I'm really happy. I put the old aluminum thresholds back down, and as ugly as they are they made a huge difference. If you look at the floor only, it looks like a real room, not a construction site. And I got all the wood out of the bedroom! I think the hall is going to look really, really sharp when it's done - and it definitely feels like the end is in sight now.
I know I'm just amped because I got the scariest part of the project done. I think I mentioned I've never actually laid a whole room of hardwood before? I've refinished it, and I've repaired it, which is trickier in some ways, but I've never done a 16' run of it. The boards at the end, by the cat room (the room with the piles of wood still present) are off by maybe 1/4". I'm very satisfied with that. I feel confident that I could lay hardwood in any room in this house, and I'm officially on the lookout for small lots of utility grade stuff on Craigslist.
Next up: trim. Next week I'll roll the walls twice, then put up all the door trim. Then I'll lay baseboard til I run out, then buy enough to finish and buy the quarter-round... although I might change that plan and tack the QR to the baseboard before I put it up. I've got the standard 3/4" expansion gaps at the sides of the wood, and it'll be a bitch to keep the baseboard from falling down in the gap. If the QR was tacked to it, it wouldn't fall down in the gap.
Once I get the trim up, I can clear out one of the spare bedrooms and set it up to paint doors. I have those cheap new doors in the garage, but I'm actually really happy with the way the current doors look painted white. The dark woodgrain stuff looks surprisingly good with white semi-gloss. They'll all need trimming - the hardwood is a bit higher than the old carpet and laminate, so they'll drag or not shut right.
I like to paint doors standing up. A lot of sites recommend laying them on sawhorses and painting them flat, to avoid runs, but if your paint is running you're doing it wrong. Painting a door that's standing up is easier IMO than bending over to paint one that's horizontal. You can lean a lot more doors against walls than you can put them on sawhorses, and you can carefully flip them before the paint is cured - you can't do that if you're laying them flat.
There's still a lot of work to do, but it's really shaping up nicely.
Hall floor is finished from Funder on Vimeo.
That looks awesome.
ReplyDeleteIt's the finishing touches that I always have a hard time getting done. I still have baseboard to put up throughout our house. Sadly, I think I am getting used to it not being there. But know that if I get it up, I will like the finished look a lot better.
Looks good to me. Makes me think maybe I should be looking on Craiglist for hardwood lots. Guess I need money first but if Dave ever gets back to work, there are some things I would like to do and the floors are top of the list.
ReplyDeleteThat looks fantastic! Will you come do our bedroom next? ;)
ReplyDelete