This our dining room before. This is real linoleum sheet flooring from I think the 30s. I actually liked this floor. It was soft and warm and in the winter when the heat kicked in the floor would puff up. FUN!
This is our living room before. The carpeting is just a step above dirt. It is also from the 30s. It has horse hair and hemp fiber backing. Yeah, that's OLD! It was easy to pull up since it was not attached in any way. Back then they had the carpets custom made with fancy trim on the edges. Then they just laid them in the room. I bet it was beautiful in its day. But its day is long gone and really, this was DISGUSTING!! I can't believe that we lived with this for so long! YUCK!
BTW- that's MST3K playing in the background. If you look carefully you can make out Tom Servo, Joel, and Crow making fun of Hercules. When we were packing up we found about a dozen of these VHS that we had recorded while the show was still on the air. YEAH FOR US!!
This is the underlayment that they recommended for under the flooring. It was kind of itchy, but I think it looked way better than the carpet.
My camera does not have a flash so indoors pictures get a little tricky. The planks actually went in rather easily. The hardest part was picking out which planks to put in next. Since it was real wood, each one was different and some were kind of weird looking. We had to find the best ones for the highest traffic areas - places that would be most visible. THAT proved to be the biggest time sucker.
But I think it was worth it. Don't you?
I LOVE IT!!!
We still have the rest of the dining room and all of the office to tackle, but I think that we deserve a break. So we are taking off to Grand Marais. It is actually a memorial trip for K. SSB has had a bunch of people that knew K write messages on some Tibetan prayer flags and we are going to where she died to hold a service for her. Her parents gave us pictures of the spot that she died and even a topographical map of the area with the spot marked.
And now I know where she got her quirkiness from! :)
19 comments:
wow! beautiful!!!
good job. you guys definately deserve a break :)
That looks amazing.I really like it.
http://pinklady.typepad.com/
It's gorgeous!
http://oreoblizzard.livejournal.com/
Good job guys!
Looking very nice indeed.
it looks absolutely beautiful!!!
what a difference! Now you may come and do the same things to my entry way and kitchen.
Thank you in advance, we will have pizza for you.
You guys are my home improvement heroes. Amazing... it looks fantastic, like professionals did it. No, really. But I'm still more impressed how practically every other week, you have done something with your house. Congratulations and enjoy your gorgeous new house.
What did you do with the old tiles and carpets?
Holy wow, that looks incredible. You also get props for using MST3K as your "work music". That's awesome.
Beautiful! I still miss MST3K.
So when are you coming over to do my house?
That looks really nice! Wonderful job!
Awsome job guys. I'd like you to do the same with our dinning room and living room. Bring the supplies too, while we have Lowe's and Home Depot but I bet Menards will beat them on price. Will grill you both some salmon as a way of saying thanks. Next Saturday OK?
Cool, now SSB can do his Tom Cruise impersonation - sliding on the floor. Old Time rock nd roll.
So funny about MST3K.
ESC, I really can't remember the last time that we took some time off. I mean, well, this trip had a specific purpose, but we still had lots of fun.
Pink Lady, thanks! I love coming into those rooms and seeing how new they look.
AG, thanks! I'm changing your link.
Flubberwinkle, I can't wait til it is done.
Randi, thanks! I can't believe we waited so long!
Derek, I like Pizza Hut or Little Ceasars.
Elizabeth, the dining room flooring stayed right where it was. There was a very good possibility that the backing contained asbestos, so we didn't want to try and tear it out. It will be perfectly safe sealed under the underlayment.
The living room carpet is in the back of our truck awaiting disposal.
The Doc and Laurie, it's good to know that there are other MST3K fans still out there in the universe.
OldRoses, we have actually considered starting a small home improvement business. We do a good job - but I'm afraid that other people might frown upon how long it takes us to get the work done.
Heather, the hard part is yet to come. Trying to move a 1/2 ton piano with damaging the floor that we have already laid is going to be a bear!
DrMax, that sounds tempting, but we are booked next Sat. Maybe in a couple of months?
Shamus, I always thought that Tom Cruise looked like a rat. But he was pretty hot in Legend.
I'm late on this bandwagon, but wow! This rocks. Would you like to come visit Vegas? I'll feed you in exchange for work done on my home. :D
J/K Bravo you guys!
It looks wonderful!! And I am a huge fan of proper, old fashioned linoleum. Did you know it also has antibacterial properties and is all natural - it's made from pine trees and linseed oil! I live near Kirkaldy Scotland, the world's largest manufacturer of lino.
ok dorkiness over.
Good move with the asbestos flooring.
Shannon, actually, I would like to visit Vegas.
Perhaps I could spin my home improvement abilities into travel opportunities.
Lyvvie, most people these days don't even know what real linoleum is. They think sheet vinyl is linoleum.
I talked my neighbor into getting real linoleum in her kitchen when she was re-doing her floors. It's tough and feels real - not fake and plastic-y like vinyl.
Elizabeth, the siding on our house was made with asbestos too, so we had a company come out and remove it instead of doing it ourselves. Although I don't really worry about asbestos that much, I figured with a job that big our risk would increase greatly.