Thursday, July 14, 2011

When There Is Hardwood Floor Beneath.


The living room flooring in our house
when we bought it
was in desperate need of repair:
the tiles were loose
and damaged.



We started by tearing the tiles up
and then the subflooring
which was held down by thousands of nails.
 It was tedium,
to say the least,
but we could see the old wood flooring underneath,
so we knew there was a bright future for it.


 However,
when we got the floor all cleaned up,
there were paint patches all over it,
and it was rough.

Really rough,
like,
"Park your horse outside before you come into our barn, please."


It was very dark colored
and
even after sanding it,
was as if made of raw planks,
guaranteeing slivers in waiting.


So we decided to paint it...
 with a sealer
and then several coats of white.

A stencil borrowed from my mother
was added around the border,



 and although some stencilling has become dated,
I've never tired of this one.



Knowing that white floors would be impossible to keep clean,
 I watered down some of the trim paint
and painted it on,
quickly wiping it off.

I had to work fast before areas dried
so it wouldn't look patchy;
a glaze would have probably been a better option,
but I didn't know about it then.


 When the floor was thoroughly dried,
we painted 2 or 3 coats of polyerthane on the floor,
letting it dry several days between coats.
 Seven years have passed,
and I still love our floor,
although it is getting worn in places
like where the door stop slides to hold the back door open.

I will probably need to put another 2 coats of poly on it in the next year or two.


Before that,
I'm trying to decide whether I need to paint this big closet cupboard that sits on it
(what a bear this thing was to move!
How we'll ever move it to polyerthane again
is a question I'd rather not think about right now!)
 (My Farmer just added the trim to the base of it as it was missing a section.)

I love this old cupboard that was his grandfather's storage
for his carpentry tools.
It has lots of use worn into it.


 Any suggestions on what color to paint it?

I might just try staining the baseboard to match the rest
and leave it as it is.


 But that will have to wait because I have been totally consumed with
painting the porch floor.

I forgot how long checkerboard floors took to plan out
and then paint.

I can't WAIT til it is done!
Here's a peek.

Now I better get out there and back to work.

Thanks for stopping by!




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13 comments:

  1. Love the floors, what a great idea! We have an old farmhouse too and ripping up the carpet to discover the original wood floors underneath is on our to do list. :)

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  2. You are SO good at teasing...maybe all that sushi caused it!!! Can't wait for the big reveal! Love the stencil on the flooring and the character of the storage cabinet. Makes it more special that it passed to you from a beloved grandfather!

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  3. What a beautiful space! Love your floors, and the cabinet is fabulous.

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  4. The finished product of the floors is amazing!! I would never have thought of the stencil idea and it is so perfect. Hmm... I might put that in my 'decorating ideas' basket for later on!

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  5. You have such patience and imagination. I lack both but am thoroughly impressed!!

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  6. I'm visiting from FJI and love what you've done with your floors. We pulled some 70's linoleum from our front vestibule and I've been thinking about painting the worn hardwood underneath. You have helped me make up my mind, thanks!

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  7. wow! what a beautiful country floor (and not barn-like in the least!)

    thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment the other day. i really appreciate it! God bless you and yours!

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  8. I love your wood floor. The stencil is beautiful. I would have never though of this kind of decoration, but I may use this on my own wooden floor. Your flooring project had a great result. This is a perfect example of a wood floor renewal. Also, your cabinet has a fantastic style. If you like bright colors just renew the white paint on it. Thank you for these photos!

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  9. Lovely! I also love the stencilling you did. The way you pre distressed them with paint was a great way to go.

    Donna

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  10. I can't seem to get my mind around how you think to do these things. I would have looked at the floor and threw up my hands in dismay with no idea at all of how to salvage it. You truly have a blessing and I love the way you share it to inspire others!

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  11. Great transformation on the floor and the cupboard has so much character, I like it white but it would also look nice with a glaze.

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