Flooring Part 5:
All I have left is the finishing touches (corner round and caulking) and then I can call the floor officially done!
It has been one long month..... After cutting and sanding, we turned our attention to birthday mode. We had to get our house put together for my daughter's party.... and we needed clean clothes -seriously. So, in went the washer and dryer and away went the supplies. Well, they were neatly tucked in the dining room.
The party, by the way, was super fun! My daughter planned it herself.... a paint war! And yes, thank goodness we put the flooring on hold. I was kinda freaking out over the cute little red footprints in the kitchen.
Anyways, after the party, we got to work again. We decided to prime the sub-floors to prevent any mildew that could possibly happen (since it is in the kitchen). I then opted to start working on the cabinets as well. I had a few helpers...
Next came the laying. I'm going to be honest. The laying was a little harder than I had thought it would be. The boards weren't super straight and I was having a hard time getting over the fact that there were imperfections. Hence, my husband kept saying, "Rustic, NOT Perfect."
We used the liquid nails for flooring on the back of each board and then nailed the boards in using a nail gun.
A week ago we were finally ready to paint.... But, I ran into a snag- again. As I was trying out a few different methods on the boards where the oven would be, I could not stand the nail holes. They were rectangular do to the fact we used an all-in-one brad nailer and staple gun. I thought once it was painted it wouldn't look bad.... nope, those holes were screaming at me.
So, I filled all the holes (about 1,000) with saw dust mixed with wood glue. Then I had to plastic off the kitchen to sand. Sanding for 5 hours is not for the weak of heart. I was pretty much dying when I was finished.
After vacuuming and vacuuming AND vacuuming the floors, I decided upon a darker white wash on the boards. I used 5 parts paint to 1 part water.
Well, again... this is what happens when an amateur thinks they can do anything.... my paint strokes were VERY visible. Even with a very careful rolling system, I couldn't get an even look. So, I did a second coat. I did cover most of the grain, but I actually love the more solid colored look.
After 3 more days, 4 loads of laundry at a friends house, and 6 coats of Varathane Floor Finish, I finally finished the floor... AND we can walk on it. It's not as rustic as I had wanted and still not perfect, but I am super happy with the results.
Was it worth a month of cooking on a skillet, having piles of dirty laundry in my room, staying up until midnight freaking out I've just wasted my money?... Yep! I saved a little money, learned a LOT, and have a custom floor. Now, to finish the cabinets...
UPDATE: I completely forgot to mention my total. I had quite a bit of wood and liquid nails left over and plan on using those for my chicken cook. I did have to buy another gallon of the finishing product. So.....my total came to $1.30 per square foot. Not too bad.
