These last few weeks I have been relentlessly working towards the creation of my installation for the Degree Show.
The biggest hurdle for me has been creating my staircase which I felt was an integral element to include in my installation to fully communicate it’s basis upon the hallway of my old house.
There were definitely moments when I thought ‘why have I made it so difficult for myself?!’ I think it goes without saying that I am not one for much DIY and I did feel like I had bitten off more than I could chew even in relation to trying to find some nice person to help me build it!
Lucky for me my Step-Dad was kind enough to help me and I could not have done it without him!
My main aim was to create a four-step-high staircase which looked like a proper staircase, although it would not need to be functional as this would be way more expensive than my budget would stretch to.
At home I already had wood to make treads for each side, a base rail, spacers and a couple of spindles. Admittedly I have skimped on a few things in the making of this element of my work but I still think the desired effect has been achieved.
I created the hand rail and newel post out of one piece of softwood, with the side board and steps being made form hardboard. The main thing I probably did pay out for was the rest of the spindles I needed as they needed to match the ones I already had.
Process of staircase-making:
– create the treads for each side of the staircase.
– attach pieces of wood to create a frame so that the treads stand up by themselves.
– cut up the hardboard to create the steps. Attach these to the treads using panel pins.
– Cut the other hardboard to size and attach to the side of the staircase to fill in the gap.
– Sand down the newel post and then attach to the staircase.
– Cut the base rail to size and attach to the newel post and hardboard side, making sure the angles at the top and bottom are correct so it sits flush with the post.
– attach a support to the back of the staircase to aid the attachment of the handrail and ensure the correct angle.
– attach the pre-stained handrail to the newel post and support.
– in turn place spacers and pre-stained spindles until the length of the baserail has been filled.
The images on this post illustrate the various stages of building the staircase. Now the building is completed there are just a few more things I need to do for it; staining the remaining areas, carpeting the stairs, wallpapering the side board and painting it and then distressing the whole staircase to fit with my concept.
I think so far this element of my installation has come out pretty well. It is, as I have said, not functional but I believe it serves it’s purpose for my Degree Show.
Getting it to university will be the next challenge!
