Staircase Progress

We started working on our staircase a few years after we moved into our house.

I'm going to share some "keeping it real" pictures.  I, to this day, can't believe the mess the house was in.  Not only the toys but just all the stuff that was everywhere!

Sorry for the bad pictures a few are pictures of pictures since the scanner isn't working at the moment.

1. & 2.) The boys were playing with their trains in the living room in pic 1 and in pic 2 that's from the dining room.... the staircase half wall ledge was the junk collector.  It almost always looked like that except during the Holidays or birthdays.  The entire house was painted that builder grade flat off white.

3.) I decided one day to paint the living room & dining room orange.  We also took the nasty carpet off the stairs.

4.) Hubby built & installed the new stairs and railings.  They were all oak and stained with Minwax walnut stain. I painted the risers yellow....which I am now in the process of painting a crisp white.

5.) That's the walk-out basement stairs  after we took out the carpet.

6.) Once we finished off the basement I painted the family room walls red.  The stairs hubby built and installed are red oak stained walnut & the risers are painted a yellow.

7.) I've started to repaint.  I've got the one wall you can see from the dining room painted the same color as the dining room and living room.  I've started to paint the spindles and stain the handrail and box newel post.  The stain I'm using is the General Finishes Java gel.

8.) Another picture of the stairs in the walk-out basement family room.  The wall was being patched up.  I need to take the handrail off the wall so I can finish it.  I've already primed it but now I need to paint it.

I'll update when I'm finished.

UPDATE:
August 12, 2013
The stairs are done! FINALLY!!  You can see them  HERE