A Little Before And After: Our Floors Edition

Let me be clear -- I LOVE hardwood. I don't know that my love of hardwood over carpet can be overstated. So I was beyond thrilled when we found our house and it was mostly hardwood throughout. And not only hardwood, but the original hardwood. Love!

But ever since we've moved into our new house (just a little over two years ago), I've been wanting to re-finish the floors. However, it felt more like a want than a necessity, so we put it off. When I got offered my job, I said to Dave, "Let's refinish the floors. And let's do it in August when the kids and I are in Saskatchewan." So Dave graciously agreed to move out of the house for a week, and we set about packing up.

And when we got estimates everyone agreed that the floors desperately needed refinishing if they were to last. So it turned out that it was a bit of a need, too.

Dave sent me pictures of the progress while I was gone, but since I had both the iPad and the good camera, all he had was his cell phone, which may not have produced the best pictures ever. I COULDN'T WAIT to see it in person. And it surpassed my greatest expectations.

It feels like we've moved into a new house, or have completely replaced the floors, but trust me, it's amazing what a little sanding and refinishing can do. And also, I did clean the house before, but hardwood floors that have lost their finish soak up every bit of dirty water, so they never really get clean. And we didn't stain the floors at all, we just got a clear coat of finish.

So with all that preamble, here's a little "before" and "after" for you:

Before: The Dining Room

(Isn't it lovely how you can tell exactly where the table was sitting?)

After: The Dining Room

 

 Before: The Living Room; After: The Living Room

Before: The Front Entry; After: The Front Entry

(I tried to take the "after" picture in the same direction, but the floors were too shiny and the pictures weren't turning out. It's a GREAT problem to have!) 

Before: Rachel's Room; After: Rachel's Room

(I have to admit, I was a little (A LOT!) skeptical when they said they could remove the dark patch, which used to be in front of the bookshelves. I am absolutely amazed.)

Before: Upstairs hallway; After: Upstairs hallway

(We used to worry about getting slivers here because the floor was in such bad shape. Now I just want to walk around barefoot all the time because they feel amazing.)

The only room which hasn't been done yet is Sam's because that's where we stored all the upstairs furniture. His room will be done at the end of August when we head out of town for a long weekend. Even though the packing up, and the unpacking, was a pain, it was so worth it! I am so glad we had this done, and so thankful that my job provided us with the opportunity to do it.