It seems anytime we have a special event at our house it turns into a time to tackle projects we have been putting off. In March, Blair decided to install some wood flooring. We have had wood in the kitchen for many years, but it stopped short of the back door entrance with tile in the half bath, laundry room, and hall. When the initial wood was installed we were hesitant to put it in the half bath and laundry room for fear of a water leak. In hind sight I guess that was a silly thought because people have water leaks in their kitchens too.
The wood that we have in the kitchen is antique pine flooring that came out of a building in downtown Memphis. An acquaintance of Blair's had purchased the wood and he had it planed, then tongue & grooved. He put it in his house and we bought what he didn't use. After installing it in the kitchen we stored what was left over.
When we got ready to start the floor I asked Blair to measure and make sure we had enough wood to do everything we were planning to do. He eyeballed the stack of wood and confirmed that we had enough wood to complete the task at hand. So, the demolition began!
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| The old tile floor. |
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| Skiler removing tile. |
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Replacing some boards in the kitchen. My partner in crime! |
The laundry room.
We had to use some "not so desirable" wood under
the washer and dryer because . . . .
this is ALL the wood we had left!!
(AND someone "eyeballed" the wood rather than measuring it!)
Blair rented a belt floor sander, but I didn't
like the results so I spent "several" days sanding the
old and new floor with a palm sander. Let me say,
I went through a lot of sand paper!
But the final results was well worth the effort!
Here are a couple of pictures of the floor as I am applying the sealer.
We did not put a stain on the floor, only a sealer.
My finished laundry room!
Blair and I are both very happy with the end results. Our middle child made the comment that he hoped to make enough money to be able to hire any work he might need done when he becomes a homeowner. Well, he and his wife have since bought their first home which was built in 1940. Hopefully he will learn the feeling of accomplishment and pride his parents have when he completes his first home project!
