Friday, August 19, 2011

Who Knew Hardwood Would Be So Hard??

Are you having one of those days when you feel completely overwhelmed? Like the mess in your house is taking over... things are not put away in their proper place, tables need dusting, floors need vacuuming, laundry is piling up? If so, this picture should make you feel better.




If you've got a floor and your toilet isn't sitting in your living room, you are waaaay ahead of me.


As much as I would love to clean up this room and get the toilet back in the powder room, that will not be happening any time soon. Let me fill you in on the latest home renovation drama. I know...drama in our house... shocking!


You may recall that we are having new hardwood floors installed. We had the white carpet removed from our living and dining rooms, front and back staircases and upstairs hallway. We also had some existing hardwoods removed from our foyer and powder room. 







The removal of carpet, hardwoods, nails and staples took one day. Over the next couple of days the stair treads were sanded, and the front stairs were stained to match the hardwood floors I had chosen.


Shout out to my fellow Dexter fans!














So once the entire house was covered in 10 inches of dust sanding was done, the real fun was to begin. The guys started laying out the floors. They had only been there for a few minutes when they told me there was a problem.


The floors are 5" wide planks that come in varying lengths. The problem was with the manufacturer's definition of varying. The boards were 1', 2' and 35". Wha What?? That is not my idea of variation. I would expect some long boards to be included. These were short and nearly impossible to install in a traditional hardwood layout. They would end up looking like a stair step or brick pattern. Not gonna work!






So the project has come to a screeching halt while I scramble to find another hardwood that I like. Did I mention that it took me nearly 6 months to choose the first one?? I've spent half the day staring at these samples.




Want to choose one for me?? I need to go do some dusting.




16 comments:

  1. Having lived through 6 months of renos this year, I am feeling your pain! 'just keep swimming'....

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  2. Oh you poor thing! I know how frustrating that is (been there, done that etc.)Best thing to do is to make a quick decision re flooring and get the ball rolling again. The second sample from the front of your pic looks quite similar to the original from this angle (but maybe not in 'real life'?)Hang in there - it will be worth it in the end:)

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  3. Oh me oh my. I feel for you. I hate for my house to be torn up like that and now it will be that way longer than planned. I hope in the end it was all worth it.

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  4. Oh I am in complete sympathy Carolyn! 12 years of renovations/restorations and we're still going!???!!! Sounds as though the original boards were more parquet than plank! I rather like the ones bottom far left of the picture as they're a lovely colour. We've recently laid a reclaimed oak floor (around 200 years old or more) in our snug and not only were the planks different lengths they were different width too, all very interesting! We haven't sealed or stained it in any way and it's getting the most fabulous patina (aided and abetted by muddy boots and the cat being sick on it)! We do as much of renovation work ourselves (I've even learnt to lime plaster great fun) which means that although so far it has taken 12 years it does mean when we've had enough of the mess we can take a break for a while. I'm sure which ever wood you opt for the end result will be stunning! Hugs from an old farmhouse in England - Glenda xxxxxxx

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  5. I think we have all been there, but I love your sense of humor! What a crazy thing to happen with the hardwood...I would be upset, too. In the end it will all be a distant memory and you will be sharing gorgeous pictures. Hang in there!

    XO,
    Janie

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  6. Did you open all the boxes? When we redid our floors, we found some of the boxes had long pieces and some had shorter pieces. That may be the same in your case. Once you combine boxes it all looks great!

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  7. Wow. That is horrible, but you know in the end it will be worth it. You have too many samples! The ones you know want work, put them away. Too many choices lead to indecision.
    They are coming Monday to start ripping my floors up. I am calling my salesman and make sure there is not going to be an issue with lenght. I am using a small local store that is all about customer service. (that had tens of thousands of samples)

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  8. So frustrating. I've lived through re-models and built two houses...at times it seems like nothing will go right, but in the end it's all worth it. Hang in there. Mona

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  9. Your home is beautiful (even with a commode in the living room) lol. So glad I found you, I am following right back. Going to check out more of your beautiful home.

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  11. Uggh! I know EXACTLY how you feel. I've been there - and we have the next section of our reno coming up this year and I'm dreading the whole chaotic side of it. I know I'll love it when it's done but will have to grit my teeth!

    I bet yours will look AWESOME when you've finished - you could consider keeping the toilet in the living room as a kind of centrepiece. Haha!! Can you imagine!!

    Sarahxx

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  12. Oh, I have been where you are! This too will pass! You will love the finished project and the dust will go. Just keep a little space for yourself where you can get away from it. I can hardly wait to see the new floors!

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  13. Oh no you poor thing. I know you will come up with something fantastic. You have such great taste.

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  14. What an exciting experience!/Hilarious! Delightful! True!/wonderful stuff! thank you! Dressed Hardwood

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  15. Woods have always set a good example for flooring. I like reclaimed oak parquet flooring. When it comes to reliability and durability, reclaimed wood holds its own. Reclaimed wood is much older, and much more developed because it has been sitting in a barn for hundreds of years. It has been dried, and has continued to dry for over a century. In which reclaimed White Oak flooring has a rich brown color, tight grain, and hard. Each floor will have a good quantity of quartersawn boards that have a "tiger" grain pattern with beauty that is hard to match. Create your own style of flooring. Thanks.

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