In case you may have forgotten about that little home renovation thing we have going on (since this blog has been very pregnancy-centric lately), yes, it is most definitely still in progress! The end is clearly in sight now though and in fact, we have booked our U-Haul and will be moving in on May 8th.
The last month has mainly been focused on the finishing touches and our focus this week was on refinishing the hardwood floors in the living room, dining room, stairs and upstairs hallway. We had considered the idea of doing them ourselves but when we peeled back the old carpet in the living room, the floors had about 50 years worth of gunk stuck to them. Gross. We decided a professional would be better qualified to handle the sanding, buffing and finishing and we were absolutely right.
We opted not to stain the floors because they were absolutely gorgeous after the sanding on Tuesday. The first coat of polyurethane went on last night and it's so amazing how perfect they turned out. They look brand new (but without the brand new price tag!). We had made up our minds to carpet the bedrooms because it would have been a little cheaper to go that route, but now we're thinking we might refinish those hardwoods too.
Living Room Before
Living Room After
Once you stop oohing and ahhing over the floors (or is that just me?), notice that the baseboard heaters are gone! I still need to sand the wall down where they were and finish painting, but you get the idea! You'll notice we had a ceiling fan installed and what's not so easy to notice is the hearth of the fireplace. Jon and his Dad worked on taking that out on Monday and almost gave me a heart attack when they called me at work to say they were going to rent a jackhammer. That's probably a story for another post!
Stairway Before
Stairway After
See all that dust on the wall? That's not from sanding the floors, that's from jackhammering the hearth! Have I ever told you guys how much I hate dust? It gives me the heebie jeebies. I'm not talking dust bunnies...I'm talking dirty construction dust. BLEH. Also, I am in love with the paint color I picked for the foyer. Love, love, love! Actually, I love just about every color I picked (shocking!) except for the kitchen. That one's just okay.
