Hard Woods, Hard Decisions

One of the challenges of our new house was the entryway. The tile had been installed over some really uneven boards, and after 30 years, the tile was severely cracked.  You can't really see it here, but the tile was damaged, to the point the homeowners had a quote for replacement included in their marketing sheet.

We also became the proud new owner of some of the most heinous carpet I've ever seen.  Seriously:

I called J&J Hardwoods, who refinished our hardwoods at our old house. They offered a competitive bid, and got to work.  We closed on Thursday, and this photo was taken on Friday!

We have had a couple of challenges since. The first challenge is timing. In order to do the painting we want to do, we have to hold on finishing the wood until after painting is completed. Any time you finish hardwoods they have to "cure" without anything being on them (people or furniture) for a period of days. How we are going to finish painting, finish the floors, and let them cure an appropriate time before our PODS are delivered to move us in I simply don't know. I wish I could just drag-and-drop a few more days into the calendar! Especially as we are relying on the generosity and hospitality of family while we're between homes:)  The unborn nugget #3 appreciates the lack of exposure to sawdust, popcorn ceiling, wallpaper removal, and paint fumes, though!

We are also trying to figure out if we can switch out a few of the boards since we think the wood grade doesn't match the existing hardwoods in the hall and kitchen. There are many more knots and dark spots in our new flooring. Ian had a conversation with Jake about it, and he was receptive--but of course it'll take longer. It just goes to show that you have to continue the lines of communication after you've hired a contractor to make sure the job is completed according to your vision (and to your satisfaction).

For our next decision, we have to figure out how to recycle our old spindles without using this track system. 

The track is not to my taste--it comes in Oak or Pine; Oak can be finished, Pine can be painted.  Without it the spindles may not fit, or be very stable. Regardless, we dislike the track.  Buying new spindles is not in the budget.  Yet another example of how costs can run away from homeowners on a project like this!  Look how many we'd have to shell out for. We have to draw the line somewhere.  Maybe someday...