Cement Basement Stairs

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that the stairs leading to the basement were in rough shape....I 'discovered' a hole filled with insulation and wood. That's an opened invitation for assorted critters!


So Saturday we went to Home Depot ( I can't believe they sell the bags 5 cents! I know,I know it's for the enviroment, but all that bag managing is driving me nuts! Really! Ok nuttier than before!) and I picked up a bucket of instant cement, gloves and some tools.



Don't get me wrong, I had never smeared cement on anything....But I didn't want my basement wet and full of unwanted critters. It seemed the only thing to do!



So yesterday afternoon, after racking some leaves and putting them in HUGE paper bags (don't get me started on the whole eco leave disposal! My town won't remove the leaves unless they are in brown paper bags- and only 3 times each fall- and I must keep the bags dry in a garage I don't have, so the bags are outside and it rained last night! ?%$/"!?&*()?%$/"!



I should clarify the basement stairs thing. I can't go in the basement from inside the house, it's an horror movie stairway...outside,dark, with a cover that you have to lift to access the stairs....You know the kind!



So I prepped the area, vaccumed the stairs (shop vac) and proceeded to mix the cement with water. I wanted to make a small batch so I could experiment. I felt so much like procrastinating! I actually heard a small voice in my head that said: Now,now girl! Do the cement now before it snows and the temperature drops too much.



So I started spreading and smearing....It was going ok. And then out of the blue I remembered hearing in a renovation show that doing cement was like frosting a cake! Well that changes everything! It well really well after that! LOL! I did half the job and will continue tomorrow!





I am sooooo proud of myself! WOOOHOOO! The darker area is where the big hole was, not a professional job, but a good do it yourself one