Finally!

OMG. So I just checked my archives for reference and it appears I first started working on our bedroom in May 2009! And we're just now finishing it! To be fair, we took a 10 month hiatus so it's not like we were working on it this enitre time. Seriously, paint, caulking, wood filler, spackling, more paint to cover paint and metal transfer to the ceiling caused by a certain persons caulking gun and floor finish takes a lot longer than I expected!

We were grateful when a friend helped us put up the molding, but then we were confronted with huge gaps between it and the ceiling and obnoxious gaps between the molding and the existing quarter round framing the closet. And then there were the excessive nails we had to use to put up the molding and the not so straight joins. (The house is so old that nothing is straight, so the molding went up as straight as we could get it.)

To be frank, we were overwhelmed and disgusted with the work we had before us so we gave up. I know, I know. It was sheer laziness, I admit it! But a few weeks ago, my grandma asked if she could come stay with us for a week after her knee surgery and the thought of her sleeping in a room that is filled with paint cans, tools, ladders and boxes of yarn (yes) just didn't sound right. We knew it was time to get back to work.



After almost two weeks of work (you'd be surprised how much time it takes when you're standing on a ladder and working on something above your head with various tools, spackling and caulking), we just finished putting on the third and last coat of oil based Varathane on the floor. It looks glossy because it's wet but it's really satin based.

We set up a small heater to keep the room around 75 degree's and are waiting for the floor to dry. Since it's humid out (from rain and hail), I'm guessing it will be slightly tacky but we'll be able to walk on it in 24 hours. We should be able to move our furniture into the room in about four days, but since we're paranoid, we're going to give it a week. Yay! I'm so excited!

I'll have yet to show you my favorite part of the room. I sculpted two .5 - 1 inch gaps between the molding and the closet. There literally was a gap where the molding ended and the quarter round began. With some spackling, I built up and sculpted what looks like molding. I was pretty annoyed at the ugly gap our friend insisted would be OK (I was surprised because he is just as neurotic as I am). But now I won't have to look at it! I'll get photos of my handy work when I can get back in the room. Finally, my art degree came in handy!

Who knew carpet could be so disgusting?

I finally got all the carpet out of the bedroom. The worse part was in front of the closet and the doorway. The filth under the carpet padding between it and the carpet was just gross! At one point I smelled that powdered carpet deodorizer and really, it just kind of made me want to gag. Who knows how many years of human filth and dust mites are currently laying in a pile in the middle of the room right now. EWWWWW!



Several hours later (it's amazing how the color on the wall changes when the natural light fades), the exposed floor is full of staples and the room is edged with carpet strips.



Here's what I get to tackle next. Nasty adhesive! Apparently, at one time someone stuck tiles all over the nice maple floor. Fortunately I won't have to use any chemicals to get it up, just a lot of hard work. Mom said she'll come out and help me too.

You can see a little spot just about in the middle of the photo that I already started scraping. The wood looks pretty good too, I haven't found any major scratches or damaged wood yet.



Next: Clean the floor, finish the trim (some of the baseboard was under the carpet and has to be sanded since carpet was/is sticking to it) and then refinish the wood. Oh, and then curtains!

My aching back

Under the hideous carpet in this house lies original to the house Northern Red Oak hardwood floors. Apollo removed the carpet from the room that will be my office, only to discover that someone at one time had laid linoleum on it. Old adhesive covered the entire floor, including about nine squares worth of tape still on the floor.

At this point I had worked on the floor for about half a day. I used only water, sponges and putty/paint scrapers.

Aimee stopped by to chat several times but she made no offer to help out.

Nasty adhesive - feel my pain!!

The carpet tack strips took a long time to remove. Nails and staples were stuck randomly in the floor, usually in unsuspecting places like under my butt, knee or foot.

And the final product, only a day and a half later! This summer we'll sand and smooth out any blemishes and refinish the floor to match the living room (though I wouldn't mind something a little lighter than the aged amber look we have now). Only two more rooms to go - one is currently being used for storage and the other has a bed and dresser in it. It's going to be a challenge to work around them but I don't mind, especially knowing it means we'll be rid of nasty dust mites and what appears to be almost thirty years of icky. Hopefully the other floors won't be as bad as this room!

The closet and most of the ugly tile is gone!

The coat closet in our living room is typical of closets in all the houses in our older neighborhood. Though we needed the storage, we decided space was more important. You wouldn't think a closet this size would make a difference, but it has! Our room is so much bigger now, especially since it opened up new possibilities on arranging our furniture.

Before the guys took it out, James drilled a hole in the floor at the back of the closet to see what the flooring looked like beneath it. We were happy to see that it was more oak!


It didn't take long for them to remove the closet. Actually, I don't know how long it took, I left that to the men and went over to Aimee's to watch a chick flick. We didn't mind leaving this to the "men folk" if that meant we could watch our movie in peace. Plus they like destroying things.


When I finally got back to see what it looked like without the closet, I saw that the guys decided to take that horrid ceramic tile out too while they were in the destructive mood. Not that I mind tile, but it was layed in the diningroom and in front of the doorway, creating a distinctive border and consequently making the space appear smaller. Plus, the tile was about a half inch taller than the hardwood floor with a border that was even taller, making it hard to sweep. And considering we have a redwood tree next to our driveway that will not stop dropping seeds that we then track into our house, sweeping is important. You can see a bit of the tile in the first photo and at Aimee's blog, where she talks about taking out the carpet.

Under the tile was linoleum and a thin layer of wood stapled down every three inches. This is when all the swearing started and I decided to appease them by having two giant man pizza's (with various meat and jalapeno toppings) delivered.


The floor is in fairly good condition in most places, though there is some severe gouging that will require replacing a few boards.

Because linoleum is under the tile in our kitchen as well and we could see a gap between the two, it will most likely break up soon. I'm not exactly heartbroken over this since the tile is a little old fashioned and not laid very well. I wouldn't mind replacing it in the future, maybe with a kitchen remodel? You know, with the thousands of dollars we have lying around. As you can see below, we're saving tons of money by skimping on furniture.


Yesterday, Apollo and I removed the plaster using a putty knife, damp sponges and some elbow grease. It looks so much better now. Next on the agenda is a some sanding and refinishing.

For more photos, click here. You can see where someone deliberately scratched the floor and severe gouging occurred. I don't have any photos of the oil spots we discovered under the plaster. Yes, the kind of oil that comes from cars.

There is nothing like a little hard work to make you appreciate what you have just that much more.