Shiny, Happy Floors

"Before" 

When we first saw our home we fell in love with the kitchen.  It's an "L" shape, large, open, the perfect kitchen for entertaining because it opens into the dining room, the screened patio,  and another room with a fireplace that is currently empty and we're not really sure what to call it.  Anyway, although we loved the kitchen, it was a bit outdated.  The first thing that had to go was the checkered vinyl flooring.  Next will be brass knobs and hardware, DOZENS, of brass knobs (at least they are "real" brass and can be tarnished).  

My very generous and DIY Father wanted to give us wood flooring as our Christmas and Anniversary gift, AND install it himself; there is nothing my Dad can't do!  The goal was to match our wood floors throughout the first level, all oak, original and gorgeous.  He found the perfect wood at Lumber Liquidators and instead of renting a floor nailer, got a refurbished one by Harbor Freight on Craigslist for only $60.  It took a few weeks for the order to arrive and once it did, we needed to let it acclimate in our home for another 2-3 weeks before it could be installed.  My dad and hubby chose Father's Day weekend to start their project.  My dad said it could be done in one day's time.......

Here is the reason I took a one week hiatus from my blog, this and VBS.

The original plan was to install the wood floors OVER the old vinyl but when my dad had to run home to grab a tool he forgot, Rob ripped up all the vinyl.  Oops!  See that white paper stuck to the subfloor?  Can you say Asbestos anyone?  Asbestos in flooring wasn't banned until 1977 so if you are tearing up old vinyl, have a professional do it.  And whatever you do, DO NOT SAND IT AND THEN VACUUM IT UP!  A fact we didn't discover until after the fact.  No biggie, I'm sure lung implants will be covered by our insurance in the next 20-30 years.  The silver lining is, it really is best to install new floors over subflooring.

"After"

Thanks, Dad!

Aren't they gorgeous?!!!!  Doesn't the kitchen look more spacious?  We can't believe how it opened up the kitchen even more.  After many days of work (a one day project, ha!) my dad and hubby completed their DIY project and not only gained knowledge of installing wood flooring, but also gained blisters, backaches, knee pain, and don't forget, ASBESTOS!  All kidding aside, we love the floors and they match our original 1971 oak floors perfectly.  The wood is easy to keep clean and feels so good under our feet.  The next project will be our side entry hallway, but they will be installing the wood OVER the old vinyl this time.  Oh, and now our brass knobs and hardware look even MORE outdated.  I promise to post all of the progress so check back.