First Peak at the old Heart Pine Floor
We are still adjusting to our new schedule here. Last night Sam had his first night of homework, which I have to say so far is as difficult for us as it is for him. After a long day, we usually want to hang out and have some fun. Instead last night after dinner Mr. S. spent 45 minutes with Sam working with him on his homework instead. By the time they were done, it was time to get ready for bed. Bummer! While they were working on that I had to keep Maisie away, because of course she wanted to “help” too. Phew! To all those parents who told me that it gets harder, you aren’t kidding. At least the kids were exhausted by bedtime and were asleep in 2 minutes flat.
Old Red Carpet (I have no idea where that giant stain came from, it was covered up and not nearly as visible in person)
So after that digression, I have some photos from our last minute weekend project. We removed the red carpet from our Living Room! This was installed by the previous owner (i.e. at least 12 years old). We have been covering up the majority of it for the last 11 years with a large Ikea wool rug, but the edges were exposed.
Living Room Before Carpet Removal (you can see the carpet around the edge of the room)
The carpet was actually in the front hall when we moved in as well. One of our very first projects when we moved in was taking that out.
Mr. S. back in 200 removing the padding from the Front Hall. Don’t you love the light fixtures and wallpaper!
Lately one of our beloved (but crazy) cats has decided that the corner of the carpet make a wonderful litterbox (sorry for that visual). Well, it reached the point of no return and we decided to keep Spot and get rid of the carpet.
Spot sitting in the Candy Land box (aka the Culprit)
We knew that there was at least one tin patch in the bay window area (which we could see below) but otherwise were not sure what we would find. The floor in our house is also the structure, so it adds an extra element of adventure (and gaps where you can see below). We started by moving the small stuff out and clearing half of the room. We started on the fireplace side and broke it into 3 sections. We have found that it is definitely easiest to cut the carpet into manageable sections and roll it up and tape it for disposal. First we rolled up the carpet. Then we removed the padding carefully, making sure to removal all of the staples as we went. Removing staples is a pain and tedious.
First Section of Wood Floor
Fortunately the carpet came out pretty easily and after a few hours of removing staples and nail strips it was done. We vacuumed as we went with our HEPA vacuum and gave the floor a quick wipe down and tried to remove any residue from the padding. We have 2 tin patches (fortunately currently covered by the sofa).
Sunlight damage on the back of our sofa that sits in our bay window. Notice the two rectangles that line up with our 2 front windows (which actually have the shades drawn for the majority of the time)
On a side note this is what direct sunlight does to fabric. The back of our old sofa is now SUPER bleached thanks to the sun. We even have translucent shades that are drawn most of the time. I am thinking that when we finally get a new sofa we will have to get a nice throw to keep at the top to prevent this.
Wood Floor near entry (there is some stubborn residue from the old padding here)
Now that the old floor is visible, it definitely needs some patching (fortunately we have a supply in the garage), which is tedious and slow. It will also need a new finish (which I haven’t researched yet). So I happy that the room is smelling fresh and not so happy with how it is looking at the moment.
The Living Room Back in Use with Spot making herself at home (the floor was being used as a racetrack)
Fortunately the kids don’t seem to care that the floor is suddenly harder (I need to order a rug pad) and immediately went back to playing on the floor. Here it is a couple of hours later with Spot showing her approval (please excuse her devil eyes).
Has anyone else been busy with last minute projects?
