by My negative dealings with Signature Hardware and the disappointment with the functioning of the crown jewel of my master bath, the shower, last week literally made me ill. I spiraled down to what I think was a new low on this project. I needed a confidence builder, so I turned my focus on painting the back door and installing the basement railing that the city building inspector told me I needed for my occupancy permit.
I had the paint left over from the front door, so no outlay of money. Color is Sherwin Williams Harvester. The door was pre-primed, so two coats of yellow and that was done. I didn’t bother with taping out the glass as a straight edge razor once the paint dried was faster.
The back entrance was boarded up when I bought the house and I just needed something that could lock. I hadn’t thought about light fixtures and their color, so the knob I bought was silver. I decided to replace it with an oil rubbed finish to match the light fixture and was fortunate to find a Weslock knob on Build.com that matches the knob on the front door.
The basement railing was a cheap fix too. I purchased a 8′ 1×4 and 10′ 1×6, less than $15 in material. No pics, but I took the 8′ to the Wood Shop and used my router table for the first time (shop didn’t have one and mine was still in the box, so I decided to let them set it up until I was comfortable using it by myself – that tool does scare me). That piece is the top rail and I wanted the edges to be curved, 1) because the existing rail was that way and 2) it would feel better on your hand. The 1×6 I ripped in half and it became my middle rail and the base for the top rail. A scrap 2×4 (my jig for my wall switches) became my bottom post.
I have a boat load of paint samples, so instead of leaving the new wood I decided to stain the top rail (I have a can of Minwax that is a combination of multiple colors that I combined to empty cans) and painted everything else Sherwin Williams Sea Serpent, which will be the exterior house color.
I do have skills!
I admire your bravery in using the router. I’m a bit intimidated by power tools but I’ve been working through that gradually. It’s good that you try to make SOME progress every week, even if it’s something small. I do that too. Keeps the momentum going, and eventually you’ll tackle the challenging tasks, when you’re ready.