Y’all, I used to be so decided to see some main progress in our bed room suite that I used to be on my arms and knees till 10:30 final night time staining the flooring. I used to be decided. So let me again up a bit and let you know all the pieces.
In a submit final week, I expressed a little bit of frustration with the sanding course of. A problem with residing in a small-ish metropolis is that there aren’t an entire lot of choices on the subject of hiring out a job like sanding hardwood flooring. Clearly, that’s not a job you wish to hand over to a random handyman that you just discovered on Nextdoor. So the flooring firm I used to put in the flooring beneficial an individual for the job.
He began final Thursday, and he was such a pleasant man and has clearly been doing this all of this life as a result of he had a ton of information concerning the course of, the merchandise, the correct methods, and so forth. I may inform he’s actually been doing this for many years, and has in all probability been utilizing the identical tools for the reason that day he began again in 1850 or so. 😀 His large drum sander regarded prefer it was being held along with duct tape and hope. So it was clear that he’s had numerous expertise, however my goodness, was he sluggish! (The age factor in all probability has quite a bit to do with that.)
Anyway, I anticipated it to be a two-day challenge, with him ending on Friday in order that I may have the weekend to stain and polyurethane. That didn’t occur. So I used to be form of a bundle of nerves on Friday and over the weekend. I simply wished the job achieved.
So think about my pleasure when he instructed me at 1:00pm yesterday afternoon that he was virtually completed. I instantly thought, “Oh good! I’ll nonetheless have loads of time to go to the shop, buy my provides, and get the flooring stained right now!” As a result of when somebody tells me they’re virtually completed with one thing, I think about that they’re about half-hour to an hour away from ending, proper? Fallacious.
He completed up at 6:00pm. 😀 However y’all, I used to be nonetheless decided. As quickly as he walked out the door at 6:00pm, I headed to Lowe’s to select up the provides. I obtained house at 7:30, after which debated whether or not or not I ought to begin then or wait till right now. I wished to make use of the very same course of and merchandise that I utilized in the remainder of the home in order that I’d have the most effective probability at having the identical end result. And in the remainder of the home, I used wooden conditioner on the entire flooring earlier than staining it. I had no thought how lengthy it will take to place wooden conditioner on virtually 500 sq. toes of flooring, after which as soon as that went down, I’d need to stain the ground inside two hours. In order that meant that if I began final night time, I’d have to complete final night time. And I additionally had no thought how lengthy it will take to stain all of that flooring. I used to be afraid I may be up till 1:00am, however I used to be so decided to get it achieved that I made a decision to go for it.
Sadly, I used to be in such a rush that I didn’t even cease to take photos of the freshly sanded flooring earlier than getting began. That is the one image I’ve of the sanded flooring, however I took this earlier than they have been fully sanded.
So at about 7:45 final night time, I had all of my provides unloaded from the van, and I used to be able to get began. I began with the wooden conditioner, which I utilized by hand, on my arms and knees, utilizing a staining sponge. I began on the far wall of the bed room and labored my approach in the direction of the French doorways.
I obtained that completed about 8:45. I gave myself about quarter-hour to verify on Matt, take Cooper out, after which began the staining about 9:00pm. Making use of the stain took longer than the wooden conditioner, nevertheless it truly went quicker than I assumed it will. As soon as once more, I began on the far wall of the bed room and utilized the stain on my arms and knees utilizing a staining sponge. This took longer as a result of as soon as I utilized the stain to a number of rows of flooring, I had to return and wipe off the surplus.
However I completed up proper at 10:30 final night time. Clearly, the ground isn’t completed but. I nonetheless want so as to add not less than two coats of polyurethane. I’ll in all probability do three.
And proper now, the ground seems very grainy. That’s simply the character of pink oak hardwood flooring.
However the magic will occur with the primary coat of polyurethane as a result of I’ll add stain to that first coat, identical to I did in the remainder of the home, and that can give the ground a extra uniform look.
The grain will nonetheless present, so the ground gained’t look fully uniform. I do, in spite of everything, need it to nonetheless appear to be actual hardwood flooring.
However the first coat of polyurethane and stain combination will even out a number of the grain, and also will give the flooring extra depth of shade.
I’m hoping to get all coats of polyurethane on the flooring right now, which implies that by the top of right now, the flooring needs to be fully completed!
The lighting within the closet is so poor proper now, so that you’ll simply need to belief me that it actually does match the remainder of the flooring. 😀 That onerous line within the doorway is only a shadow.
And that brilliant spot in the midst of the ground is only a reflection from the one solitary gentle on this room.
Anyway, I’m simply ecstatic to lastly be seeing some critical progress!! And now, the challenge is in my arms alone. So from right here on out, if the progress isn’t quick sufficient for my satisfaction, the one particular person I can get pissed off with is myself. 😀
If all goes as deliberate, these flooring needs to be achieved by the top of the day.
The A2D Each day:
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and embellish the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do the vast majority of the work on the home on my own. You possibly can be taught extra about me right here.
