Basement stairway- paint prepping

Yes, this feels like the never-ending project. 
I thought it would be nice & quick, kind of like the linen closet was back over the summer (since it had the same wood shelves and gross walls!). 
But this is taking longer than anticipated, so we're just tackling it one step at a time.

The To Do List:
-Install a new handrail  DONE!
-Place moulding to clean up the edges between the plaster and the beams DONE!
-Paint the walls and the shelving (getting there!!!)
-Organize the shelves and come up with some organizational accessories to hang on the walls

Here's where we left off, with the trim installed:

I cleared off all of the shelves- two at the top of the stairs, and four deep shelves that are overhead as you go down the stairs.

I was absolutely thrilled when I realized that they popped right out- this would make it so much easier than cutting in around each of them when we got to painting!

Before painting, we needed to spackle the holes in the plaster. 

Mike found the kind that goes on bright pink, and turns white as it dries, so you know when it's okay to start sanding.  (I first heard about it here on the "This (Kinda) Old House" blog)

It worked great- we could get other things done and just peek in now & then to see if it was ready.



Wet

Drying

Ready to sand!

"Other things" included scrubbing the shelves- boy, were they filthy!  They almost look like they were painted gray, but nope- that's all dirt (yuk!)

<--- Here's a photo of the scrubbed shelves on the left, and the still dirty shelves on the right!

Once they were all cleaned up, I took them down to the basement to start painting.

I've also rounded up some things to help organize & I am in the process of painting them glossy black (you can see the spray can in the background).

Mike has completed sanding the walls, and we're finally ready to paint!