Spring Cleaning

This is how we do it.

Two and a half years ago we put in hickory wood floors. We were going to put carpet in the bedrooms -- and then a political game happened at work.

The game involved dumping my hours down to ten/wk.

No extra spending.

Fast forward and I won the game last summer. This involved a lot of overtime.

My two and a half sewing rooms were not organized at all. I was spending way too much time losing stuff.

Wood floors are the way to go for easy pin & thread pickup. One room will be sewing --ONLY.

The other room will be a guest room plus storage for the kid's stuff.

Period.

Sewing stuff put back will be organized and labeled.

hahahahaha ha

How's your spring cleaning going?

Swedish Finish Floors are Finished

Rocket found a safe cave.

 At last!
They look fantastic. It was definitely a process. 

 After laying out all of the wood, it acclimated for about a week. This was important as we had one piece that came up a full quarter inch. Other pieces had edges rise/lower. All of this is then sanded within an inch of its life and taken care of - as in totally level, totally smooth and pretty beautiful in it's au natural state. We actually ran short a bit of wood and had to wait another week for the wood guys to get back from a wedding and then install it. 
After sanding, comes the finish coats. This is a oil-based finish that sinks into the wood better and is more durable.  So - three coats, three days.
The first two coats could be walked on after four hours (only with socks - No dogs). All windows were open and the September weather cooperated with warm 80' days to help dry the finishes. They buffed the next morning and put on the next coat. 

The final coat needed to be put on with windows closed and 12 hours uninterrupted curing time. Very, very stinky and of course, this information about the 12 hours out of the house was given to me at 6pm the previous night as we were going out to find dinner. Cranky me starts making a list of work stuff, clock, sleep clothes (pillows), etc. that I need to pack out before I can go to bed. Because I didn't come back into the house from Wednesday night until Friday at noon. We slept in the garage. On the air mattress that someone did not blow up enough.


But it was worth it.




This picture mostly captures the final sheen. The first two coats go on very very shiny but this cures out to a beautiful sheen. 

No More Stove

---Not to mention the dishwasher. The wood guy comes tomorrow to start cutting and shaping the floors. We are still living in the house but the kitchen has been moved to the garage. Today was our last day of cooking normally. I made a huge arm roast and my husband made a great spaghetti casserole for himself.

The wood guy will lay out all the wood, cut it to size and then he leaves for a week to let the wood acclimatize.
Then he comes back and does the three finish coats known as a Swedish Finish, a.k.a. Glitsa.
We have to move out for the entire three days, camping in our hangar. I get up at 4am to go to work so I think it would be easier to sleep in the hangar and put the lights on in the garage that early.
Usually, I use the light on the microwave so it doesn't sear my eyelids that early but I am afraid, the microwave will not be joining us in the garage. The stove is out there vacationing - as in not hooked up. We will have to use our camp stove.
At that hour of the morning, stumbling is to be expected. With the bright flourescent lights of the garage blinding me, I'm sure it will work out fine. Especially with the displaced dogs all weirded out.

Note: --through the kitchen window the view of the 'shack' next door.

It has a new roof now as well as one (nearly finished) coat of paint.They even put in new Milgard windows.

And then, because we are nervous nellies about our new wood floor, we'll wait to install furniture for a few weeks and continue to live out of the bedrooms.


Post Application Tips
A minimum of 24 hours is recommended before returning to the residence. Providing good ventilation will minimize the odor and help the floor finish cure faster. You can generally walk on the floor after 24 hours. However, you should use your floors with care for the first two weeks after application. The more gentle you are on the floor during this time, the more satisfaction you will get from your floors for years to come.      

Furniture: Allow two to three days before placing furniture on the floor. Do not drag or slide the furniture into place. Install Safeglides Felt Floor Protectors on furniture legs before replacing furniture.
Carpets: Allow two to three weeks before putting carpets or rugs on the floor. If covered prematurely, finishes may discolor.

Cleaning
Do not use water or any cleaning substances on the floor for the first two to three weeks.

I have a huge box of felt. I am wondering if I can sew three layers together to make some felt pads for the feet of our furniture. Will this suffice? I am wondering if there is some tutorial out there? If I had a serger, I could just serge thru three layers in a circular mode and they would probably look cooler than what is for sale out there.


Update on visitors: I only heard them one morning. Eat & Run. :)