My favorite first time home buyer in Macomb County Michigan and I spent
Friday of last week on Part 2 of his newest project and I took photos during
our fun time.
Day 2 of the "get this carpet out
of here!" project began with Mr.
Bachelor and I on our hands and
knees with a big can of paint
remover, nylon scrubbies
and buckets of fresh water.
He did a great job during the days
that I wasn't there earlier in the
week in removing about 1/3 of it
from the living room.
Hardwood floor used as a painters
drop cloth by previous owners -->
The most unpleasant part of this
task was the heat in the house.
Naturally it was one of the hottest
days last week and because of the
fumes from the paint remover we
needed windows open and the air
conditioning turned off.
After the paint was removed, we
began scrubbing the floors.
Mr. Bachelor devised a system
with a scrub brush on an extension
pole, lined with steel wool pads.
Days of removing paint are
making him cranky -->
I have to say his system worked the best for removing the grime and years of
blackened padding residue marks from the floor. 14+ buckets of water changes
later, time for drying, then coats of conditioning oil were applied and we were
finally done.
The wood floors will need to be
professionally sanded and refinished,
as they are clearly unevenly stained,
but all in all they are in great shape.
There aren't any warped boards,
nor many scratches. The main
problem with them is cosmetic as
you can see from the photos.
Me-hot, haggard & having fun -->
The professional finishing will have
to wait until the early part of next
year though as Mr. Bachelor has
new vinyl siding being installed this
week on his home and that has
taken up the rest of his "fix this
house" budget for the year.
<--Uneven stain on floor - will have to
be professionally refinished.
His wonderful girlfriend, Meagan, will take him shopping to help him pick out
an area rug or two to cover the worst of the uneven stained areas, and he'll
be happy with the look then.
He's already thrilled at how much cleaner his home feels, and how much easier
it is to keep the living area dust free simply by removing the old carpet.
Mr. Bachelor, thank you again for the wonderful dinner afterwards. It was
very much enjoyed and appreciated!
Search the Multilist in Macomb County
RE/MAX Advantage 1, Inc.- Chesterfield Township
Macomb County Michigan
Serving home buyers and home sellers in Metro Detroit
http://macombhomes.com
586-840-1876 (direct line)
© Kris Wales - Macomb County MI real estate
REALTOR® , RE/MAX Advantage 1, Inc.- Chesterfield MI -586-840-1876 (direct line) Serving home buyers and home sellers in Macomb County MI. Conveniently located near SANG. http://macombhomes.com
5 years ago feels like a lifetime ago
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Buying a foreclosure and the utilities are disconnected?
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Woo Hoo! The Tigers are looking like the Tigers again!
I apologize - I didn't do my job
Watch out for that trail of confetti - it could be a crime scene!
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At least during all the heat you were having a good hair day! It's amazing how ugly old carpet can protect old floors against wear over the years. They will be gorgeous when they're done.
I'm impressed, dinner afterwards ? Gosh I would have ordered Domino's and gone to bed ! !
Patricia: Shhh...I was only an hour into it when Rick took the picture. My hair was in a ponytail by the end of it! It was so hot and humid in there! I agree, they will be gorgeous when they are professionally finished, and they really make the room much cleaner and larger in appearance.
Missy: I could hardly lift my fork. Honest. Rick had to work that evening, he said his saxophone was heavy. I slept well though that night!
Kris - What fun! Great bonding experience with your son. I've done what you just did and it is HARD work! No air conditioning???? Yikes!
Rent the sander and finish them yourself. I did it a few years ago and other than the dust (wear a mask) it wasn't that hard to do!
Kris, What a wonderful Mom you are. Mr. Bachelor is so lucky to have you there helping him through all of his adventures in life.
The floor looks beautiful.....please congratulate him for me on a job well done (and congrats to you too!! ~ you look like you are having fun in the photo). I'm glad he's enjoying his new home...
Jo
Linda: We had a fun time, even though it was hard work! No A/C -- we had to leave windows open for ventilation! Thanks for stopping by :-)
Cindy: We thought about that, but neither of us is very handy with those types of power tools. I think he wants to leave it for professionals. We're scared we'll goof it up! You're much braver than I am :-)
Jo-Anne: I did have fun, he cracks me up even when he's cranky, so it's always a good time to be with him. I have a feeling he'll be reading this, so you're "congrats" will reach him personally. Thanks!
Kris,
Your son is lucky to have someone willing to put up with the "cranky" moods that come with floor reconditioning in that type of temp and humidity. He is making the right decision about letting a pro do the sanding. It's real easy to gouge a floor with a sander if you don't do it on a regular basis. When I was still working for a remod contractor, we would often see where homeowners had decided to sand the floor themselves, and had really damaged it. Sometimes to the point that the flooring contractor was unable to just tooth into the existing. As far as the finish, that is within the capability of most people. We redid all the floors in our house a few years ago, and it wasn't that bad. He just needs to plan on moving out for a few days while the finish is being applied due to the odor.
Thanks for the story. It brought a smile to my face.
Ken: You'll probably be experiencing much of the same thing when your daughter moves into her new house. Make sure you share those bonding stories with us! Thanks for the tip about the finish of the floors. I imagine he'll be moving in with us again for a few days while the odor clears out and the finish hardens. Ditto on the "do it yourself sanding". I won't attempt it, and neither will he.
Kris - I'm impressed, this is Hard-Core. I remember when I removed the carpet from living room to find a beautiful hardwood floor underneath, only also to find that I will eventually need them professionally refinished and sanded as well. I know what I'm good at and what I'm not, NO doing it myself...
Jason: It was harder work than I had imagined it would be. We also know that this is NOT something we'd do again, and it will be professionally finished in a couple of months. I won't rent a send and try it, nor will he. We may be adventurous, but not stupid :-) Thanks for stopping by Jason.
Kris,
There's nothing like trying to do something like this on the hottest days. Good article BTW
Gary: Isn't it always that way when we have something planned? Thanks Gary.
Wow!! That looks like a lot of work. I'm tired just thinking about it!