Remodel Update - It's Done! - Flooring, Trim And Final Painting

A spoiler. The rooms are done as of 9 PM last night. I put in the last trim screw and Lu took over to finish the trim paint. Last brush stroke went on at 9 and we were officially done. I'll go over flooring and trim painting today and then in the next day or so do a final post including comparison photos so you can see where we started and finished.

Flooring. There are as many choices here as opinions in a political convention. For us when we want a hard surface we normally go with either tile or vinyl plank flooring. For the hallway we went with the vinyl plank flooring.

That's Allure by TrafficMaster. I've talked about this stuff before. We absolutely love it. It's hard, wears very well, goes down easily and can be used in both dry and wet applications. We did the kitchen floor in California with this stuff and have absolutely no complaints.

Here's how it goes down. First thing to remember is it's free floating. No glue involved and you can take it up as easily as you put it down. I've even reused it. Take a look at this photo. The planks are 3 feet long by 6 inches wide. You can see the back and front of the planks. There is a one inch sticky strip on each side that mates up when you set the plank and holds them together.

Start by setting whole planks until you need to cut. You can either score and snap or make a cut with either a chop saw or a jig saw. I like the chop saw for 90 degree cuts for length and the jig saw for intricate cuts like the areas around doors. Lu does the score and snap when she's in a hurry. It works well but the saw will give you a cleaner cut end.

When the cut is done line up the planks

And press into place. Easy peasy. We went with Country Pine.

Hallway flooring done it was time for carpeting. We made sure we had the entire hallway floor done, especially the entryways into the bedrooms, before the carpet guys got here. They arrived just before 10 AM and were done by 3:30. They were prompt, professional and did a very nice job. This was the only part of the project we contracted out since it's both frustrating and free. Hey, free is good.

The Girl's room

And the Boy's

A shot from the kitchen. You can see the unpainted trim.

A better look at that floor. I really like the look, kind of an old pine thing.

A shot looking down the hallway.

With the floors done it was time to finish up the trim. We let the floors rest on Monday and went for the finish line on Tuesday. My job was installation while Lu handled the paint. I got the better end of that deal as I was done by about 4 and she didn't knock off until 9. This is an example of a room carpeted and ready for paint. Can you guess who's room this is?

I start with the doors since I want the verticals to go all the way to the floor. A word on fasteners. I tend to finish so that I can remove if we decide to change things later. To that end I attach trip with 1 1/4 inch brads and then screw everything down with 2 inch wood screws. That allows me to firmly attach the trim to the underlying studs and sill plates and I can still uncover the screws and remove the trim if I ever want to.

I can also fudge the wood trim to make sure it lies just as I want it. Once the trim was in we filled screw and nail holes with light spackling and then sanded everything down.

We had plenty of wall paint left over which was a good thing as Lu wanted the trim to match the walls.

It's amazing how the trim blends into the walls after painting. We wanted the coverage and the depth the bigger trim provided without drawing the eye. I think (hope!) we succeeded.

And just like that this project is finished. We took a useless room and turned it into two very useful bedrooms and a small hallway with a pantry. Not only a practical value but also an increase in the resale value of our home. It took a lot of very hard work and a not inconsiderable expense but the end result was worth everything we put into it. We are happy but it's funny. We woke up asking what needed to get done today. It's a weird feeling being done. Good but weird. I think we'll take a few days off and then start decorating. Lu already has a lot of pink stuff for the Girl and I have a few things for the Boy. I'll post final photos after we get everything in place.

For now Lu and I are basking in a job well done. It's by no means perfect but it is well built from quality materials and feels solid. The rooms are quiet and well insulated. The windows are modern. The wiring and construction are code and we've added a much needed pantry. Look for some before and after later this week. The transformation is amazing if I do say so myself. There is nothing like a big project done.

Thank you all for reading and adding in your support and thoughts. We appreciate you all coming along for the build. I'm now eying the master bedroom and the new bathroom but I think I'll put them off until after the kids visit in June. Lu and I need to decompress for a month or two before we jump back in.

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