Carpet Gone!
And… here’s the proof!
Even the carpet in the closet has been removed.
So… we had to come to a decision about the floor. This is definitely the house’s original hardwood. However, before carpet was installed over it, the floor was both loved and abused. And there is some paint in different spots, but especially in the closet, which probably means that whoever painted it white at one point (not the room’s original color, if the edges where the carpet came up are any indicator) didn’t bother to watch out for drips, because the carpet was going to be installed. And now we’ve just undone all their work.
There are some gouges and scratch patterns, and even some spots where stray staples are stuck or a nail head has come off and can’t be pulled up without gouging the floor. Because of all of that, I seriously questioned whether it would just be easier to lay down some Pergo-type wood flooring instead of taking the time to restore the hardwood. But the Webmaster really wants to do this. So, we’re hiring Little Mo’s Dad to fill, sand, and seal the floors in both rooms (he’ll get to the smaller room when we are able to move the boys out of it and rip out that carpet).
As much as the Webmaster and I would love to put in our own sweat equity, our time is short. The Webmaster is needed at work right now and can’t really take time off for home improvement projects, and even with the older two starting school on Wednesday, I will still have Rerun at home with me, and I don’t see myself sanding the floor with him running around. I can do some things while he’s sleeping, like paint or organize toys, but there’s just too much for a busy toddler to get in to. And as it is, Ane is going to start the school year sleeping on the couch. The faster we can get this done, the better.
So, it’s time to call in a professional. Again. And we have to find spots for all the stuff still in the room so it can be completely empty. When this room is done, we’ll move the boys in and start in on Ane’s new room. And once that room is done, we can get her moved in and then take a break from the major home improvements. I think we’re all ready for this one to be over – and we’re not even half done yet!
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August 29th, 2011 03:24
Yes, well this phase isn’t nearly as fun as picking out room colors, but you’ll be so glad when it’s done.
August 29th, 2011 08:43
I love the hardwoods! What a treasure to find!
August 29th, 2011 10:34
Our house in Pittsburgh had hardwood under the carpeting that was horribly abused. I was amazed at how wonderful it looked after being sanded, filled, and refinished. What a great find! Are you going to paint the room before you do the floor?
August 29th, 2011 21:44
@Lisa We’ll do the floor first. There’s bound to be some sawdust floating around during the process. By waiting, and protecting the floor in the process, we’ll only need to clean the walls once.