'The true Soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because He loves what is behind him.' -G. K. Chesterton

03 April 2013

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.

Six

15 comments:

Rev. Paul said...

Well done, sir! And by all means, take that time off before beginning the next project. There's little worse than starting one after finishing another, then discovering your energy fades about half-way through.

Well done, indeed!

Six said...

Thanks Rev. Wise words that I promise to heed my friend.

Home on the Range said...

The work is all so precise but that floor is beautiful! Love the wood tone.

God, Gals, Guns, Grub said...

So which room is the "gun" room...

Dann in Ohio

Aaron said...

Wow! Darn nice job Six!

Six said...

Thanks Brigid. Not too bad for a couple of rank amateurs!

I'm still relegated to the basement Dann :)

Thanks Aaron!

Old NFO said...

Nicely done Sir! Next??? ;-D

Bag Blog said...

It looks great! We still have lots of little things to do on our house. Then we need to go back and re-do some of the old part of the house - a never ending job.

Six said...

Good question NFO. We need to redo the master bedroom and add a second bathroom from scratch. The roof needs replacement and I want to take off the old siding and switch to either the original block or stucco. I think we'll probably concentrate on finishing the covered porch and then wait until after the kids visit in June and July. From there I'm guessing we'll do the master bedroom/bathroom and leave the roof until the Summer cools off but we'll see.

Thanks Bag Blog. Yep, the work never ends.

Paladin said...

Looks great. Well Done!

Being able to look back periodically and feel pride in the quality of work and progress made each day is what I miss most in my current day job. I loved that feeling when I was doing stonework or other construction projects.

Of course, I can't say I miss breaking rocks in 100 degree summer heat - so it all evens out I guess :)

Brig said...

Awesome job! Thanks for all the pics, makes it that much more interesting. The ol bunkhouse is leaking like a sieve so I'm working towards a new roof this summer. The last time I helped roof a house I was a bit younger though...

agirlandhergun said...

Gorgeous!! A job well done! Very cool Six!!

I have really enjoyed following along. Thanks for sharing!!

Monkeywrangler said...

Well done work! Though as I found out with Charlie, dogs hate slick flooring if their hips are going out...we wound up putting throw rugs down everywhere for the last couple years.

Six, I had no idea you were a cyclist too! I've since joined the dark side of cycling...(Come to the Dark Side, it doesn't hurt!) Recumbents!

Vic303

NavyOne said...

Neat, good job! Time to pick your next project. . .

Six said...

Thanks Paladin and I agree wholeheartedly. Lu and I often just wander into the rooms and take in the accomplishment. It does feel pretty dang good.

Thanks Brighid. I don't envy you. We have a roof due but I am putting it off as long as I can!

Thank you AGirl. It was my pleasure to share. I am so glad you liked it!

That's good advice on the floors MonkeyWrangler. Yep, Lu and I are avid bicyclists. I've looked at the recumbents but haven't yet convinced myself to pull the trigger. The problem is we do much of our riding with the grandkids off road which requires MTBs. But you never know. I'm keeping an open mind about it.

Thanks NavyOne! Yep, I'm skulling the next project now. Probably that second bathroom...