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A Dingy Entryway Gets A Fresh Look

by on Nov 25, 2014

If you checked out the Curbly House tour we posted last month, you might have though our house projects were all completed (we did use the words “It’s Finished!” in the title, after all). Alas; we must confess to some wishful thinking/titling. There’s still lots to do, and our side entryway was the worst offender:

A white room with steps has several colorful items.
This space never got finished during our remodel … until now!

The space is a little odd; it’s a landing between two flights of steps that lead from the mudroom to the basement, and it’s also where the exterior side door leads in. It’s small, but not cramped, and we felt bad letting all that space go to waste.

We pretty much knew what we had to do:

  1. Replace and temporary stairs that had been installed during the addition construction
  2. Fix or replace the old flooring on the landing
  3. Trim everything out and re-paint
  4. Add some simple decor and make the space functional
Wagner FLEXiO 890 Paint Sprayer

We reached out to Wagner, a local (Minnesota) company that makes some of the best painting tools for homeowners and professionals, and asked if they’d let us try out one of their new paint sprayers for this project. They suggested the FLEXiO 890, an indoor/outdoor sprayer that would be perfect for this job. 

Black and yellow color Flexio paint sprayer.

Don’t forget to enter to win a FLEXiO 890 of your own. Just head over to this post and follow the instructions to enter! Hurry, giveaway ends on November 27th!

The project would require painting a fair amount of trim white (to match the rest of the house). We wanted a smooth, enameled finish that would’ve been hard to achieve with a brush, so the FLEXiO 890 fit the bill.

I started by replacing the treads and risers on the stairs. This is pretty easy to do if you know your way around a tape measure and miter saw. I opted not to add a skirt board for now (I can always add one later).

A man with a blue shirt is working on building some steps.
Measure. Measure. Measure. Cut.

Wooden staircase in an entryway near construction tools.
New steps are in. Old flooring is out.

Then I ripped up the old flooring. We had a bunch of maple flooring left over from the addition, and mostly I just wanted to get it out of my basement, so I decided to use that on the landing.

A downward set of raw wooden stairs in a narrow hallway.
All done, except for adding the baseboard trim.

"Entryway with bunch of maple flooring."
I knew we’d be painting the steps, so I used cheaper pine treads (about $9 each) and risers.

Once the flooring and trim was in place, I was ready to paint. If you’ve never used a paint sprayer before (I have), it does take a little practice (Wagner suggests you do a few practice strokes first, and even provides a practice template in the FLEXiO 890 box).

Paperwork for an appliance and a carrying case.
The sprayer base, hose, and both nozzles are stored neatly inside a heavy-duty plastic box.

"White Paint to Makeover the Walls"
Thinning isn’t strictly necessary according to the instructions, but it helps the material move through the nozzle more easily, and usually gives you a nicer finish.

I thinned my paint slightly (I used Floetrol, but any thinner should work if you follow the directions), and found that the sprayer worked beautifully. It gave me a steady, even coat with very little overspray, and the X-Boost turbine (housed in the base of the sprayer) really provides a lot of power.

"The sprayer comes with a general purpose and a detail finish nozzle."

The sprayer comes with a general purpose and a detail-finish nozzle. I opted to use the latter, since it’s meant to provide a smoother finish. 

"Spraying Yellow paint at the Entryway"

I’ve rented professional-grade airless sprayers, and this one compared nicely. It’d be a perfect tool to keep on hand for anyone who does a lot of DIY-ing or painting projects.

"The sprayer comes with a general purpose and a detail-finish nozzle."
The detail-finish nozzle can go all the way down to a 2-inch-wide spray pattern. Pretty nice for small areas.

We also decided to paint the floor and steps (controversial? I hope not.), because we wanted to make the small, slightly shadowy entry feel as bright and open as possible. Plus, I admit, I didn’t really feel like sanding and finishing the wood! This was another area where the Wagner paint sprayer shined; it made covering all the weird angles on the steps really easy.

"A coating of paint on the wall at the entry way"

Once all the painting was done, I went back through and did a quick coat on the walls. Then we set up the area to be a simple, inviting entry point to our home. Storage for coats, mittens, hats and keys, and floor coverings to keep the elements (water, snow, dirt, ice) out of the house. 

Wooden stair frame with carpet removed in entryway.
Reminder: this is what we we’re looking at before we started the project.

Entryway makeover - new flooring and painted trim.
After. Small, cute child not included.

Entryway makeover with painted floors and black and white rugs.

An entryway with wall hangings and potted plants.
Our little ‘landing area’ shelf. The pictures on the clips are line drawn maps of various cities. 

Materials List:

I’m really happy with the transformation, and with the completion of this project, we’re slowly making our way toward the finish line on the Curbly House project. Except the finish line keeps slowly moving away from us … sigh.

Hey! If you liked this project, please help us share it on Pinterest!

Curbly House entryway makeover project - new floors, stairs and a fresh coat of paint make this dingy hallway a bright welcoming space.

This post was sponsored by Wagner, all opinions are mine alone. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Curbly, and help us continue to create free original content.

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6 Comments

  1. This looks sooooo nice. It gives me a very “at home” kind of feeling. Great job

  2. really nice,except the rug makes me dizzy.everything else is a great improvement.

  3. Anon – thanks – actually the rug looks much better in person. Something about the pattern doesn’t show up well in a photograph.