My flooring project is DONE!

[Freedom]

-- and the result is fabulous, I am quite pleased.

First, it took me 5 days to box up everything on the furniture tops. This was for 3 bedrooms. Think about what you have out: clock radio, lamps, figurines statues, pictures in frames, books, loads of stuff. Took me ages and I was sure I wouldn't be done in time.

Then last Tuesday morning, 2 fellas arrived to move furniture out of those 3 rooms. We stacked it all in the living room, where I had placed the boxes. That floor was going to be replaced, so no concerns. The cats just HAD to inspect what we had been doing!

Sparkle surveys what used to be the living room.


Ebony from atop my bed things:


Sparkle checks if the outdoors got moved around as well.


In the midst of all this, I learned Vita had a UTI. How did I know? The loveseat (a double recliner from LaZBoy) in the family room was soaked! I called cleaners and then upholsterers, and everyone advised to toss the piece. :cry: We moved the futon from the guest bedroom into that spot, and I slept on it for 3 nights.


Wednesday morning, I was up early cat catching. The cats went into carriers and sat out in the garage for 7 hours. First step was sanding the floors and that is noisy. The doors were open so the cats couldn't stay in the house, and the noise in the cellar would have terrified them. Once the sanding was done, the cats went to the cellar and were released. They stayed down there for 2 days, complaining the entire time. (I had already moved their litter boxes, food and water dishes down so they were used to being down there for important stuff.)

Then came 2 coats of moisture cure urethane. That stuff STINKS! Had to leave the house for 2 hours that afternoon and again the following morning after the second coat was one. The result? Bowling alley floors, lol!! (The pics with yellow tint are with the flash on; the floors are really white looking!) This finish will not amber over time, the way the old shellac had done.







(with flash on)


(same pic, no flash)


Stand by, more pics coming!

[Freedom]

Sparkling white floor!


Next morning (by now it is Friday), the 2 fellas returned and moved the furniture back into those 2 rooms. We took a break over the weekend, then Monday they returned to move all the furniture out of the living room. We stacked it all in the guest bedroom:


The living room floor was badly stained from various pets:


That floor was removed and a new prefinished hardwood floor installed. All the baseboards in that room were replaced, along with the molding around the front door in that room. I stained the wood, and applied 3 coats of polyurethane in the back yard, over that weekend, so it was ready to go in. The floor was completed in one day, then today, the baseboards were put on and the furniture moved back. I had to heard the cats down cellar both mornings as the doors were wide open.

(new floor)


(and with baseboard and door frame back on)


(furniture back)


The crew is done. I now have umpteen boxes to unpack. I intend to put out less than half of the stuff; the rest will either go on craigslist or be tossed. I hope I find the camera battery recharger soon, as the camera won't work anymore, lol!

I am pooped, but happy with the end result! Only problem thus far: when I reconnected my computer, must have plugged in something wrong as I have no sound. I'll work on that over this weekend.

[pomtzu]

The floors look just fabulous. I'd be afraid to walk on them - afraid I'd scuff them! I have hardwood in the family room in desperate need of refinishing too. One of these days............

And did you say that you slept on the futon? Looks like a bunch of Bichons to me!

[lvpets2002]

WoW Sandy the floors look Great.. Very Very Nice.. Its hard work but they look so good.. Maybe it wont be so hard putting all back together again.. Good Luck settling back in..

[Laura's Babies]

WOW!!!! Those floors are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! Well DONE! You have to be pleased at punch at the way they have come out! WOW! WOW! and double WOW!!!!!

[Medusa]

The floors look fabulous, Sandie! That polyurethane would've done me in. Kudos to you for having the patience to wait it out. But just look at the reward.

[RICHARD]

-- and the result is fabulous, I am quite pleased.

Our old floor has been obscured by all our personal belongings!

[Freedom]

Duh, only YOU, Richard!

Yes, Marlin WAS happy to have me sleeping on the futon, he was able to sleep with ME for those few nights. Normally he won't sleep on my bed. I have to lift him up and he gets antsy and has to get off lickety split. So it was interesting having 3 of them up with me. Tasha still slept with Dad on his bed.

[caseysmom]

It looks great!

[blue]

THat came out awesome! Nice job.

[Pam]

Beautiful Sandie!! The worst part of a project like that is living through it! LOL! (and paying for it!) The finished product is always worth it, though, and yours is perfection!

[Logan]

Gosh that looks beautiful!!!! I love hardwood floors, the real thing. Makes me want to do ours that much more!

[Taz_Zoee]

Those are beautiful!! We have original hardwood and it's worn and torn. We'd love to get new flooring but that's not in the budget for a LONG time.

[CultureJunky]

That is brilliant, I just love those floors. I'm hoping next year when we decorate to have floors just like that. All the moving around was so worth it!

[Casper]

Looks great! I bet it makes your rooms feel a bigger, no?
When we switched from carpet to similar flooring it seemed like we expanded the rooms.