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This weekend, Scott and I found ourselves turning our usually social Saturday night into an all-out home improvement marathon. As a result, the installation of laminate for the upstairs hallway flooring is nearly complete. Check out our progress from the beginning!
When we first started on the hallway, the walls needed painting:
Then, the carpet was ripped out:
And now, laminate floors have been installed:
The area where the stairs meets the hallway is still in need of a stair nose, but that should be completed shortly.
We also made a great deal of progress on our stairs. We replaced the missing step:
Then filled in every single hole on the stairs with wood filler. Despite how easy this task was, it sure took a lot of time! There were hundreds of holes as a result of the carpet removal (caused by staples, nails, carpet tack strips, etc).
Next, I sanded each step. I bought a new power tool for this task: the Black & Decker Cyclone 4-in-1 Multi Sander
, which allows me to switch from a detail-style base to an orbital sander in one easy step. It also has a nifty dust canister attached to the back, which helps to cut down (but not eliminate) dust in the air. It was LOVE at first use. I’m now looking through the house to find other sander-worthy projects while I’m still excited about my new toy.
The replacement of the missing step was done just in time, because I also scheduled Empire Today to come over this weekend for a quote for new carpet. The rep was extremely helpful, and I was sold on the fact that they include carpet removal, furniture moving, and installation in their prices. Comparing the price to the Home Depot quote I received a few months ago (which did not include carpet removal or furniture moving), the $300 reduction in price seemed like quite a bargain! As a result, I will soon have fresh new carpeting in both the primary and guest bedrooms. That is, once I make a final decision on the exact color of the carpet that I want (typical me!). I am torn between the Sandcastle (which is the biggest sample because it’s the most popular), Wet Sand, and Buff colors. The color quality of these photos are lousy (I took them with my phone), so I am including all pics that I can to give you an idea of the true colors.
I think I will retire for today and rest my back a little – home improvement sure can make a body sore! Check in again tomorrow for some additional photos on other accomplishments from the weekend!
