Y’all, I used to be so decided to see some main progress in our bed room suite that I used to be on my palms and knees till 10:30 final evening staining the flooring. I used to be decided. So let me again up a bit and inform you the whole lot.
In a publish final week, I expressed a little bit of frustration with the sanding course of. A difficulty with residing in a small-ish metropolis is that there aren’t a complete lot of choices relating to hiring out a job like sanding hardwood flooring. Clearly, that’s not a job you need to hand over to a random handyman that you just discovered on Nextdoor. So the flooring firm I used to put in the flooring really helpful an individual for the job.
He began final Thursday, and he was such a pleasant man and has clearly been doing this all of this life as a result of he had a ton of data in regards to the course of, the merchandise, the correct strategies, and so forth. I may inform he’s actually been doing this for many years, and has in all probability been utilizing the identical tools because the day he began again in 1850 or so. 😀 His huge drum sander appeared prefer it was being held along with duct tape and hope. So it was clear that he’s had numerous expertise, however my goodness, was he gradual! (The age factor in all probability has lots to do with that.)
Anyway, I anticipated it to be a two-day venture, with him ending on Friday in order that I may have the weekend to stain and polyurethane. That didn’t occur. So I used to be form of a bundle of nerves on Friday and over the weekend. I simply wished the job completed.
So think about my pleasure when he instructed me at 1:00pm yesterday afternoon that he was virtually completed. I instantly thought, “Oh good! I’ll nonetheless have loads of time to go to the shop, buy my provides, and get the flooring stained at the moment!” As a result of when somebody tells me they’re virtually completed with one thing, I think about that they’re about half-hour to an hour away from ending, proper? Mistaken.
He completed up at 6:00pm. 😀 However y’all, I used to be nonetheless decided. As quickly as he walked out the door at 6:00pm, I headed to Lowe’s to choose up the provides. I bought dwelling at 7:30, after which debated whether or not or not I ought to begin then or wait till at the moment. I wished to make use of the very same course of and merchandise that I utilized in the remainder of the home in order that I’d have one of the best probability at having the identical final result. And in the remainder of the home, I used wooden conditioner on the entire flooring earlier than staining it. I had no thought how lengthy it will take to place wooden conditioner on virtually 500 sq. ft of flooring, after which as soon as that went down, I’d should stain the ground inside two hours. In order that meant that if I began final evening, I’d have to complete final evening. And I additionally had no thought how lengthy it will take to stain all of that flooring. I used to be afraid I could be up till 1:00am, however I used to be so decided to get it completed that I made a decision to go for it.
Sadly, I used to be in such a rush that I didn’t even cease to take footage of the freshly sanded flooring earlier than getting began. That is the one image I’ve of the sanded flooring, however I took this earlier than they had been utterly sanded.

So at about 7:45 final evening, I had all of my provides unloaded from the van, and I used to be able to get began. I began with the wooden conditioner, which I utilized by hand, on my palms and knees, utilizing a staining sponge. I began on the far wall of the bed room and labored my approach in direction of the French doorways.


I bought that completed about 8:45. I gave myself about quarter-hour to examine on Matt, take Cooper out, after which began the staining about 9:00pm. Making use of the stain took longer than the wooden conditioner, but it surely truly went quicker than I believed it will. As soon as once more, I began on the far wall of the bed room and utilized the stain on my palms and knees utilizing a staining sponge. This took longer as a result of as soon as I utilized the stain to a number of rows of flooring, I had to return and wipe off the surplus.

However I completed up proper at 10:30 final evening. Clearly, the ground isn’t completed but. I nonetheless want so as to add no less than two coats of polyurethane. I’ll in all probability do three.

And proper now, the ground seems to be very grainy. That’s simply the character of purple oak hardwood flooring.

However the magic will occur with the primary coat of polyurethane as a result of I’ll add stain to that first coat, identical to I did in the remainder of the home, and that can give the ground a extra uniform look.

The grain will nonetheless present, so the ground received’t look utterly uniform. I do, in any case, need it to nonetheless seem like actual hardwood flooring.

However the first coat of polyurethane and stain combination will even out among the grain, and also will give the flooring extra depth of colour.

I’m hoping to get all coats of polyurethane on the flooring at the moment, which signifies that by the tip of at the moment, the flooring must be utterly completed!

The lighting within the closet is so poor proper now, so that you’ll simply should belief me that it actually does match the remainder of the flooring. 😀 That arduous line within the doorway is only a shadow.

And that brilliant spot in the midst of the ground is only a reflection from the one solitary mild on this room.

Anyway, I’m simply ecstatic to lastly be seeing some critical progress!! And now, the venture is in my palms alone. So from right here on out, if the progress isn’t quick sufficient for my satisfaction, the one particular person I can get annoyed with is myself. 😀

If all goes as deliberate, these flooring must be completed by the tip of the day.
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