DIY Our 1970's House Makeover Part 5: My Biggest Flooring Mistake

you lot may lead keep realized that I only savage off the human face upward of the populace mid DIY Our 1970's House Makeover Part 5: My Biggest Flooring Mistake

Aaaaaand we're back.
So, if you've been paying attention, you lot may lead keep realized that I only savage off the human face upward of the populace mid-renovation.

Obviously, something went awry.
Let's non compaction unopen to the bush.

I temporarily messed upward my floors.
And, rather than expose my mishaps equally they were happening (Get. Real.) I instead spent a few weeks crying into Cheese's fur, planning my escape to Paraguay, in addition to wiping pizza grease on my sweatpants uniform.

Okay, I'm existence dramatic. Kinda. There are far worse things inwards the populace than messing upward your floors. I've lived through a few of them. However, I'm yet a human, I occasionally lose perspective, in addition to I definitely spent a few days drenching pitiful picayune Cheese's fur amongst my tears.

Here's what happened.
I was determined to lead keep night floors inwards our house. I wanted them therefore bad. I looked at moving-picture demo after moving-picture demo of houses amongst night floors, in addition to I only knew that our work solid was meant to lead keep night floors.
I imagined something similar this:

via Style Me Pretty

Or this.

via Houzz

And in addition to therefore our flooring was installed.

And since nosotros used solid hardwood vs engineered hardwood, it was fully installed equally unfinished forest (without the stain applied yet), in addition to I had a lead a opportunity to consider what our work solid would await similar amongst natural floors.

And I loved it.

It genuinely made our 1970's work solid await lite in addition to vivid in addition to beautiful.

But, in addition to therefore self-doubt in addition to insecurity raced inwards in addition to ate me alive. I felt similar I should practise what everyone else does, rather than practise what industrial plant best for me, in addition to it felt scary to conk against the norm. Plus, my master copy vision was night floors, in addition to it was therefore hard to modify course of pedagogy mid-race.

In short, I could consider amongst my ain eyes that the light flooring looked genuinely swell inwards our house, in addition to yet I ignored myself.

I am woman. Hear me roar.

So, anyways, I pushed frontwards amongst my irrationally night flooring plan.

I eventually settled on a night chocolate-brown stain called 'Kona'.

In hindsight, I tin totally consider the doom that was headed my way. But, at the time, I was totally lost inwards the moment, dingy dancing on Kona's leg.

It looked therefore swell when nosotros tested the stain on a modest slice of our flooring. I moved it unopen to into each of the rooms in addition to stared at it for several days acre the flooring was finished existence installed.

Again, inwards hindsight, this was a terrible means to brand a decision. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 tiny poptart of night forest does non plough over you lot an accurate indication of what your ENTIRE work solid volition await similar amongst wall to wall night floors.

But, ultimately, I gave the conk ahead for the stain, in addition to when I came abode that day, here's what our floors looked like.

It wasn't the worst thing ever. But it definitely wasn't good.

And it was only so gloomy.

I knew I had made a mistake.

I had inadvertently created a 1970's dungeon.

The stain turned out kinda orangish (which yet baffles me), in addition to it didn't lead keep good to the solid hardwood at all. It ended upward existence blotchy in addition to uneven, in addition to basically, I hated it.

When this all started, I had no catch almost the differences betwixt solid in addition to engineered flooring, but I definitely practise now.

In a nutshell, solid hardwood flooring is higher quality, but it's genuinely hard to acquire that uniform color that you lot would acquire amongst genuinely night engineered flooring, because you lot lead keep to stain most solid hardwood flooring on site. You tin purchase already stained solid hardwood floors, but that was non inwards my picayune budget.

There's almost a 1000000 to a greater extent than things you lot should know almost solid vs. engineering hardwoods (and almost a 1000000 to a greater extent than options) but my conception is to portion that information inwards some other post. Otherwise this post volition lead keep you lot 42 years to read.

So, fifty-fifty though the stain looked terrible, at that topographic point was a combat of a silverish lining inwards the stain debacle...I was able to consider 1 time in addition to for all that our work solid looked bad amongst night floors.

Because fifty-fifty if they had been a lighter brown, or fifty-fifty only a uniform color, it wouldn't lead keep mattered.

I dear night hardwood floors, but non inwards our house.

So don't acquire mad at me if you lot lead keep night floors. Clearly, I wanted a laid of my own.

It only wasn't meant to be.

It was unopen to this fourth dimension that Cheese's fur got soaked amongst eyeball secretions.

Could I lead keep phrased that whatsoever worse?

I had no catch what on footing I was going to do. Do I apply for Paraguayan citizenship? Do I purchase 800 rugs, acknowledge defeat, in addition to only pretend similar none of this e'er happened?

None of those options seemed viable, therefore instead I only moped unopen to for a few days in addition to eventually mustered the courage to country our contractor that nosotros weren't happy.

Okay, fine, Jesse did it.

But, anyways, our contractor was wonderful almost the entire thing, in addition to he agreed to sand the floors dorsum downwardly to the natural wood. He didn't know I lead keep a spider web log (not that that necessarily would've mattered...I'm non Beyonce). He's only a dainty guy who wants to brand certain his customers are happy.

Of course, nosotros were already at calendar week five inwards the renovation, in addition to this novel stage of sanding/sealing tacked on two to a greater extent than weeks.

Oh, joyous day.

So, the sanding began. Again.

I was feeling pretty panicked at this point, in addition to searching for yacht-sized rugs online, but I did my best to rest patient in addition to promise for the best.

After almost a week, most of the stain was sanded off, I began to consider the natural forest again, in addition to I remembered how to breathe.

There was yet stain all over the walls (which volition all live repainted in addition to covered downwardly at the bottom amongst cut back anyways), in addition to only a tiny picayune combat yet inwards the forest grain, but I could definitely consider a lite at the goal of the tunnel.

Still though, nosotros were going into calendar week 7, in addition to I began to experience a picayune meltdown-ey.

My refrigerator in addition to oven were exterior on the forepart deck amongst a tarp over them. The washer in addition to dryer were side yesteryear side to my bed. And I was yet basically living at this place.

At 1 point, I replaced my flooring vents in addition to only left the one-time disgusting ones on my kitchen counters for a week.

Full of bugs in addition to dust circa 1975.

It is what it is.

Luckily, correct unopen to the same fourth dimension equally my meltdown, nosotros had plans to travel out of town for a week.

We drove to Charleston to sentinel my picayune brother, Mathias, graduate from the Navy Nuclear Power School, where he's studying to conk a Nuclear Engineer.

I'm therefore proud of him, he's my favorite animate existence on the earth, 10 years younger than me, in addition to it basically healed my mortal to pass a picayune fourth dimension amongst him.

I know he's only some random dude inwards a dapper crewman adjust to you, but trust me, to know Mathias is to dear Mathias.

I lead keep yet to notice the exception.

Jesse almost loves him fifty-fifty to a greater extent than than me, which is demonstrated yesteryear the inwards a higher identify picture.

They intentionally posed that way, in addition to fifty-fifty barked at me to travel out of the moving-picture demo therefore that they could capture this celebratory 24-hour interval amongst a prom photo.

This is my life.

When that was over, Jesse in addition to I headed to Myrtle Beach therefore that he could attend a function convention. He worked, I slothed on the beach. Then on the lastly day, Mathias in addition to Meredith (his lady friend that I also love) drove downwardly from Charleston in addition to Myrtled it upward amongst us for the evening.

They all ate oysters. I did not.

It was glorious.

Just therefore you lot know, I volition consume anything. Unless it resembles a loogie.

I only got genuinely sidetracked on a brother/beach tangent. So sorry.

Anyways, I came dorsum amongst a novel zest for life, which is good, because I was genuinely fading fast.

By the fourth dimension nosotros came home, our floors had been sealed amongst several layers of satin topcoat, in addition to were finally finished (at to the lowest degree on the principal level).

I jumped upward in addition to downwardly for a total 42 minutes.

Just to genuinely hammer abode what an improvement this genuinely is, here's our work solid when nosotros showtime moved in:

And hither nosotros are today.

It's a flooring mini-miracle.

And, luckily I captured the miracle when nosotros showtime got home. Because the really side yesteryear side day, it was filled dorsum upward amongst materials for the entryway.

And it kinda yet looks similar this.

But the skilful tidings is that I finally lead keep floors that I love, in addition to nosotros finally lead keep elevator off inwards the entryway pit.

It only took 8 picayune weeks to acquire to this point.

We're going to express joy almost that 1 day.

I laughed a picayune combat acre writing that sentence.

Too soon.

I lead keep a lot to a greater extent than to portion almost the entryway, in addition to the step rail is existence built today, but we'll verbalise almost all of that soon.

Today, nosotros lead keep floors.

FLOORS, ya'll.

And I powerfulness genuinely lead keep my work solid dorsum this weekend.

Can I hug you?

Before nosotros go, I don't lead keep whatsoever slightly nauseating life lessons to portion amongst you. But, I volition throw inwards a picture of Cheese, who refuses to await me inwards the eyes lately. Who tin blame her.

Just a few to a greater extent than days, girl.

And in addition to therefore you lot tin Risky Business yourself all over the house.

I'll fifty-fifty acquire you lot four picayune white socks.