Refinishing the Floors!

The old owners of our home lived here for 46 years! Crazy huh? Just knowing that another family made so many memories here made me love the house even more. What we didn't love? The smell of stale cigarette smoke. We knew what had to be done (after discarding all the curtains, bless her heart we think she made most herself) we needed to refinish the hardwood floors throughout the entire house. 

We were bound and determined to do them ourselves. What we needed? Mike's help, gallons of poly, gallons of stain (after debating for 100950893 hours which color we wanted), mops, rags and sanders. What I did? Removed each and every quarter round. At first I thought my job was pretty much the worst thing possible but nope! The boys sanding those floors topped it. At least with mine I started finding really great objects in the floors which made it a game of some sort. What would be the coolest thing I could find! I think it ended up being old gum wrapper sticks although the night was dragging on and I quickly lost interest. 

The kitchen had flooring on top of flooring on top of something else that we weren't too sure what exactly it was. You always see those shows were they rip up gross floors and find gorgeous, untouched wood underneath and I always thought "okay that would definitely not happen in real life" buuuuuut it did! The kitchen floor ended up being the best part!

A couple small setbacks and they were on the move!

Sanding? Check. 

Thinking for hours and hours how great it's going to be to finish the stain and to be in bed. Midnight passes and you think okay I can do this. The sun comes up and you just keep thinking about how great that bed would be. Backing yourself out of the house with wet stain you think almost there, almost there, almost there. Remembering you have to return the sander before you get charged for another day? Minor set back.. almost there. Getting to the duplex looking at each other, waiting for the other person to open the door but realizing you locked yourselves out? Worst. Thing. Ever. (Good thing I have the best grandpa in the world who can be there for me in 14.5 minutes)

Stain? Check.

8 hours later... stain? Check. 

Poly? Check.

10 hours later... poly? Check.

We were working on Mike's time frame "oh it won't take long at all." So 2 days later (including that one all nighter, a 7pm to 11am kind of thing) we had our floors!

What I learned: plaster dust is nothing compared to wood floor sawdust (until later when I discovered that drywall powder trumps all), I can stay up all night long working if I really, really try and you should always appreciate wood floors. I've never looked at them the same again.

I just asked Loren what he learned from refinishing the floors and he said, "probably the hardest project I've ever done in my life." I wouldn't go thaaaaaat far although I am having a hard time thinking what has been worse?