LIVING ROOM : Part One

BEFORE

OLD KITCHEN, OLD GROWTH FLOORS:
The floors in our 1899 house had supposedly been reclaimed from a demolished gym. When we moved in, they were pretty chewed up, extremely yellow, and used for multiple surfaces (counters, medicine cabinets, built in benches). Combined with pecan colored 4’ tall wainscoting, the effect was fully AHOY!

Once the new kitchen was operational (read more about it in this post ), we ripped out the old kitchen and gave those floors new life. What a thrill to sledgehammer a few cabinets. Goodbye weird kitchen, thank you for your service!

TRADING SPACES

Our architect Steve knew immediately that this swap made sense for our lifestyle and fit the house better.

2010 KITCHEN

Stuff everywhere!

YELLOWY FLOORBOARDS EVERYWHERE

DURING CONSTRUCTION

I think it sort of knew we were replacing it.

LAST GASP

I really liked that cityscape curtain pattern, but the rest I was OVER. Notice the beat up floors.

CHIMNEY FOOTPRINT

Floors patched with raw wood accentuates the YELLOW.

GOODBYE LOWERS

Mike2 rips it up.

PATCHING THE GAPS

I de-nailed and un-gunked floorboards that had been ripped out from upstairs. We used these to fill the gaps left from removed cabinets. I hate throwing out things that can be repurposed

CHANGE IS MESSY

FRENCH DOORS MAKE A FRENCH EXIT

The floor had MDF as a sublayer…a total code fail. The MDF had gotten wet and expanded, so our floors were warped. I refused to let them tear it all out. We’ll live with the warp if it means keeping the old growth floors.

SHIFTING PILES

Always redistributing the mess as progress demanded.

Once the old kitchen was gone and the floors were patched, a duo came in to lay down a tough and smart SWEDISH FINISH. The process is no joke…that’s why we had never gone through with it before. First, the old finish is sanded off, the surface deep cleaned. Then wood filler is applied to plane off all the ruts and knots. Finally the finish that bonds with the wood is applied. It’s intensely toxic; fumes drove me to spend the night at a friend’s place (yep, Mike was still on tour). As the treatment cured, the odor subsided, but it took a while for the overall look to mellow. Extreme contrast gave way to warm even color. Small patches and different species here and there tell a story if you’re looking. We love the results.

EXPOSED SUBFLOOR

…where the chimneys used to be.

SANDING

I believe it took several passes to grind out that gross yellow finish.

MORE RANDO DUDES IN THE HOUSE

This is NOT a DIY job!

SURPRISE MDF LAYER

…that caused some warp that we will live with.

NAKED WOOD

Shockingly bare, this!

WOOD FILL

Really fun watching the pros apply this product, like strange choreography.

HOLDING MY BREATH

After treatment was applied, I snapped this right before ditching the scene to spend the night elsewhere. I worried we’d made a terrible mistake. It was so intense!

DIFFERENT FLOORING

It is what it is.

INTENSE CONTRAST WILL MELLOW

NOW WE CAN...

…install the Schluter that bridges the gap between the entryway tile and the wood floor.

NEXT UP:

LIVING ROOM: Part Two. Miles of vinyl records. Miles of room to lounge.