One of the smaller projects Dean has talked about doing since we moved in was to replace the balusters with something fancier. We are very fortunate to have a lovely layout but not a million balusters to replace- 50 to be exact:
There were a few unexpected hiccups during this project:
1. The hole left by the old balusters was larger than the new shoes. Dean had to drill the holes, then sand and paint the entire base to make it look right. These extra steps took a while longer but the finished product looks great.
2. The top part showed some of the lighter wood when the old baluster was removed. Dean painted the areas so that there is no flash of wood showing.
3. Cutting the new balusters stinks. Literally. Even though he did it in the garage, the burning smell was acrid.
The end result looks stunning- at first I worried that the new balusters were too thin, but now that they're in the size seems appropriate. It took several hours to get them all done- probably best for a long, dedicated weekend. I recommend you take the first piece apart so that you can see the scope of your project.
There were a few unexpected hiccups during this project:
1. The hole left by the old balusters was larger than the new shoes. Dean had to drill the holes, then sand and paint the entire base to make it look right. These extra steps took a while longer but the finished product looks great.
2. The top part showed some of the lighter wood when the old baluster was removed. Dean painted the areas so that there is no flash of wood showing.
3. Cutting the new balusters stinks. Literally. Even though he did it in the garage, the burning smell was acrid.
The end result looks stunning- at first I worried that the new balusters were too thin, but now that they're in the size seems appropriate. It took several hours to get them all done- probably best for a long, dedicated weekend. I recommend you take the first piece apart so that you can see the scope of your project.
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