Let the work begin

July 15, 2005

We started our first house project tonight. A couple friends came over and we ripped out the carpet in our living room and dining room. The carpet was newly laid 3 months ago. It was nice carpet but we really like hardwood so we decided to take it off. It came off really well. But the carpet layers used thousands of nails to attach the carpet to the baseboard??? So we spent a lot of time removing those. In addition the baseboard heaters were mounted on top of brown shag carpeting??? So, we took the heaters off to get the shag off. What were these people thinking? The job is mostly done, there is a lot of staples still in the floor and baseboards.

The middle area of both rooms at one time was covered with rug and the finish in that area is different. So, now our goal is to sand and refinish the whole floor. Then of course we want to rip off the lino (because there is hardwood under that as well) in the kitchen and refinish that floor at the same time. So this is how it starts - the endless cycle of home renos.....

Comments
Subscribe to Comments

becky on July 15, 2005, 3:08 p.m.

HUGE difference! It looks great, what kind of hard wood is it?

reply

Karen on July 15, 2005, 3:40 p.m.

The floor looks so much better - more New England-ish - and will be easier to keep clean. All those windows give you so much natural light - the best kind. Can't wait to see the room in person.

reply
- Amanda on July 15, 2005, 6:50 p.m.
  
  I was just wondering how you keep wood floors clean? We have wood floors in most of the house. I sweap/wash it lots and it always looks dull. What are the secrets to it?
  
  reply
  - barbara on July 18, 2005, 6:19 a.m.
    
    You have to be careful what you use on hardwood floors. Some soaps will ruin the finish. I use Armstrong Floor Cleaner (it's blue in colour and it has a nice smell.) It will leave hardwood floors and tile floors and ceramic floors beautifully shiny without streaks and no sticky buildup. It's a little expensive but you only need a little bit in the water so it lasts a long time and is well worth the money spent. The fellow who installed our hardwood floors recommended it. We have lived in our house almost 10 years and that is all I have ever used and the floors are still beautiful and shiny as new.
    
    If that doesn't work, maybe your hardwood floors need to be refinished? (Only if the finish is worn off.)
    
    reply
    - renee on July 20, 2005, 1:47 a.m.
      
      I've always used this on my woodfloors but our woodfloors have never been shiny to begin with. I might try this brand mom on our newly sanded and refinished floors - when we get around to doing that.
      
      reply

melanie on July 16, 2005, 5:09 p.m.

Once you guys sand and refinish that hardwood floor it will look so good. I know the house will look very modern when you guys are done renovating it. Our house had quite a bit of old-fashioned items in it and the paint colors weren't very impressive. We still have things to do on it, but it looks more modern with everything we do. Are you guys completely moved in now?

reply

barbara on July 18, 2005, 6:29 a.m.

Thank you for sharing your progress with us. It is interesting and exciting to watch your place transform into a beautiful home. Love the pictures. It's almost like being there. Don't unpack too much until after the sanding of the floors is done because it will create a lot of dust. You could consider buying a roll of plastic and some tape and taping the walls, floor to ceiling to keep the dust down when you do any sanding in a room. The drywaller did that in our house when he was sanding. Also, carefully plug all the furnace vents so the dust doesn't get into them and blow around when the furnace goes on (unless you have hot water heating). It might even be worth hiring someone to do the sanding unless Damien has proper face mask and breathing apparatus because sanding floors will create a lot of fine dust that could be harmful to breathe in.

reply