Y’all are going to assume I’ve misplaced my thoughts, and possibly I’ve. After I instructed my mother of my potential plans, she positively gave me that “you’ve misplaced your thoughts” look. However I’m strongly contemplating sanding our bed room suite flooring down once more. Now earlier than you freak out, let me state my case.
We’ve had darkish flooring in our home for nearly twelve years now. After we purchased our home in 2013, the very first thing I did was take away all the carpet to reveal the unique crimson oak hardwood flooring. They have been already darkish.
After which I sanded them down and refinished them. And as soon as once more, they have been darkish.
After which 4 years later, I went even darker on the end in an effort to do away with a few of the crimson. In spite of everything, they’re crimson oak flooring, so they tend to have crimson/orange/pink undertones except steps are taken to take away these undertones.
Anyway, all of that to say that I’ve lived with darkish wood flooring now for nearly 12 years. (It is going to be 12 years this August.)
I don’t dislike darkish wood flooring. In reality, I actually have preferred having darkish stained flooring. However over the past couple of years, I’ve discovered myself being drawn to lighter, brighter, pure wood flooring increasingly more. In reality, they don’t even should be a pure wooden coloration. I’ve simply tended in the direction of lighter flooring usually. You’ll discover that each time I’ve the chance to do one thing totally different, I am going mild and shiny.
After I determined to color the ground within the unique visitor bed room, I went mild and shiny.
After I initially completed the ground in my studio, I went mild and shiny with a whitewashed end.
And once I did the ultimate painted end on my studio ground, I as soon as once more went mild and shiny.
So my love for mild flooring isn’t utterly out of the blue. It’s what I appear to naturally gravitate in the direction of each time I really feel like I’ve the chance to do one thing totally different. And for not less than a few years now, I’ve wished that we had mild, pure wood flooring all through our home as a substitute of the darkish stained flooring that we’ve had for nearly 12 years now. Each time I see a home with mild pure wood flooring, I get somewhat jealous and want I may have these in our home.
Nevertheless, the duty of redoing all of our flooring appeared so daunting, so I figured I used to be simply caught with darkish flooring from right here on out. I plan to stay on this home for the remainder of my life, so I’d simply should have darkish flooring till the day I die as a result of refinishing the flooring appeared utterly unreasonable, proper?
So when it got here time to complete the flooring in our main bedroom suite, I didn’t even take into account an alternative choice. Naturally, I figured my solely choice was to attempt to match the flooring to the remainder of the home since I’m caught with darkish stained flooring till the day I die. There aren’t any different choices at this level. So with out even contemplating every other choices or our longterm plans, I simply went with it. I purchased the stain and completed our newly put in crimson oak flooring to match the remainder of the home.
These are the areas with the brand new hardwood flooring that I simply stained and polyurethaned to match the remainder of the home…
However over the past week or two, I started to understand what an enormous alternative I missed. Had I believed it by way of, I might have realized that this was my alternative to go mild, shiny, and pure with our hardwood flooring. Sure, it must be finished in piecemeal style, however this was it, and I missed it. Let me clarify.
As you realize, our future plans embrace turning the present kitchen into the eating room and turning the present breakfast room and pantry right into a a lot bigger kitchen than the one we at present have.
Properly, once I get to that challenge, it’s going to have an effect on the flooring. Proper now, a part of the kitchen peninsula (the half that sits on the breakfast room aspect) has no hardwood flooring beneath it due to how I needed to construct it and the order by which I did these two rooms.
So when this space is redone, new flooring must be spliced in in order that it has hardwood flooring all through.
Additionally, once I divided the unique den into two rooms — a breakfast room and pantry — I constructed the wall first after which put in the hardwood flooring round it.
That signifies that when that wall is eliminated, that hardwood flooring will even want a number of work to make it steady all through.
As soon as these repairs are made, this entire space will should be sanded down and refinished. What higher alternative to make them mild, shiny, and pure?
After which after that’s finished, the plan is to construct an addition on the again of the home. That signifies that these areas will all want new hardwood flooring that needs to be completed. (The toilet may have tile flooring.) It might be really easy to only hold them mild and pure as properly.
So what does that go away? That principally simply leaves the lounge and music room. And for the reason that new eating room and kitchen should be finished anyway, that will be the proper alternative to only go forward and do these two rooms as properly.
So over the past week-and-a-half, I’ve been beating myself up for lacking this chance. I initially thought I had handed the purpose of no return, so I simply cast forward on my closet and tried to place it out of my thoughts. However over the previous couple of days, I’ve realized that I haven’t precisely handed the purpose of no return. The purpose of no return could be as soon as I end the bed room, refill the bed room suite with our new furnishings, and get us totally moved into the brand new bed room. As soon as every part is moved in and Matt is settled in, that will be the purpose of no return. If I don’t course right earlier than that time, then I actually am locked into having darkish stained flooring till the day I die.
However proper now, I nonetheless have the chance. This space remains to be utterly “beneath building.” We’re not dwelling in these rooms but (though we’re passing by way of to get to the lavatory), and the rooms are utterly freed from furnishings or every other hindrances.
After all, I’ve constructed the cupboards within the closet, however I may nonetheless change course even with these cupboards in place.
So my alternative is now, and it’s both now or by no means. And I feel I need to take the chance. After I take a look at our hardwood flooring in the remainder of the home — the flooring which have been stained and lived on since 2017 — I can see some put on and tear on the end within the excessive visitors areas. So darkish stained finishes don’t final ceaselessly, they usually’re more durable to restore. A light-weight, shiny, pure wooden with only a clear coat could be a lot simpler to restore and hold trying good for the lengthy haul.
I feel I’m going to do it. I want I had considered this a month in the past, and I want I had thought it by way of extra totally earlier than simply deciding that I used to be caught with darkish stained flooring for the remainder of my life. But when my alternative is now or by no means, I’d relatively select now. I’d relatively select a little bit of problem and inconvenience now than be caught with one thing ceaselessly as a result of I didn’t take my alternative to course right once I had the possibility.
(I understand I’m penning this publish on April 1st. I’ll allow you to determine in the event you assume I’m joking or not. However simply take into account, once I transformed our kitchen again in 2014, I refinished that ground thrice over the course of that rework. 😀 So in the event you’ve been round right here some time, and also you’re a betting particular person, I’d recommend placing your cash on “not joking”.)
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and adorn the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You possibly can be taught extra about me right here.
