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. We were ecstatic to be left with these beauties. And in all honesty, we were tremendously relieved we had lovely hardwood floors underneath.
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?
-clean and scrub the whole first floor.
-paint the walls and ceilings for the entire first
floor. Living Room and Office
-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.
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.
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.
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