0 Whoa there's hardwood under there?

This series of home posts are events which occurred in the distant past, please bear with me until I catch up to the present.

When we last left off on the Living Room and Office updates, we tore down the banister half wall, where you got a sneak peak of the floor.

We began this little update by removing the carpeting. Since we were all finished painting and mess making, we figured it was the best time to remove the stinky, gross carpet.

When the boyfriend worked as a carpenter he found the best way to remove carpet is by carefully using a utility knife and cutting the carpet into smaller sections (think two feet or smaller). Then, rolling the pieces up and finally using string or rope to tie them into ‘bundles.’ We removed about 13 bundles from the living room and office. He likes to cut the short end first sort of like so:

Then using a pliers, remove all leftover staples. 

We were ecstatic to be left with these beauties. And in all honesty, we were tremendously relieved we had lovely hardwood floors underneath.

At first we were a bit concerned since it looked as though back in the day they used an area rug which could have caused the variation in color. However, we told ourselves (remember Lists, Lists and More lists?) we would just seal whatever flooring option was underneath to protect it for now. So we didn’t attempt to sand or stain at this time.

For those wondering the metal in the lower right is a heating vent.

There were a few sections with missing pieces. We decided to leave these two to the elements since they’re not walked on much. Plus they’re a small eye sore to remind us to get cracking someday. 

Off to Menard's we went to pick up Floor Sealer and an applicator. Truthfully we usually made a long list before heading to the store so we probably had paint and drywall and 2x4’s during the same purchase. We ended up with two $30 (they were on sale) gallons of Minwax Super Fast-Drying Polyurethane Floors, Professional Formula in clear semi-gloss. Oh and two cans did five mid-to-large rooms with two coats each. We also picked up two $10 acrylic lambswool floor finish applicators for each coat. It didn’t come with a stick so naturally we used the $1 store mop handles and ghetto-rigged fastened it using screws. We also sacrificed the junkiest brush and paint pan since it is oil based and all utensils were not reusable.

 1 Semi Gloss | 2 Purchased at Menard's, Image Source

Before application we moved everything out of the room, swept twice, mopped, and used the shop-vac to completely clear debris and dust away. Application was quite easy, sort of like mopping- stressing the importance of avoid being stuck in a corner. Long smooth strokes was key. Follow the can instructions on length of time between coats and we didn’t walk on it (besides during the second coat) until it was completely dry. Then tada:

This was taken before they were completely dry. In person, the floors have less shine to them. Furniture and small rugs also aid to dim the glare.

So for about $80 (which was also used across the house) we got rid of the gross carpet and put a protective sealer on the floors.

One day we hope to refinish the floors back to their glory days. And once we do, we will have a more in-depth tutorial on the process plus application.

Since we chatted about the Before we Move In priority list how about an update?

 -replace the locks. Here.

-install a mailbox and have postal service inspect. Here.

-take before pictures and video throughout the house. Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
-clean and scrub the whole first floor.Living Room and Office

-paint the walls and ceilings for the entire first floor. Living Room and Office

-remove all carpeting and seal whatever material is underneath. We are here.

-convert the bath tub into a functional shower.

-monitor the status of the water heater (it's 20+ years old).

-monitor the attic and house for rodents and put preventative measures in place.

-convert the second bedroom into a walk-in closet including washer & dryer with floor reinforcing.

-replace the counter tops in the kitchen.

-move old unusable appliances to an unused, easy-access portion of the house/garage.

And a little budget break down on the Living Room and Office thus far:

Cleaning Supplies: $20 (also used throughout the rest of the house)

Primer:  $150 (two 5 gallon buckets found on clearance, also used throughout the rest of the house)

Paint: $10

Paint Supplies: $40 (also reused)

Shop-vac: already owned

Paint Sprayer: borrowed

Respirator: $5 (found at a garage sale)

Utility Knife: already owned

Total: $225. But remember we reused many of the supplies throughout the house.

Just for fun let’s peak at before and after’s: 

Have you ever spent little to have such a huge change?

P.S. I was not paid or perked from any of these vendors, we just happily picked up the supplies necessary for the job.