Facelifting carpeted "construction stairs"? (new title, old thread)

[big brown horse]

I'm getting ready to paint my plywood stairs and the landing is sorta wonky with a few different pieces of wood nailed here and there. It is flat, just piece mailed together. When I paint it will be really obvious.

What do you guys recommend? Isn't there a "floater" that I can spread on it to sorta smooth it out and erase the joint lines?

Thanks!

 

[Beekissed]

If it were me I would paint them a contrasting color and emphasize the difference...sort of an artistic touch. I would even add an interesting texture or stensil on them to show that you are aware they are different and you enjoy it!

But then...that's me..... I guess you could use a wood filler caulk on the seams and sand them down.

 

[Blackbird]

I like Bee's idea.. Weren't you going to paint each step a different color anyway?

 

[SKR8PN]

Post a picture of the area your talking about. I might get a better idea of what your trying to do with it.....

 

[xpc]

All the self leveling floor compound I have used was concrete based and kinda tricky to use, I just used it in my bathroom before laying new vinyl and was kinda a pain in the cold weather. It is not easy to recover from a mistake with this solid sheet of rock.

Obviously you know no matter how thick your paint is it will not hide cracks, and even if it did as with a heavy epoxy pour it would probably crack at the seams when the floor boards were stress flexed from any weight bearing animal that used that trace.

I'd probably use a rug or a vinyl remnant

 

[big brown horse]

Thanks you guys!

Here is a photo. The plywood also has some white bumpy stuff left over from the disgusting carpet and padding.

I guess the seams can be filled with a bit of wood filler. Then I should sand the whole area down, right?

 

[xpc]

Those gaps look pretty wide, as said any patching will likely crack when the floor flexes, you can always try it but wood putty is expensive for the amount you get. I save all my saw dust from my table saw and miter saw and when I need to patch wood I mix it with elmer's glue - its cheap to make.

Give it a try and walk on it before painting so see how it holds up. how big of an area are you looking it?

 

[big brown horse]

Not too big, just a 3 x 4 landing. Perfect area rug size I'm thinking.

With my two moose(s) and the kid, I'm not going for perfection.

I can get saw dust pretty easy.

 

[big brown horse]

The hardest thing about this project is the 1/4 round (there is a gap between each stair and the wall)...I think I'm going to have to break down and get a miter saw.

 

[SKR8PN]

Those gaps look pretty wide, as said any patching will likely crack when the floor flexes, you can always try it but wood putty is expensive for the amount you get. I save all my saw dust from my table saw and miter saw and when I need to patch wood I mix it with elmer's glue - its cheap to make.

Give it a try and walk on it before painting so see how it holds up. how big of an area are you looking it?

My dad taught me how to use saw dust/wood glue as filler as well. I'd try that and then after it is plenty dry, sand it down to get that white stuff off, then finish it like you would a regular hardwood floor. After that, let an area rug be your friend.