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nicoleny

Reclaimed floor in progress

Nicole
10 years ago

The majority of our DIY kitchen was finished last summer, right before we had a new baby so things have been a bit busy since then. ;-)

My husband finally pulled up the reclaimed maple flooring we wanted to put in the kitchen and hall and we started laying it this weekend and I wanted to share a work in progress photo. Obviously, it needs to be refinished as well, but it's an improvement over the old peel & stick vinyl and patches where walls once were before the remodel.

Comments (8)

  • FmrQuahog
    10 years ago

    Excellent. Will you stain it darker during refinishing, or leave it as is?

  • schoolhouse_gw
    10 years ago

    I was going to ask the same question. I really admire the color and character of the floor boards as they are unless they look much different in real life.

  • Nicole
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    It's going to be left natural and poly-ed. This is a piece my husband sanded down and poly-ed to get an idea of the final look, we're having them professionally redone though. It's showing a bit lighter than IRL, but the floor should end up lighter overall than now and not have the orangish cast of the old finish.

  • Nicole
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    They are very scratched and worn right now. My husband and his friends skateboarded on these floors as a kid. LOL They were in an old farmer's Grange hall that we acquired. I originally just wanted a light sanding and a finish over them to preserve some of the "character". But the floor guy said that because we were reinstalling them, some boards would be uneven so that really wasn't possible and he was right--there is some lip to them here and there. We did leave whatever dirt that didn't get knocked off in the groves so once they're refinished there will be some black lines between boards and that will give a bit more character back to them.

    We originally were going to go over our dining room and living room old oak floors (also in desperate need of a refinish) with this maple but realistically it's more than we can get to right now. Yes, it would look fantastic as one seamless floor, but it would take us another year to get it all laid as my husband works out of town during the week and time is very scarce. So there will be a couple transitions as we're keeping the 1.5" oak where they meet. Not ideal but I just want to be DONE with this part of the house for now. So the maple is getting put in the kitchen and hall and we hope to get it refinished late summer or fall. We have a million other inside and outside projects getting impatient on the list. Heh.

  • Bunny
    10 years ago

    It's beautiful! You are very fortunate to be able to reuse this floor which is a part of your husband's past. I think the color will be awesome!

  • Nicole
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you Linelle! We love that the wood has a history. When the local Grange disbanded due to membership, we bought their building which is right next door to our house (and across the street from where my husband grew up). The building's foundation was beyond reasonable repair so we are trying to salvage as much as we can from it. My husband also made a dining room table top that is beautiful from wood that was part of the stage they had there. It's old Douglas Fir and gorgeous.

  • Bunny
    10 years ago

    Nicole, it's so cool that you're able to do this. I love stories like this.

  • a2gemini
    10 years ago

    That is "way cool" as my grand nephews would say. - both function and history! Wow!!