Monday, July 20, 2015

Persevering

The rewards for those who persevere 
far exceed the pain that must precede the victory.
-Ted Engstrom

So when I said that refinishing the floors in this lumbering, wooden house was bordering on in(sand)ity, I meant it. 

Look at that. Would you look at it? Y'all. I didn't think I would ever get all that grit and dust out of here! But slowly, it came out... and as it did, my sanity slowly returned. Ha. Yes. It returned, that is, until the day I realized that I had to hand stain each individual 9 inch piece of flooring. Thousands of squares. On all fours. With a sock. Why? Because the floor is actually a puzzle of 80+ year old red oak, hickory and pine, and it was laid as parquet in the front formal rooms of the house.

After the sanding and sweeping, this was my life for 2 1/2 days:

But I finished!

Just as I was wrapping up, my Dad came over to lend a helping hand. The first thing that caught his attention? The huge iron furnace grate installed right smack-dab in the center of the floor between the front room and the dining room. He pulled the grate, built in the resulting hole, and painstakingly patched the parquet flooring, one square at a time. The only (slight) problem was that the flooring available today is red oak, and it stained much differently than the 80+ year old mixed woods.

Ah well. I'm going to make it match if it's the last thing I do! You can see the patch, and an early stain attempt, here:

But oh! What a relief to get this floor nearly finished! Except for that patch- which I intend to complete this weekend- this place is looking better than she has in years.

My sister and I are headed to Dallas tomorrow, Lord willing, for drapes and kitchen countertops. That means the paper can come off the windows and the kitchen cabinets and sink can go in this weekend! There aren't enough exclamation points in the world for that!

Elsewhere around the place, the POD we parked out front to store all our furniture until the floors were done was hauled off today. I was so excited I jumped up and down. It's feeling more like a home (instead of a construction site) every day. 

I've decided that once we're up and running, I want to host classes here and open up a few rooms for overnight class guests. Knitting, bread baking, beginning beekeeping, herb gardening, and sewing are just a few of the classes I want to offer. Wouldn't that be fun? I think about it all throughout the day. It makes me smile.

So does having all the sand out of here!

Don't miss the House Helper giveaway tomorrow! See you back here then. -Brin

11 comments:

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Your floors are beautiful! You did a fantastic job.

Enjoy ~ FlowerLady

Durf said...

They look great. Love the paint color, too!

Terri Steffes said...

Whoa. Seriously. Those floors are amazing! Can't wait to see what you do with the classes.

Sherry said...

oh Brin, this is so lovely. you're doing a tremendously beautiful job on this home, offering it your fingerprint over the history of old. so meaningful. thanks for offering peeks. :)

Unknown said...

Bless your heart for saving this beauty!! As for the patched spot, can you bleach the new wood, then stain it? Amazing floors and your hard work and determination will pay off, what memories you are making already!!!

MrsReaux said...

I know I can't be the only one excited about the possibility of classes!! I have always wanted to learn how to knit.
The house is looking fantastic, can't wait to see more.

Unknown said...

Gorgeous! Oh my, the floors are beautiful! Well done. :)

J said...

Beautiful!

Adrienne said...

Your floors are gorgeous! A work of art. You did a great job. I can't wait to see more! Classes? And an overnight stay? Where do I sign up?
~Adrienne~

Betty said...

I love the floor..great job Brin. Those classes would be a lot of fun but alas I just live too far away or I'd give you a hand in those:)

Seawashed said...

The home I grew up in has these same wood floors. My parents still live there and they are all covered with carpet. I miss those wood floors.