The Floor Project

my new wood floor

It might seem odd to write about a home improvement project on what is supposed to be primarily a writing blog. This has consumed so much of my mental and physical energy the past two weeks, I really can't think of anything else. Besides, Mystery Thriller Week begins soon, and I'll be posting daily on nothing but writing topics. So here goes.

The carpet was iffy when we moved into this house over a decade ago. Time did not improve the situation. At long last, we began the project to replace carpet with wood floors.

​My husband hired Hardwood Cafe in Colorado Springs. The project involved a long hallway, the dining room, upstairs living room, stairs, and refinishing the kitchen and landing.

We were able to have the existing wood floor in the kitchen sanded and refinished, and the rest of the floor woven in to match. This limited options on flooring materials, as we needed to match the variety of wood already in the house. Unbelievably, the entire floor looks like it was installed the same day. I can't see any difference between the kitchen and the rest of the upstairs.

I love how the existing wood floor is now lighter and more natural looking. We like the irregular look of the oak, with knots and color variations.

One more coat of protective sealant, and we're done. We'll be moving our furniture back in by this weekend. As I said a few posts ago, change is uncomfortable. Soon, all the inconvenience of not having the use of half our house for days will fade. I anticipate my allergies and asthma settling down in a few weeks, after all the dust is cleaned up. 

The project has eaten into my writing time, but not as badly as I expected. I had to keep up with the day job, of course. I've been using whatever time and energy I have left to work on my many ambitious 2017 writing projects, leaving little for the mundane household chores that still require attention. I'll catch up on that stuff - later.

Below are a few before and after photos. 

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