Under Construction

So, we've been doing some renovating.  First it was the painting- a slight inconvenience, then the banister staining, again another slight inconvenience but then came the floors- and well they were a huge ordeal.  I know I am complaining about this great blessing but let me tell you- living in a house under construction- its just not fun.  And the floors took 2 WHOLE WEEKS (I know and yes Id like some cheese with my whine ;)

But lest you think me only a whiner, I must say I LOVE MY NEW FLOORS!!!  Im so glad we did it.  We went with the real deal hardwood- 3 inch planks of red oak, hand scraped with the grain and a coffee brown stain and new baseboards to go with them.  Heres a glimpse into the process:

Demo Day- I mean DaySSSSS

 
After they completed the difficult and messy and very noisy job of getting that tile adhesive off, they laid the plywood subfloor.  That was much nicer to live on for a few days while it "dried out".

 Then after they laid the hardwood (which I dont have a picture of because luckily we were in Houston for that day), they scraped it.  First they sanded, then sprayed, then scraped.  It just gives the floor a more rustic texture which is great because now when my floors get scraped or dented or whatever, it wont be noticeable at all.

 And where were we amid it all? Well on the main floor we had the guest room (which was packed with all the furniture we could fit in there- but it still functioned as a space to watch tv.

 And we also spent a lot of time outside in the yard and in my room.  The kids even got to sleep in my room when they were staining and we had to be completely off the floors.  We lived out of my room like it was a hotel room because the master bedroom has a door to the backyard so we just came in and out that way.  fun fun fun!

But ta da... the day finally came- where they finished and we could live in our house again.  You just never know how much you love having a couch and kitchen table until those things are gone :)

So the color looks different in different lighting and different angles and different pictures but they are the same color throughout.

And here are a few before and afters.  I still have a lot of decorating to do so keep that in mind.  Things are bare but they will get better :)

                              BEFORE                                                                            AFTER

This last one doesnt have great comparison shots cause they are different angles but you get the idea somewhat:

Now next week, we are on to the kitchen and then the week after that I'll do the master bedroom and then well maybe I'll be putting something on those walls... So stay tuned- theres more "before and afters" to come...