This weekend has been a bit of a mad dash to finish our last BIG project before our house is move-in ready. So it is with much exhilaration that we can say our floors are finished! I will give more of a run down later, but we wanted to share the exciting news.
Monday, May 25, 2015
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Getting closer...
It is amazing how when we don't blog every day we literally can't remember what we do each day because it all blurs together. This is the case for Monday! All we can remember doing is removing the outlet covers and surely we did more than that!
Tuesday started nice and early for me. Rob set up for the plumber to come around and fix the bathtub on Tuesday morning at 7:30 am and somehow, I ended heading over to let the plumber in while Rob slept peacefully. HA! I call that convenient scheduling on his part. He did say I didn't NEED to go over there, but I am still not sure how the plumber would've gotten in. Long story short... we have a working bathtub!!
Tuesday night Rob got the grass cut back into some normalcy and Mom and Dad came over for dinner and to help us do some electrical work. When we moved in, there were no three-prong, grounded plugs in the living room and one of the bedrooms. It is most helpful when sanding floors to be able to have open access to grounded plugs, so Dad helped us put some in. (OH YEAH... that's what we did on Monday... went to Menard's and picked up all the plugs.) We successfully changed out seven plugs and we have just a few more to go!
Today was a big day at work for me: GRADUATION DAY!! My preschoolers all did great and I arrived to the house much more relaxed with that finished. We accomplished a TON tonight. We got the master bedroom painted (BRIGHT yellow)-- two coats. And we painted the ceiling, which was quite the experience. That was a lot trickier than it looked, but it had to be done. When we took the paneling off there was a lot of exposed pink ceiling that just didn't seem to want to be covered. We tried a few options before opting to just paint the whole ceiling. We also started our last little bit of scraping... the bedroom closet. This was by far the WORST floor in the whole house. It is the smallest amount of space we have to scrape, but it is the thickest and most difficult. I decided whomever tiled either started in the closet when they didn't know what they were doing or they ended in the closet when they just didn't care! We are sooo ready to get the floors finished.
We are really starting to see everything come together and are getting ready to move in. It seems very bizarre that in just a couple of weeks all of our stuff will be in the house and we will be sitting in the living room, watching TV, and we won't be going there every night to work. I made Rob promise me tonight that one of the first weekends, once we get a bit settled we can have one day where we just enjoy the house, the grill, the yard, etc and not do a touch of work. He agreed!
That's all for now...
Colleen
Tuesday started nice and early for me. Rob set up for the plumber to come around and fix the bathtub on Tuesday morning at 7:30 am and somehow, I ended heading over to let the plumber in while Rob slept peacefully. HA! I call that convenient scheduling on his part. He did say I didn't NEED to go over there, but I am still not sure how the plumber would've gotten in. Long story short... we have a working bathtub!!
Tuesday night Rob got the grass cut back into some normalcy and Mom and Dad came over for dinner and to help us do some electrical work. When we moved in, there were no three-prong, grounded plugs in the living room and one of the bedrooms. It is most helpful when sanding floors to be able to have open access to grounded plugs, so Dad helped us put some in. (OH YEAH... that's what we did on Monday... went to Menard's and picked up all the plugs.) We successfully changed out seven plugs and we have just a few more to go!
Today was a big day at work for me: GRADUATION DAY!! My preschoolers all did great and I arrived to the house much more relaxed with that finished. We accomplished a TON tonight. We got the master bedroom painted (BRIGHT yellow)-- two coats. And we painted the ceiling, which was quite the experience. That was a lot trickier than it looked, but it had to be done. When we took the paneling off there was a lot of exposed pink ceiling that just didn't seem to want to be covered. We tried a few options before opting to just paint the whole ceiling. We also started our last little bit of scraping... the bedroom closet. This was by far the WORST floor in the whole house. It is the smallest amount of space we have to scrape, but it is the thickest and most difficult. I decided whomever tiled either started in the closet when they didn't know what they were doing or they ended in the closet when they just didn't care! We are sooo ready to get the floors finished.
We are really starting to see everything come together and are getting ready to move in. It seems very bizarre that in just a couple of weeks all of our stuff will be in the house and we will be sitting in the living room, watching TV, and we won't be going there every night to work. I made Rob promise me tonight that one of the first weekends, once we get a bit settled we can have one day where we just enjoy the house, the grill, the yard, etc and not do a touch of work. He agreed!
That's all for now...
Colleen
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Can I help?
Today we got off to a slow start, mostly because of the super fun times we had dancing last night at my cousin's wedding reception! But eventually we dragged ourselves over to the house. On the list for today was putting our last coat of finish on the bedroom floors and attempting to paint the living room. We also DESPERATELY needed to get the backyard mowed. We were hoping the morning rains wouldn't make it too wet and we'd get that done. Unfortunately only a portion of it was accomplished. The spring Minnesota rains are not really cooperating with our need to get the grass cut!
Rob and I figured it would be just him and I working today. We knew it was going to be pretty low key and we figured everyone would be tired from the wedding, so we didn't 'call in the troops.' But low and behold, we ended up with lots of help! Mom and Dad went and picked up our amazing grill from Chad and Beth's house. They beat us to the house and got the grill unloaded and everything. They were going to stay just briefly because they were going to head to Becky and Jeremy's to do some work, but we got a phone call from them and they got a last minute rescheduled showing (of their house) and ended up coming over to our house. It is really nice that we have the space and means to have everyone over.
Dad (and Becky and Jeremy) all offered to cut our backyard for us. We are so thankful. As I said, it needs to be done, but we've been so busy and on such a tight schedule inside the house that its been pushed off. And twice when I've planned to do it, it rained! So Dad went to work on taming the jungle back there.
After Annalynne checked out our floor that we painted with 'stinky stuff,' she asked what we were working on today. When she found out we were painting she wanted to know "Can I help?" We asked if it would be ok for her to help out, then braided her hair and threw her into one of my working tops so she didn't get paint on her clothes. Then we set her loose. She loved it!! What a fun thing to be able to do on a rainy afternoon when you can't play outside. She was so proud of her work and kept asking everyone to paint with her. It was a win for us as well, since we got the entire living room painted!
We also got a live concert of Mom playing guitar while Annalynne sang. We were busy painting and she really wanted to strum the guitar, so Mom helped her out.
At the end of the night, Rob and I buffed and put down our last coat of finish on the back two bedrooms. They look fantastic and we can't wait until we get to do the living room and master bedroom.
Happy Sunday!
Rob and I figured it would be just him and I working today. We knew it was going to be pretty low key and we figured everyone would be tired from the wedding, so we didn't 'call in the troops.' But low and behold, we ended up with lots of help! Mom and Dad went and picked up our amazing grill from Chad and Beth's house. They beat us to the house and got the grill unloaded and everything. They were going to stay just briefly because they were going to head to Becky and Jeremy's to do some work, but we got a phone call from them and they got a last minute rescheduled showing (of their house) and ended up coming over to our house. It is really nice that we have the space and means to have everyone over.
Dad (and Becky and Jeremy) all offered to cut our backyard for us. We are so thankful. As I said, it needs to be done, but we've been so busy and on such a tight schedule inside the house that its been pushed off. And twice when I've planned to do it, it rained! So Dad went to work on taming the jungle back there.
After Annalynne checked out our floor that we painted with 'stinky stuff,' she asked what we were working on today. When she found out we were painting she wanted to know "Can I help?" We asked if it would be ok for her to help out, then braided her hair and threw her into one of my working tops so she didn't get paint on her clothes. Then we set her loose. She loved it!! What a fun thing to be able to do on a rainy afternoon when you can't play outside. She was so proud of her work and kept asking everyone to paint with her. It was a win for us as well, since we got the entire living room painted!
We also got a live concert of Mom playing guitar while Annalynne sang. We were busy painting and she really wanted to strum the guitar, so Mom helped her out.
At the end of the night, Rob and I buffed and put down our last coat of finish on the back two bedrooms. They look fantastic and we can't wait until we get to do the living room and master bedroom.
Happy Sunday!
We got a grill!!!!
We want to give a big shout out of THANKS to "The" Chad and Beth Klebs for giving us a grill! We are sooooo excited to have such an amazing grill passed on to us and can't wait to use it. We really wanted to grill dinner tonight, but since it decided to downpour on and off through out the day, we were out of luck. Check out the pictures of how beautiful it is:
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Up All Night
Yesterday (Friday) I went after work to pick up the buffer and all our supplies to finish our floor sanding project in the back two bedrooms and discovered it is optimal to apply the first two coats of finish four hours apart. So the question became... stay up late or get up early? We have my cousin's wedding this afternoon so we had a tough choice. But we decided to stay up late.
Rob got to work on doing the finishing touches (i.e. scraping down the corners, sanding out any remaining edger swirl, etc) as soon as he got home from work. I met him shortly there after with all our supplies. We made decent time and even had several visitors!
We discovered running the buffer is so much fun!! I really enjoyed it.
We started our first coat, Quick Dry sealer, at 10 p.m. and with some quick cutting in from Rob around the edges and me running the longer pole, we accomplished the first coat of finish in approximately 30 minutes! It was really cool to see that coat go on and really make the beauty of the wood and the amber richness come out. After we finished, I was sooo hungry (since Rob had eaten at a work meeting, we didn't really have dinner). So we headed to Jimmy's, of course! It was nice to get out of the house for our 4 hour time frame because it was stinky!!
When we got back from Jimmy's we still had another two hours to wait, so we took a little nap in the car, hauled boxes into the house, and finished laundry.
At 2:30 am, we started our second coat. We discovered the second coat is a lot harder to see if you've got any skips (missed spots) because there is already the amber color to the wood. But we accomplished our second coat in approximately the same time as the first. We make a great team!
Then we headed back to the apartment and went straight to bed!
House-wise today will be pretty quiet, since we have the wedding, BUT it is so nice to have a day off once in a while and we are looking forward to seeing my whole family!
Rob got to work on doing the finishing touches (i.e. scraping down the corners, sanding out any remaining edger swirl, etc) as soon as he got home from work. I met him shortly there after with all our supplies. We made decent time and even had several visitors!
We discovered running the buffer is so much fun!! I really enjoyed it.
We started our first coat, Quick Dry sealer, at 10 p.m. and with some quick cutting in from Rob around the edges and me running the longer pole, we accomplished the first coat of finish in approximately 30 minutes! It was really cool to see that coat go on and really make the beauty of the wood and the amber richness come out. After we finished, I was sooo hungry (since Rob had eaten at a work meeting, we didn't really have dinner). So we headed to Jimmy's, of course! It was nice to get out of the house for our 4 hour time frame because it was stinky!!
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| Rob's mask to help keep the stink out! |
When we got back from Jimmy's we still had another two hours to wait, so we took a little nap in the car, hauled boxes into the house, and finished laundry.
At 2:30 am, we started our second coat. We discovered the second coat is a lot harder to see if you've got any skips (missed spots) because there is already the amber color to the wood. But we accomplished our second coat in approximately the same time as the first. We make a great team!
Then we headed back to the apartment and went straight to bed!
House-wise today will be pretty quiet, since we have the wedding, BUT it is so nice to have a day off once in a while and we are looking forward to seeing my whole family!
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| Painting out the closet |
Thursday, May 14, 2015
CrAzY bUsY
As I am sure you can tell from the sporadic nature of our posts we have been crazy busy. It is hard to believe we have already owned the house for more than two weeks and that our month to work is half over! We've been spending a lot of time getting ready to sand and as you can see from Rob's post earlier today. . . it is paying off in dividends! We are so excited to see the bare wood and tomorrow I am going to get the buffer after work. We need to buff and then we can begin applying finish. Once we apply the finish in the two bedrooms and half the hall and it dries, we will be able to move in!! I am really looking forward to being able to stay there. Going back and forth and spending sooooo many hours working is really draining on both of us, but will totally be worth it.
Monday: we did more scraping in the living room and I discovered the art of things that take more time than they really should! It took me a bit over an hour to remove a piece of carpet that was approximately four inches by four inches. In order to get that piece of carpet off the hardwood floor in the hallway I had to remove all the tracking for and subsequently the bathroom door. I mean really for a tiny piece of carpet. Gah! Rob and I also had fun taking turns sinking nails. I'm sure the neighbors loved us for doing that at 9:30 pm. We try to be respectful of noise with the consideration that we also have to get things done at times.
Tuesday: We started our morning out nice and early with a lesson in sanding from Pete's Hardwood Floors. It was really fun and made me realize this was going to be a fun but tough final step in making our floors look amazing. After being complimented on my great ability to edge in a squatted position it was discovered that the owner of the store is a former roller girl! Rob got to see firsthand what an instant and amazing connection roller derby can forge with someone you've never met before. I also discovered that my boss's father-in-law is a plumber who lives / works near WBL (White Bear Lake, the city we live in). I felt like Tuesday was a lot about having the right person at the right time nearby.
Rob closed on Tuesday night, so following our lesson he went to the house and tried to finish up all the final touches to be ready for sanding on Wednesday. And what he didn't get finished up, he text me, and I headed over after work to finish. We make a good team!
Wednesday: Brought on the sanding. Check out the photos here!
Today: Rob returned all our sanding equipment this morning and then stopped by the house to commandeer the microwave back to our apartment. Honestly, it is silly but this has been one of the most inconvenient things about being between homes. I never realized how much we use our microwave! Today is the very first day since we closed that I have not gone to the house! I went to practice tonight, as I have to keep my skills somewhat sharpened since I am heading off to officiate two tournaments in the next two months. Then I came home and took care of many change of address things. Rob made us a great list of what needs to be done and a quick overview schedule since we are in crunch time to get finished and out of our apartment by the end of May!!
It feels great (and somewhat terrifying) to know we're in the homestretch. We are sore and tired and excited. I love seeing everything come together as we create our home. One of the things we've learned this week is that sanding can be somewhat tricky because you may not discover a divot or an edge swirl you made in the process until you apply the finish to the floor. But as I told Rob last night, I can't wait to look at that imperfection that may be exposed and say... "I DID THAT!!" As tiring as the process of redoing our house is, it is equally satisfying and amazing.
Cheers! Colleen
Monday: we did more scraping in the living room and I discovered the art of things that take more time than they really should! It took me a bit over an hour to remove a piece of carpet that was approximately four inches by four inches. In order to get that piece of carpet off the hardwood floor in the hallway I had to remove all the tracking for and subsequently the bathroom door. I mean really for a tiny piece of carpet. Gah! Rob and I also had fun taking turns sinking nails. I'm sure the neighbors loved us for doing that at 9:30 pm. We try to be respectful of noise with the consideration that we also have to get things done at times.
 |
Tuesday: We started our morning out nice and early with a lesson in sanding from Pete's Hardwood Floors. It was really fun and made me realize this was going to be a fun but tough final step in making our floors look amazing. After being complimented on my great ability to edge in a squatted position it was discovered that the owner of the store is a former roller girl! Rob got to see firsthand what an instant and amazing connection roller derby can forge with someone you've never met before. I also discovered that my boss's father-in-law is a plumber who lives / works near WBL (White Bear Lake, the city we live in). I felt like Tuesday was a lot about having the right person at the right time nearby.
Rob closed on Tuesday night, so following our lesson he went to the house and tried to finish up all the final touches to be ready for sanding on Wednesday. And what he didn't get finished up, he text me, and I headed over after work to finish. We make a good team!
 |
| Rob running the edger |
Today: Rob returned all our sanding equipment this morning and then stopped by the house to commandeer the microwave back to our apartment. Honestly, it is silly but this has been one of the most inconvenient things about being between homes. I never realized how much we use our microwave! Today is the very first day since we closed that I have not gone to the house! I went to practice tonight, as I have to keep my skills somewhat sharpened since I am heading off to officiate two tournaments in the next two months. Then I came home and took care of many change of address things. Rob made us a great list of what needs to be done and a quick overview schedule since we are in crunch time to get finished and out of our apartment by the end of May!!
It feels great (and somewhat terrifying) to know we're in the homestretch. We are sore and tired and excited. I love seeing everything come together as we create our home. One of the things we've learned this week is that sanding can be somewhat tricky because you may not discover a divot or an edge swirl you made in the process until you apply the finish to the floor. But as I told Rob last night, I can't wait to look at that imperfection that may be exposed and say... "I DID THAT!!" As tiring as the process of redoing our house is, it is equally satisfying and amazing.
Cheers! Colleen
Bedroom Floors
Got the sanders rented today. After four passes and eleven hours the floors are back to bare wood!
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| Brown Room before |
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| Blue Room before |
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| Brown Room after third pass |
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| Brown Room after first pass |
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| Blue Room after first pass |
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