DIY Stair Runners... For Barkley

 

Any greyhound owner can tell you some stories about stairs.  At the track, greys live life on one level (from crate to track) so when they're rescued, stairs terrify them!  Even after years with us, Barkley is still nervous around steps.  This is largely because our condo didn't offer many opportunities to practice.

When we bought the house, we considered the stairs right away.  We knew we wanted hardwood floors but we were afraid that Barkley would never make it up and down such slippery steps.  Our budget did not have space for professional carpeting, so I looked up some easy versions of stair runners that I could install on my own.

On of my favourite blogs, Little Green Notebook, posted a great diy stair runner (Pinned here) which matched our style and budget.  It uses runners from Ikea and I was able to use four at just $24.99 a piece to cover the stairs.

Here's what the stairs looked like before.  The green carpet was not our taste and I have allergies so we tore it up right away.

... And by "we" I mean my friend Bonnie, who spent last Friday helping us out.  That underpadding has seen better days.

  

I purchased two different styles of runner to see which I preferred.  I decided that, like a man, my stairs also look better in pinstripes.  I saved the blue and white for the basement stairs since they're so bright and cheerful!

 

I spray painted some thumbtacks black.  I used the same rust paint that I use for almost everything since it adheres so well.

 



 

I then sanded and washed the stairs.

I painted the edges white using oil based rust paint.  From there, I measure my steps and cut off the seams of my runners.  Because my steps are so narrow, I also had to cut my runners width-wise.  A dab of hot glue kept them from unravelling.  I also cut a piece of a non-slip pad to sit on each stair.

Then, I measure and mark in pencil where I want my runners to sit.  I began just under the lip of the top step and secured my runner with a staple gun.

All the way down, I stapled just under the lip and then at the top of the next step as far back as possible.  I would then place a rug pad before pulling the runner over the pad and the lip of the next step.

When I came to the end of a runner, I would place the next runner just under the last completed lip and cover the "seam" of the previous runner.

The steps are a little dirty in this picture (sorry) but I don't want to clean and touch up my paint until we've installed our central air since I know contractors will be up and down the stairs quite a bit over the next few weeks.

I used the black thumbtacks to hammer into the tops of the steps.  I used three on each side of ever step.

In the end, the staples showed a little against the black.  I touched them up with a little nail polish.

The finished product is attractive and safe for Barkley!  They're not perfect but our stairs were slightly uneven to begin with.  Perfectly imperfect... Just like us!  What do you think?  I think they even make the stairs look wider!

And since this was a project inspired by copied from something I found online and "Pinned" I've submitted it for the Pinterest Challenge.  Be sure to check out the hosts, who will have links to many other great projects:

 

Katie from Bower Power

Emily from Sparkle Meets Pop

Renee from Red Bird Blue

Sherry from Young House Love

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ethical Debate: Decorating with Cowhides

Whether to say yes or no to cowhides is always a debate in the decorating community.  I recently posted about covering some vintage director's chairs in cowhide but I know it's certainly not for everyone. 

In our home, we eat meat.  We try to buy meat that's been raised and killed ethically and to incorporate more vegetarian alternatives into our diet but we are still omnivores.  We also deal with raw meat constantly because we feed Barkley a natural raw diet.  This was a big decision for us and it has forced us to get over the "yuck factor" we had felt in the past about raw meat.  To give you an idea, below is a picture of Barkley eating a beef pizzle (if you need to ask, you seriously don't want to know) on a cowhide in our bedroom that has been dyed to look like a zebra print rug.  Can it get any meatier than that?

Cowhides are at home in many modern interiors but for us, their best feature is the fact that they're easy to clean.  We can spot clean them with mild soap and water as long as they air dry naturally.  They are very difficult to stain... and we should know because I spill things everywhere and Barkley went through a phase of having passive-aggressive "accidents" in the house last year.  These are seriously the easiest rugs to own!  While I can understand why some people compare them to taxidermy, I just don't see it that way.

Still, we are animal lovers and we do constantly question our comfort level with cowhides in home decor.  It is probably something we'll revisit many times over the years but, for now, we're loving them and throwing them down all over the place. 

There are many blog posts on the topic but here are a few of my favourites:

• Apartment Therapy shows some great rooms which hit a range of styles, but all include a cowhide in this post.
• Bloesem asks the question in a post and the reader responses are quite interesting.
• My talented cousin Chris, the creator of StyleNorth has posted about cowhides in decorating a couple of times.  He is the person who first introduced me to the Tandy Leather Factory and I followed the tips in his blog and joined the wholesale club in order to save money on my purchase. 

Speaking of Tandy, I highly recommend it as a source.  The hides are thick and good quality (like night and day from what they sell at Ikea) and the staff are helpful, the selection is HUGE and I found the customer support and return policies to be exceptional.  They have a few locations but I believe Mississauga is the largest in the GTA.

Here's some information, for those who may be thinking of making the trip:

Tandy Leather Factory
5562 Tomken Rd
Mississauga, ON L4W-1P4
Canada

Phone: 905-625-3700
Fax: 905-625-4030
Toll Free: 866-608-8822

Store Hours:
Monday-Friday: 8am - 5pm
Saturday: 9am - 4pm
Sunday: Closed

So what do you think?  Are cowhides fabulous, gross or somewhere in between?

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Swapping Roles From Agent To Seller: How Do I Hide My Pet?

Another facet of my transition from agent to seller is the issue of Barkley: my gorgeous and sweet greyhound.  The listing period is certainly a lesson in discipline for any seller but I have a special understanding of the added challenges faced by a seller with pets.  Here is my tale of listing as an animal lover and pet owner.

Since I see homes all the time from the perspective of a real estate agent, (representing both sellers and buyers) I know my advice when it comes to sellers who have pets.  "I know you love them but your buyer may not.  They shouldn't be in the house during showings and DEFINITELY not during an open house!" is my standard phrase.  As a lover of all animals, I have always felt confidant that I can convey the empathy I feel for them but I also point out that: 1- Strangers in the house can be a source of stress for animals and 2- An interested buyer could miss an opportunity to spend more time in their home because of an allergic reaction.  I often gently remind my clients that pet owners often cannot smell their own pets and that fur tumbleweeds and squeaky toys that blend into the background for a pet owner can be eyesores to a buyer.  I always recommend pet daycare or leaving a pet with a family member.  A cat in a listed house is typically less offensive to buyers but still not ideal.  At the very least, the litter box should be emptied before showings and kept out of sight and a message should be left for buyer's agents to make them aware of the kitty.

When we listed, we faced our own pet dilemma: Should we send our gentle greyhound to "daycare" when we have showings?  For Barkley, this is difficult because, while he is a very EASY dog (I'll write a separate post another day about the merits of rescuing these wonderful dogs,) he doesn't really like daycare unless all the other dogs are greyhounds and there are very few dog sitting facilities which will let you drop off your pet last minute AND agree to feed him raw food.  With Corey working nights, we decided we could keep him at home and one of us would just take him for a walk during showings.  This is an excellent plan in theory and I'm still glad this is the plan we chose but there are still some challenges I would like to highlight:

1.  Pets Smell.  I love dogs and people always comment that Barkley is clean and has a healthy coat.  He has a bath once a month, we brush his teeth with an electric toothbrush, he wears a coat outdoors, he hates mud and dirt, he hardly ever farts, he is a well-groomed specimen of a dog and yet... He smells!  His odour isn't bad when I compare it with other animals but he doesn't smell as nice as we do and that's what I'm considering from the perspective of a buyer. 

Solution:  There isn't much we can do here since we are not willing to dry out his skin by bathing him too frequently.  Our solution is to keep his coat and toys clean and out of the way, wash his bedding frequently and keep baking soda in his food cupboard.  We find that Barkley's "stuff" smells more than he does so this generally does the trick.  I'm also pretty liberal with the Febreeze.

2.  Pet Accessories are Ugly Clutter.  Sad, but true from a listing standpoint.  I don't care if your pet bed and dishes are designer, they don't look good. 

Solution:  I make one (semi-joking) exception to the pet dishes rule and it's the Hudson's Bay Company Collection Striped Dog Bowl.  I would consider leaving that bowl out if it matched my decor and was sparkling clean but any other bowl or dish must be hidden in the dishwasher!  I don't stop at the bowls either- There are toys, beds, leashes, litter boxes for cats... once, I was showing a home to buyer clients and we noticed a "used" puppy pad!  With Barkley, we just hide his toys in a back closet shelf, and make sure there are no old bones awkwardly hidden around the condo.  His bed is already in the master bedroom closet and it's too large to hide so we just make sure his blankets are folded neatly.  That's right, we make the dog's bed!

3.  Pets are Furry.  We love that Barkley has no undercoat and hardly sheds... or so we thought until we listed and I discovered that I have superhuman vision and can spot a stray whisker on the floor from across the room.  Now that I am scrutinizing my home constantly as if I were my own client, I'm noticing so much fur everywhere! 

Solution:  We now run the vacuum at least once a day.  Maybe twice if we have multiple showings.

4.  Some People DO NOT Like Animals.  I know, I was shocked too.  We always think of Barkley as being a gentle dog who, despite his name, doesn't even bark.  We forget that many people are afraid of the "Big Black Dog" but this is part of the reason we chose a black greyhound since we know they are always the last to be adopted.  Our standard practice for a showing is to take Barkley for a walk during a showing but occasionally we have passed the buyers in the hallway and some have practically leaped out of the way.

Solution:  I keep Barkley on a short leash (more for their peace of mind than because he needs it) and I walk past quickly saying "He's very gentle" to reassure them.  I am respectful of their fear and I don't try to force the issue.  I also love my dog so I'm not going to let this type of reaction upset me and cause him stress:  It's not their fault but it's also not his!

5.  Animals Have Accidents.  Twenty minutes before each showing I have a moment when I look at Barkley and wonder if he looks like he needs to "go outside."  Then I wonder what I would do if he threw up (or worse) just minutes before a showing. 

Solution:  Luckily, Barkley rarely gets sick and I will likely not need to worry about this.  If it did happen, I know that I have an accessible stash of non-toxic cleaners and I'm pretty sure I could ask an agent to wait outside for a few minutes.  My worst case scenario would involve me rolling up a rug and hiding it on the balcony.

In short, I am glad to finally have a chance to implement my own strict listing rules.  I expect my clients to do everything they can to show their homes to their full potential and I have seen the results many times.  I have however made a decision that the next time I list a home with a pet and I sit down with the seller's to outline my suggestions, I'll bring some treats for the pet... and a good bottle of wine for the owners!