Day 2 of Construction Weekend

By the time I got downstairs yesterday, the boys had already pulled out all of the carpet so I only got this picture of it rolled up on the porch. They work fast. Anthony has been pulling up all the tacks (and scratching his name in the wood floors they have not taken out yet). I'm really not sad that I missed the carpet's demise - I'm sure that was a pretty gross endeavor.

Ant is getting the last few wood strips up that the carpet was attached to, then he has to start on the staples that held the carpet padding down.

After all that was out of the living room, they were ready to carry all the wood in so that it could be getting "room temperature." Have I mentioned how handy it is to have a strong teenage boy? Oh, yeah, and a strong husband, too.

That looks like lots-o-wood. It's gonna be a long weekend. Or week. Or month. Our Christmas tree may be in the bathroom this year...

This morning, though, he has started putting the new floor down.

Should I start a pool on how soon this will be done?

Guess What We Are Doing This Weekend?

We are under construction. I HATE being under construction. Tony returned from his trip overseas last night and today started this mess. We have never liked the hardwood floor that's in our dining room and foyer. And we have definitely not liked the carpet in the living room and our bedroom. And we haven't had a construction project in, like, a whole year so we really hafta do it. We have purchased real hardwood for our floors, not the pre-finished sissy stuff, but the kind that you have to stain and sand and polyurethane, and stain and sand and polyurethane, etc... First, we moved all of the furniture out. Having a soon to be 15-year-old son is much more helpful in this area than I ever was. We have furniture strewn in every available space in our kitchen and breakfast room. What we couldn't keep in the house we have in our garage where we are trying to convince our dog that our old furniture is not her new furniture.

After the furniture was removed, the baseboards had to go. When the baseboards were gone the fun really began. I have never heard so much banging and ripping but that old wood floor was coming up. I love the smell of wood. It smelled the same pulling it up as it did putting it down. Smells just like a house under construction. I LOVE the smell of wood.

Next, you have to take up this black paper (I don't know what it's called) and all the stray nails. The nails have to be removed one. By one. By one. Guess who got that job? A young, soon to be 15-year-old back got that job.

Now, one room is ready for the new floor.

Tonight, I think the baseboards and carpet are coming up from the living room. I'll let you know tomorrow.