I haven't shared very many interior shots of our home because honestly I was a little scared of what people would think. And I wanted there to be some visible signs of progress. One of the reasons why we fell in love with this house was because of its potential, especially in the living room. When we purchased the house, we didn't know the condition of the floors under the carpets, we only knew they were hardwood. We also didn't know what lurked above the dropped ceilings or behind the wood paneling. But based on the height of the roof, we knew there was space up there, and we hoped we could make it beautiful.
Underneath the carpet was old growth Douglas fir, in excellent condition. It has never been refinished, and we believe it to be over 100 years old. Underneath the fir are beautiful, wide, tongue in groove subfloors that run the opposite direction. Behind the wood paneling was drywall, and above the dropped ceiling was fabric fiber wallpaper, that disintegrated when we touched it, covering cedar planks. All of the original walls in our home are constructed of cedar planks, most of which are covered in drywall (the exception being the walls in the closet in the second bedroom). All in all, the walls are only about an inch and a half thick, leaving no room for insulation or electrical, which had to be run externally or by cutting into the drywall and cedar.
This is where we patched a water stain.
Sanded, filled with wood putty, and sanded again. Ready for staining.
We chose "Black Cherry" by General Finishes, which is a water-based stain. It was the closest we could find to the original floor color, and we love it. Part way through we discovered it was better to apply the stain in the direction of the wood. Live and learn!
I love the wood grain (and my new L.L.Bean slippers)!!!
We used Minwax Ultimate Floor Finish in Satin, which is also water-based (no fumes!). Applied the first two coats and did a light sanding before the final coat.
We still need to paint the trim and find a ceiling fan, but we are looking forward to moving furniture in on Sunday. I originally thought the room needed a chandelier, but the woodstove is in the dining room, and we need to be able to draw the warm air in. It has come a long way since we got the keys in July. I love our home and I am so grateful. A huge thank you goes out to Jeffery's brother, Kevin, whose guidance and help has been invaluable. Thank you Kevin!
All I wanted for Christmas this year was refinished floors in my living room. And they're done and they're beautiful and now we know how to do the rest of the house! This year has been scary and hard and wonderful and thrilling, and I have never been more excited about what the new year brings. We hope to make a lot more progress in 2016. :)
Merry Christmas to you and yours and thank you for following along. xo