Call me Mrs. Sandman: the importance of sanding

After ripping up the carpet, the great debate became what to do with the floors. Do we preserve them as they are? Do we sand them down and stain them? Looking at them closely and also seeing the 2 holes of where there once was a wall, it was obvious that we had to start over. The yellow floors clashed with my style and resembled more of a basketball court than a home. So it was decided - we must sand! 

Now I told you already that Pinterest was my ally in this process. I found several tutorials on how to refinish floors and all lead me to the Home Depot tool rental department. 

I marched in and asked for my orbital sander (I felt like a pro already). From there the friendly worker assisted me in choosing the pad, grits of sandpaper ad even showed me how to operate the tool. Though I read all the how-to blogs, he walked me through the process again. Very helpful! 

Now in order to sand your floors you need to prep your space. 

- Cover all return air vents. You don't want the sawdust and debris finding it's way to other places in your home

- Cover all outlets. Again you don't want sawdust to get in there and make then unusable. 

- Remove all furniture and items you don't want to get debris on. If you can't remove it then cover them completely. 

- Seal off doorways so the sawdust doesn't penetrate other parts of your home. Trust me. This stuff will fly everywhere but really you want to prevent as much as you can. 

Once the area was prepped, I prepped myself. I wore goggles to protect my eyes, a mask over my mouth (seriously you need this) to make sure I didn't inhale anything, and my painting clothes. 

You also need the following to really make the cleanup simple - a shop vac and broom. Between grits, you MUST clean up up ALL the sawdust in order to properly sand as well as see your progress. 

I highly recommend having 2 people do this. One to sand and one to follow with the shop vac. However, I didn't have that all the time so I worked with what I had. 

For my first pass with the orbital, I enlisted the help of my friend Christina. However, I was worried about rental time and hurried the initial sanding. I didn't ruin the floor; however, it was not down to the bare wood. It is extremely important to have it sanded down completely or else your stain won't take. 

So I rented it again and made sure it was thoroughly sanded down. The results were beautiful. I am telling you, there is nothing more beautiful to me than bare wood. It's a blank canvas! 

Important note: you won't complete the job with the orbital alone. While it's amazing and thorough, it can't get into the corners. You will need a palm sander or a smaller sanding device to get the corners as well as any small sections the big machine might miss. I learned that any area of wood that is shiny or reflects light needs additional sanding. Bare wood doesn't shine or reflect light. Nope! You need everything completely sanded off in order to proceed to your next step. It's a very long process but very much worth it in the end! 

Third times a charm

Exhibit A - cracking floors

I realize that mornings are rather touch and go here.  We have emotional meltdowns, demands, arguments about who is going to wear what (it starts young with girls).  However, this morning it wasn't my girls creating the issue.  It was yet again the floor.  I know the floor has become the central focus of my world right now but it is my first major overhaul and a lot of my time, focus and energy has been placed into making this DIY project a success. 

So this morning I ran to check on the floor status as I always do when I discovered the sinking feeling in my stomach - it is all peeling off.  Not just sections...the whole floor.  For whatever reason (which I will later explain why), the stain wasn't taking to the floor and actually peeling and cracking off.  I have stained tables, chairs and other forms of furniture and never had I experienced this.  I knew one thing - this wasn't good.

I held it together for all of one hour when I called my friend to come over and look this over with me.  He said the same thing that I was thinking - we need to sand this all off and start over.  Yet again another orbital sander rental at Home Depot to pass at these floors yet again.  More sawdust. More sweat. More money. 

BUT we had come this far so perhaps the third time was a charm?

After first pass with 40 grit

Being an old pro at this, I went to the rental department and grabbed the pad, my series of grits (40, 800, 120) to begin the job yet again.  This particular time was truly heartbreaking.  As I passed the orbital sander over the floors, I cried for the hours of work, the hopes for a beautifully elegant floor and yet another setback keeping us from actually using the floors.  But as I passed over the floors and watched the beautiful teak sawdust fly off, I noticed the beautiful colors of the floors.  The wood itself had ambered but the grain had retained this gorgeous dark color.  By sheer accident and folly, the floors had become this gorgeous rustic masterpiece.  Even better, it looked intentional.  The gashes and nicks that had formed over time suddenly had this "I am meant to be here" look. It was a far cry from the pickled white vision I had hoped for and and even further cry from the dark uniform floors my husband had, but it was a true meet in the middle floor.  Also, it was directly in line with every type of flooring I always lusted after.  It was Anthropologie meets Arhaus all in one.

I stopped and said a silent thank you to God for truly saving this moment.  I believe I have understated how upset I was about this. An hour before this moment I was broken and believed all of this hard work was in vain and that I was calling a company to come carpet every ounce of my hard work.  But no - it was a divine save and something I walked away with a lot of lessons about.  I am not a professional but I am diligent, a perfectionist and eager to learn from my mistakes.

Carefully deducing the "what went wrong" from this I learned a few things:
1) NEVER EVER EVER clean bare wood floors with mineral spirits, especially if you are applying oil-based stain (not blaming him but thanks to my hubby for this one! he didn't know, he was given advice from someone that didn't know what they were doing)
2) Always wipe off any excess stain 10-20 minutes after the initial pass to ensure proper drying of the stain.  You never ever want stain to pool - this means that there is an excess that won't dry and will cause an odd sheen on the floor in areas where it's trying to dry or eventually crack. 
3) NEVER apply poly on wet stain...just don't.  It will create a MESS. I did a test spot on these bad 'ol boys and that was far worse than the actual cracking and peeling stain.  
4) Patience is key...however, trust your gut when you know something isn't right.  I knew after day 5 that perhaps something wasn't right with my floors when they were not properly drying.  Instead of sanding it off then, I waited till day 10 when I saw the disaster happen.  Had I done this sooner, I would've been able to enjoy my space sooner.  BUT no mistakes in Providence, right?

So lessons learned BIG TIME.  And after this third time with the orbital, I feel like an old pro.  I know what a bare wood floor should look like.  I know how to use the sander and how to properly switch the grits.  I know how to apply stain properly and know that patience is key.  Most importantly, I developed the confidence needed to tackle this kind of job.  Like the saying goes, if at first you don't succeed, try and try again!

Finished sanding...and my tiny dancer loves the result as much as I do!

What is under this carpet?

This journey began with one simple step - peeling back the existing carpet.  The carpet was white and in decent shape.  However, I took issue with two things: 1) It was white and I have small children; and 2) It was 20 years old...and although in great shape, 20 years seems like a long time for dust, dirt, grime and grossness to accumulate in that carpet pad.  But I just moved in and I thought I needed to slow my roll and just let it be. 

It only took 48 hours before the white carpet suffered it's first casualty - chocolate milk.  As I was scrubbing it up, I thought, "what is under this carpet?" So I went to the corner and I attempted to peel back a small section.  I was trying to be ginger because there was a serious possibility that there could be a sub floor and nothing else.  I felt like Charlie Button peeling it back hoping that my golden ticket was inside...and lo and behold there it was - hardwood floors!  Immediately I thought to myself, "I have to peel this all up immediately."  But I hesitated.  Doing this meant that I had to undertake the challenge of tackling this project ASAP.  I had barely unpacked our belongings and I was thinking of taking on a massive overhaul.  Also, I have a 2 and 3 year old...where do I find the time to do this? How do I do this? Do I have the guts to take this on? Will I mess up my floors? Can I really do this? SO many questions floating around and cluttered my mind.

So I left the partially peeled carpet alone and took to Pinterest.  I looked up anything and everything on how to refinish hardwood.  All signs pointed towards go.  It was more cost effective to do it yourself.  Home Depot actually rents the orbital sanders and you can achieve the pro finish on your own.  Pinterest was giving me the confidence boost I needed assuring me "YES YOU CAN CARRIE" (of course it does).

But still nervous and second-guessing myself, I began to poll friends and family.  I discussed it with a friend who had done her own and she assured me this was a manageable process. My brother who had done his even offered guidance. I became obsessed with the idea of doing it.  I know when an idea comes into my head I cannot let it go and will steamroll any dissenting thought until I go for it. But what sealed the deal was a friend who not only assured me I could do it, but offered to assist me.  He said he had done it and would come help me along in the process.  SOLD!

The first part was the easiest - removing the carpet.  It peeled back far too easily (it totally wanted to come up!) and showed a beautiful floor.  Then I kept peeling and uncovered the first roadblock - missing floor boards!  The original floor plan had the open dining/living combo as two separate rooms.  The previous homeowner decided to tear down the walls and make it one open room. I love him for this! What I don't love him for is not patching up the open spots where a wall once existed.  Instead, he put down some 2x4s and put down carpet...the lazy approach :) So now I am left with a mess on my hands...I love to DIY but I am not a carpenter (yet).  SO I was left questioning myself, Do I stop this process and hire a professional or do I research and do my best to complete this myself? This entry proves I chose the latter. 

Halfway gone...and there are the holes in the floor

WELCOME HOME?

The journey begins with buying a house.  Even with the complexities of home purchasing now, the actual buying part is the simplest piece of the process.  You see, you simply purchase the house but the trick is making it into your home.  Your home becomes your personal thumbprint of style and character.  New and old it's a challenge.  Those who build a house have to go through the process of picking all of their finishes and designing the bones of it from day one.  With time you add your own flair: pictures, paint, carpet, rugs, furniture, etc., all of which will tailor it to your style and needs.  I find the process is that much harder when you purchase a previously owned home.  Someone styled it to suit their needs and personality.  Some things you love and others you'd love to redo.  The formula of every House Hunters episode shows someone walking into a home and automatically ripping it apart and visualizing how they could make it "work" for them.  Home is where your heart is...where memories are made, families gather, friends visit and you dwell. 

My home buying process wasn't an easy one.  I was in Texas and had a tight timeline to move to Ohio.  I left the searching process in the hands of my family whom I love and trust.  They were the ones walking through and tearing it apart.  I never stepped foot into my home till after it was closed.  My husband tried to FaceTime me in but it isn't the same.  I didn't have the option of walking through 10 or so more homes to determine it was THE ONE.  No option - it was my house.  So now my journey is to make it my home.  It's a beautiful house...I really do love it.  However, it was like the equivalent of an arranged marriage.  I didn't choose it...it was selected for me.  With that being said, I think it was a wonderful choice and I know a lot more than just choosing a place makes your house a home.  It's how you design it that makes it YOURS!

The layout of our home baffles me.  I think what baffles me most is visualizing how I am going to piece it together to make it my own.  I know the rule of thumb is to just LIVE in a home for a while and see how it works for you.  This theory is a beautiful one; however, I am a doer, a visualizer and most of all a creative thinker.  I can't just be in a space and let it go.  I need to move stuff around, hang stuff up and try and make it work right from the starting gate.

In our previous home it really was a no-brainer.  The home was open concept and it just wrote it's own story.  Here requires thinking and a thoughtful mind.  Since the home is a Cape Cod style, the main bulk of the home is on one level.  The bulk of our 3,000+ sq. feet is on the main floor...oh em gee that's a lot of home and a lot of thinking to do.

What further complicates the process is seeing how the previous owner laid out their home.  What worked for him doesn't work for us.  For starters, we have kids! His finishes are pristine but white carpet with kids? NO! Flat finish walls? NO! Secondly, my husband and I have our families nearby so we need a formal dining room large enough to fit all of us.  What was the dining room for the previous owner just doesn't work for us.  So now imagination really comes into play.

I can honestly say I am in "attack" mode with the wallpaper.  The same stripe pattern is everywhere in the home.  My mom finds it charming and feels it is a designers dream.  BUT I CANNOT STAND IT.  The whole home is warm tones and I love cool.  The home seems so formal to me and I need cozy and lived in.  I want that perfect blend of chic and casual.  So here begins the process of "how do I make this my own?"

Well y'all, you are about to see!