home but the oil paint is a quick fix to update and will probably remain in areas like my kitchen where I just wanted it black anyway.

[@MetaMarcy21]

I was going to suggest this might be the culprit

[@mugwump242]

Latex over oil. Yup. Over the years and different houses, I've come across this issue too.

[@nmt121]

@@WabiSabE yes this is the exact reason the red peeled. you need a primer by itself not a two-in-one to bridge the gap between the oil and latex paint. then it wont peel.

[@robertschmidt4508]

Again, both of u are good team. Great choice to strip the stairs. True craftsmanship...

[@Toolz1980]

Just weighing in here, saw there are some other people who commented about the reason why the paint did not adhere to the surface below... It's probably because there is a layer of varnish or lacker below it, which is designed to withstand just about anything that is thrown at it. Best to just bust out the paint stripper and try to remove as many layers as possible to get to a usable surface to paint. You guys did an awesome job and this is one of the jobs I keep delaying in our house. Beautiful restoration and great videos!

[@angelakadingo4112]

Loving all of the gorgeous honey pine color you are using on the wood floors and stairs.. wonderful!!!!

[@reginahouser3223]

Broke my heart for ya. I’ve ran into the same road blocks. You doing great...

[@lunaazulbellydancer]

Oh I've made that mistake. Latex paint won't stick on old oil based paint. I had to use a special Kilz primer to get it to adhere. I painted an entire front porch! It taught me a lesson I'll never forget tho! Great job guys, its looking amazing

[@tjabercrombie]

Stripping paint is the biggest pain in the ass. I can’t even imagine how much work this was. It’s so unbelievably beautiful though. Great work you two!

[@justseekingtruth3998]

Love it!! Blessing in disguise as the stairs look so much better stained than painted!!! Kudos!

[@justseekingtruth3998]

But lock up the cats next time staining or painting, eh??

[@JoyfulJoe1976]

JUST found this channel/series of videos and am HOOKED ! You two are GREAT two-gether. WoW! Such work , , , and determination. Amazing. Felt so bad for you when the stair color didn't work out BUT now [after all that freakin' work] your stairs are GORGEOUS. I just finished Episode 5 [obviously] and am going to wait a bit to watch more episodes, that gives me oodles to look forward to. Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU for SHARING your experiences with us. SOOOOOOO IMPRESSED!!!

[@jessicaklaus7151]

You guys are so fun to watch. We're in the process of buying a fixer, so I'm really glad to have found this channel.

[@brandyweltman7677]

Love the wood so much better than the red paint. You are both a breath of fresh air. We just bought a fixer upper, 6 months in we have found black mold in or 300 square foot master bedroom. It’s so overwhelming but nice to see that after all the extremely hard work it’s going to pay off. By the way we’re doing the work ourselves too. Keep up the good work, love your attention to detail.

[@littlebitofeverything8307]

So glad you went with stain over that paint, looks a million times better.

[@SusyTH]

The stairs are beautiful! Both your hard work can be enjoyed for years to come!

[@kristitilves3292]

OMG Well worth ALL your HARD WORK. Most beautiful staircase I have ever seen! Congratulations.

[@twilightrhapsodist]

Those old farm houses have some of the most beautiful word flooring hidden underneath layers of paint! We discovered it in our house!

[@rneustel388]

I really love the natural wood over the painted, but it sure was a lot of work!

[@brittaneycook4712]

I was so scared you would keep the red. I'm so happy ya'll brought the wood back to its former glory.

[@Gustavo-yn2ig]

That happened because we all wanted tha natural wood grain Beautiful finish

[@carish1452]

I use an old sock over a gloved hand to paint my stair-rails. It's way faster than a brush for any turned wood--table legs, etc. Just make sure you have a pan with an edge to smear off excess paint. Don't get too slap happy with it! Enjoy your renovating!

[@dawnhoward9070]

I am glad the red didn't work out....the stairs are gorgeous!

[@visionarynoah8903]

the scraping off of the paint was unusually amusing and enjoyable but the stairs looked great afterwards style is nice

[@clairecheney]

That paint peeling stuff was amazingly satisfying to watch

[@Bithead]

You two are doing an amazing job, I love seeing these videos.

[@Coherently]

doing every other stair so you could still go up and down is brilliant

[@AtHomeWithZaneR]

Another great job!! Long-term you'll be glad you "buckled-down" and did it. With all the amazing work you've both done you want that to shine through in every detail. Looks fantastic!!

[@ronilangsdale6685]

As soon as I saw the wood underneath the paint I hoped you just sanded and stained it instead of painting it and I’m soooooo satisfied!!

[@frankclaus3775]

Nice result. Just one tip in case you ever want to paint stairs again. It's easier to paint every other step to keep use of the stairs. First mark steps 1, 3, 5, etc with masking tape and paint steps 2, 4, 6, etc. If required do a second coat. Mark the freshly painted steps and do the steps 1, 3, 5, etc. Obviously you don't need to mark steps if it's clear which steps were painted, like when you applied the lipstick paint.You're doing a nice job on the house btw.

[@LigerTigerOP]

When you’re going with a deep base color like that over a lighter color, always prime the surface first. You can have the primer tinted to a color that closely matches that color. Thank you not hiding your mistakes. I’ve been a contractor for years and still make mistakes. Every job is learning processes. I truly love your videos. You two are great together.

[@willcwhite]

SO glad you guys went with stain on the stairs instead of paint!

[@angiebagby75ify]

I feel your pain! We redid a 100 year old farmhouse too. Ours was in much worse condition! We had to lift house, poor new foundation, new beams, new floors, ripped plaster off for new drywall....The list foes on and on!! BUT wait!!! We then decided to add on 1700sq ft! My husband and I did it all ourselves!

[@bairbreoharte9383]

Just watching this set of video. They have really done a great restoration job. Very impressed!

[@rv4854]

AWESOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Glad the paint did not work out. Beautiful.

[@j.b.9581]

I liked the cat-on-the shoulders in banana-jama look. Plus the work you are doing is cool. Great that you are giving a well-built house new life and a fresh start.

[@susanneh.1594]

The wood looks wayyyyyy better than the red!!! Fantastic!

[@son_o_day]

Well you can never beat doing a separate primer and then the finish coat, those 2in1 primer/finish paints aren't great. It's possible the paint you were working with was water based and it simply just reacted with the original varnish that was on the stairs. I always say to customers that want to paint over varnish is to prime it first to make sure itll definitely stick and it creates a barrier between the old varnish and the paint to prevent it from peeling off. These videos are great and your craftsmanship and creativity is unreal. Subscribed!

[@amypapenhausen8970]

You guys have the best music in your videos! I'm really enjoying them.

[@Trekkifulshay]

They turned out so well. So pretty.

[@pollanoantje1413]

I think the stairs are so nature left much nicer, you have done everything right :) And you have a beautiful house

[@joannbirdsong583]

That stairs and railing look wonderful.

[@Sarah-tn9iz]

What a beautiful home you guys have! How lucky you are. I’ve been renovating a modern cabin for years & believe me not near as much fun. You have good bones in a old home.

[@geekbruin]

Oh God that was SO MUCH WORK. Nice job sticking it out.

[@barnabaas79]

I believe the paint is scraping / coming off because you needed to sand off the previous paint or material first. The paint you got isn't absorbing / adhering to the surface your painting onto because of that. I'm guessing because the stairs are like your floors - they had the same type of 'finish' on them that was protective (like shellac or poly for example). Gonna be a pain in the ass to deal with...but you did it!! Looks great!

[@WabiSabE]

I was thinking that as well but when we spoke to the paint specialist at the hardware store they just said to thoroughly clean the stairs and you can paint right on top of the existing paint. But in hindsight, we just didnt want to sand the stairs (we were lazy) but now were happy the paint didnt work out because we love the look of the natural wood!

[@stephen890]

Exactly this.

[@ginlyn39]

Those wood floors are incredibly gorgeous and I like the stairs with the stain much better than the red!

[@dionnegraco616]

Watching that paint bubble and lift off was very satisfying. Love watching your video's everything from the both of you to the house is covered in love.

[@debbiemcclure2874]

Wow, I didn't hate the red but I love the way they turned out. They look amazing. Tyfs

[@claudiaceleste777]

Wow you'd feel such a sense of accomplishment every time you looked at those stairs

[@cindyrobbins8789]

So glad the paint did not work. The stain looks Beautiful. Sorry it was so much work but so worth it. Great job.

[@saffronhammer7714]

What a lucky "fail."~ I love the white Napster and the wooden treads!

[@kayleestocksdale3670]

Subscribed because I’ve totally gone down the hole of despair and felt that animation lol. Your stairs look amazing thank you for making this video!

[@liubagallucci5275]

I love your videos...not one minute of boredom!!!! Both of you are doing a fantastic job. Stay happy, funny and healthy. Liuba

[@Cazlee87]

I feel your pain. I painted 4 doorways and doors with a paint that was recommended to me and included a primer. But it peeled right off. I was so devastated and has put me back weeks scraping everything back.. I learned to sand well and definitely use an undercoat. Sorry you had to go through that too but it turned out amazing so well done for taking that breather and pivoting!!

[@Cazlee87]

Oh and to doing a test patch before painting everything. It's worth eakting that extra day. Good luck with the Reno!!

[@saraannhofer]

I found this channel an hour ago, needless to say I'm deepely invested in your house reno now. Makes me want to go buy something I can fix.

[@toomuchgarden6898]

Wow! Finished project looks amazing! Really something to be proud of!

[@amyelgin]

Black rot iron stair handles would look beautiful on this as well. Wonderful job. I love yalls house!

[@kettelwellchildren1302]

The paint being scraped off was so satisfying

[@goldenrayofcentralsun1111]

Truly a labor of love. Excellent job.

[@blondelebanese9922]

I find y’all strangely satisfying to watch. Makes me feel all warm and squishy. 💕

[@dbrereton5075]

Just found you today. Yay! So interesting, informative and entertaining. Note: The old stairway paint was surely "oil-based"; therefore, acrylic will not stick to it. Needs a good primer first; otherwise, sanding 😷. Also, when doing stairs (that need to be used), I learned to do only one side at a time -- the kitties will, of course, use the sticky side.😒😼

[@6709LeftzBehind]

Naturally finished stairs look the best and honestly I get a sense of relief after seeing all those layers of paint taken off!! Could you imagine if painting it worked and then you had to keep adding layers when the paint inevitably wore down? Too many layers is probably why the paint rejected the last coat...maybe

[@janez2823]

Ohh stairs look beautiful , amazing job, sooo much better that painting red !!!

[@livingauthenticallyonmyownterm]

OMGOSH !!! You guys are doing a FABULOUS job. Love your goofiness too. So refreshing ❤️

[@coreenaburke5775]

Stunning transformation I would have never had the patience. It was so worth it though its perfection!

[@minxy8926]

I love that you didn't paint the stairs! They look so good varnished instead. Nice work :)

[@cherylmatthews4066]

I loved the Natural Wood, mainly because i dont have to repaint the painted parts every year as it gets yellow. Love wood.

[@chakrakhan8624]

Stairs turned out great but to save myself some work I definitely would have changed the railing to make it wider and stop where the wall meets. Idk if it would have worked but I would have tried lol

[@BrummyTom]

Great job. I’m in the middle of stripping mine now. If anyone is in the same boat, I strongly recommend a heat gun to remove the paint work. A detail sander is handy too, use coarse paper and gradually replace with finer to finish the wood.

[@Kez_abi]

Blessing in disguise. The wood floor looks fabulous!

[@harrisond8132]

A tip to paint or stain stairs... do every other on separate days, then you can get up and down them. I know. Too late. Glad you ended up sanding instead of paint. Paint would never have held up. This place looks amazing.

[@katvonnova403]

Your kitty's are adorable! I can't wait to renovate a home with my husband some day ♥ ♥ ♥

[@lindsayelizabeth5144]

Ugh. We hired someone to refinish our upstairs floors (also wide pine in an old farmhouse in VT) and he was supposed to do the stairs, but the old paint was gunking up his sander. So we have to strip the layers of paint from the stairs. But, your stairs are inspiring! They look amazing afterwards!