The New Floors

This one's for Alisa, because she specifically asked. OK, it's for me, too, because I've been dying to show off my husband's handiwork! I think I'll bore you by walking you through the process:

First we had to pull up the lovely linoleum from the kitchen area and the 40-year-old (I don't really know, but it seemed like it) carpet from the dining area. Both were disgusting! The pad under the carpet was basically disintegrated, leaving big piles of sandy, gritty stuff. It took a lot of sweeping, then scrubbing with soapy water, to get the floors clean and ready to go. There was a second layer of subflooring where the linoleum had been to make the floor even, so that had to be pulled up as well. What we were left with was a smooth, level surface, so we were lucky in that regard.

We were surprised to find hardwood under the linoleum in the entryway. Apparently our entire living room is hardwood, but it's pretty hammered (there are big holes from nailing in the tack strips for the carpet and damage from where the linoleum was) and we actually want carpet in that room, so it will remain hidden.
Never trust the employees at Home Depot. Two different people at different times told me that the flooring we purchased could be clicked together, nailed down, OR glued down. Not so. When we opened the first package and read the instructions for the first time, on the day we were starting the project (maybe we should have done that a long time ago?), we found that the floors need to be glued down. John ran to Home Depot for glue, which is not cheap - the first of many trips to that stupid store over the next week and a half. Did I mention that when we started, bright and early in the morning, we thought we'd be finished by the end of the day - with the entire floor?! The process was very tedious. The glue had to be spread on the floor with a trowel, then the boards were put down, one at a time. They're tongue-and-groove, so they then had to be pounded into each other as tightly as possible, all along the length of each board several times, and at each end. Once in place, we had to tape them with painter's tape to keep them in place while the glue dried. Poor John was hunched over for 10 days. I don't know how he can stand up straight now.
There was a lot of sawing and swearing, as John had to cut pieces to fit around heat registers, corners, etc. And once the floor was done, there was the quarter-round trim to be installed around the bottom of all of the cabinets. And then moldings to be painted and put back up. All of this took an excruciatingly long time. It took us an evening just to finish the trim behind the oven and fridge, so you can imagine how many hours the entire project took. Oh, and I forgot to mention the threshold pieces between the carpet and our entryway, from the bedroom, to the top of the stairs, to the beginning of the hallway......you get the picture. Once it was all finished, we were left with these stunning results:

I am so thrilled! I love the color and the contrast with the white cabinets. Once we get new countertops that are darker, we'll have the perfect balance of light and dark. I am so proud of my husband, for doing such an awesome job at something he's never even tried before. He's such a hard worker! I do have to warn anyone considering wood floors - they'll drive you crazy. The second I finish sweeping and then shining the entire floor on hands and knees (I'm still a little anal about it), I stand up and see bits of fuzz and dust that have fallen while I was working. And every time we drop anything hard, we get a big ding in the floor. I could take you around the room and point out 75 dings and tell you what caused each one. Hopefully I'll relax someday. But I think it's worth the craziness. The glue underneath the floor actually makes for some give when you step, and it doesn't feel cold at all, like tile would. Overall, I love it!