Finally Finished Floors

   

  Well ~ I've finally finished refinishing my living room/dining room floors.  It was a long haul, mostly because I took a 3 month break right in the middle of the project. It all started over Labor Day when I reached my limit with my dirty off-white carpet that I could no longer get clean.  It seemed like the spots would grow overnight and in a fit of frustration, I started ripping up the carpets.  I had been saving for replacement carpet for several years, even though I knew I had nice oak hardwood flooring underneath.  And I had every intention of putting new carpet down.  But ~ the floors had such potential if I would just make the effort to refinish them ~ and so I did.  

  Like I said, I started in September and would hand sand, stain, and polyurethane sections of five-board widths at a time.  The living room floor was easy to sand by hand because the finish was pretty much worn off and it kept the dust to a minimum.  After sanding, each section received two coats of stain and two coats of polyurethane, which I did each night before going to bed, so they could dry overnight and not be walked on.  If they were still a little tacky by morning, I could easily step over five-board widths, thus allowing me to go on with life while working on the floors.  

  I started behind the couch, moving furniture as needed, and got about half-way across the living room when fall leaf raking consumed my time, then Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas.  There they sat unfinished until after New Years when I started up again.  But ~ as often happens ~ one project leads to another. By the time I reached the hallway where there was still carpet, I knew it was time to not only do the floors, but also to replace the door and floor trim in that area, which led to Project 1.  

  And Project 1 led to Project 2, refinishing the stairs.  

  By this time I had worked my way over to the dining room, which was the most difficult part.  Previous owners had used a large professional sander to refinish the dining room and had left gouges in the floor.  Plus, their sanding had removed the darker stain that was used on the living room floor, making it extremely difficult to match the two sections. I did the best I could, using two different stains trying to achieve the darker color of the living room, but the difference is still evident and the gouges are very noticeable.  The two rooms flow into each other, but because the living room had been carpeted, there was metal trim on the dividing line.  When I removed that, underneath it were nail holes and cut marks in the wood from the carpet layers.  Maybe others wouldn't have noticed, but it caught my eye every time I walked through the rooms, so I installed an oak strip room divider to cover the holes and cut marks.  

 

Stained oak strips were also installed in each of the door openings to the bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, and closets.  They were the most expensive part of this project.

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Well, while we're in the living room, I'll show you how I decorated for spring. 

Last year I made these pillow covers for spring.  My intention was to use them to brighten up the room and pull out the soft aqua color to use as an accent.  Not a color one would normally use to go with my burnt orange sofa, but it works because of the pillows.

Next to the sofa I used a vintage egg basket to hold bright and cheerful spring-colored eggs.

On the other end of the credenza is a white tulip arrangement in aqua Ball jars that I shared in more detail in a previous post.

On another wall, next to the TV armoir are more touches of soft aqua in the form of a sweetly nested bird and a solitary candle.

Then on the mantle to continue with a touch of spring, I changed out the framed print, added aqua candles, another Ball jar with tulips, and a small glass pedestal container of vintage aqua buttons.

Thus ends the tour of my living room and my longest drawn out project.  I miss the warmth of the carpet, especially since it was such a cold winter, but I love how they look and the richness of the wood.  I have a few rag rugs around the room, but haven't decided yet if I will purchase an area rug for the center of the room.  For summer, I think it'll stay as is and revisit the rug decision when winter rolls around again.

Thanks so kindly for coming by to visit.

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Linking with

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