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Post by DawninCal on Jul 3, 2022 16:52:12 GMT -6
Stripping the floor was messy, but not as hard as I thought it might be. I did the floor in sections so that I had a manageable size to work on as I went. First I poured the stripper on the floor and spread it around with a paint brush. You can see in the second photo how the stripper starts to lift the paint from the surface of the floor. After it sits for a few hours, it gets scraped off. This is the messy part. Here, I've reached the half way point and am seeing light at the end of the tunnel. In this last photo, you can see the completed section, one section that is covered with stripper and one section of gray paint that hasn't had anything done to it yet. Dawn
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Post by DawninCal on Jul 3, 2022 16:57:58 GMT -6
These last two photos show the floor completely stripped of paint. As expected, it's going to have a distressed look because there are 100 years worth of dings, scratches, scrapes, stains and even a few streaks of paint that didn't come off. I've read about people who beat their wood floors with hammers and chains to get a distressed look. This floor is authentic! I am so happy with how this turned out; next step is to apply the first coat of satin finish. Dawn
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Post by michelle on Jul 3, 2022 21:33:32 GMT -6
Wow! It’s hard to understand why someone would paint over that gorgeous wood. Well done!
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Post by Irith-Rita on Jul 5, 2022 2:47:42 GMT -6
I agree with Michelle. This wood would look beautiful in its natural form.
Waiting to see it after you give it a satin finish.
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Post by DawninCal on Jul 5, 2022 11:33:04 GMT -6
Thank you both! I don't know why anyone would paint over them either. But, I do know that there are people who don't like the look of natural wood so there is that. My MIL was like that; all of her wood furniture and the wood trim in her home had been painted, usually white. As soon as I have a chance to go through my pics and resize them for this forum, I'll show you all the finished result. Dawn
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Post by caeterle on Jul 5, 2022 11:46:56 GMT -6
So much work! I can't wait to see what it looks like finished, but I bet it's really good
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Post by DawninCal on Jul 6, 2022 11:04:42 GMT -6
Thanks, Cat. Except for one flaw in the finish, I'm very happy with how it turned out. Hubby says the flaw isn't at all noticeable and that I'm being OCD over it. I figure if it continues to bug me, I'll just cover it with a rug. I have a busy day today and we are driving home tomorrow, so may not get the finished floor photos posted until this weekend. Dawn
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Post by DawninCal on Jul 29, 2022 19:37:54 GMT -6
Well, since I last posted to this thread, I decided I could not live with the flaws in the finish. I'm not really sure what went wrong when we put the second coat of satin finish on, but when it dried there were weird swirls in the finish and parts of the floor dried satin and other parts dried glossy. Hubby thinks that perhaps we did not stir the varnish enough before applying. After looking at it for two weeks, I realized that I would never be happy with just throwing a rug over it and calling it good enough. Soooooo, back to the drawing board. I sanded the floor again, hubby ordered more varnish and today we put on a third coat. We were very careful to stir it well and paid very close attention to using care in spreading the varnish evenly and in only one direction. It is now been a few hours and the floor is dry to the touch. I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out; it could not be more close to perfect. And, I am so happy that I decided to do it over again even though it meant extra time and work. It's stunning! At least, I think it is. Here is a close up that shows some of the imperfections that make it a distressed floor. This is some sort of stain that soaked into the bare wood back before it was painted gray. I'm not sure what it is - ink maybe? There are little dings, indentations, scratches, stains and traces of gray paint under the new finish all of which make the floor charming and cozy and welcoming. It will have to dry for 24 hours before we can walk on it and cure for two weeks before we can put any furniture in the room. Meanwhile, I will be pulling nails out of the lath and sanding it smooth in anticipation of installing the lath on the wall with the windows. So happy and excited! Dawn
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Post by caeterle on Jul 30, 2022 0:01:53 GMT -6
You are such a perfectionist! The results proved you right, though. It's beautiful!
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Post by Irith-Rita on Jul 30, 2022 9:37:32 GMT -6
WOW! It came out so beautiful! Great result to all the hard work you invested in it! Hat off!
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Post by DawninCal on Jul 30, 2022 11:25:21 GMT -6
I know, Cat, I just can't help it even though I make myself bonkers sometimes! Thank you both, I am so very happy with the results. I keep going upstairs to stare at it! This afternoon, I will be able to walk on it and am looking forward to giving it a closer inspection. Hubby is so relieved that I'm satisfied this time! Dawn
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Post by michelle on Jul 30, 2022 21:46:26 GMT -6
Absolutely gorgeous, Dawn! I can see why you are so pleased. I would be too.
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Post by DawninCal on Jul 30, 2022 23:03:26 GMT -6
Thank you, Michelle! I just finished walking on it (in stocking feet) for the first time! That was an experience that I won't soon forget. Dawn
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Post by DawninCal on Sept 9, 2022 19:41:10 GMT -6
After being pulled off of the studio project to work on other projects, I'm back at it. With the floor done and nicely cured after all this time, I am turning my attention to the lath that we salvaged from the bathroom project. It's very rough, but underneath I know there is beautiful redwood waiting to be exposed. There is this weird cubby thing under the back porch that I think was meant for storing firewood and I stashed the lath under there when we tore it out of the bathroom last year to protect it from the weather. The first thing that has to be done is remove all of the old rusty nails. Tedious, but I don't mind because I can think of other things while I pull nails. All done! Took about 3 - 4 days. My work area was in the driveway so I had to be really careful to make sure there were no nails laying about that might cause a flat tire. Dawn
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Post by caeterle on Sept 10, 2022 2:31:45 GMT -6
Wow, that must have taken some patience! I hope you sang a nice working song while pulling nails! Somehow I have a TV show on my mind where someone said, a nice working song will help, now I only have to remember where that was.
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