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If you haven’t been reading this blog long, you may not have known about our recent housewarming party. Our guests brought us gift cards and a few thoughtful gifts, which I’m really looking forward to… er… using.
There was, unfortunately, one unwelcome guest. And it seems he will be making a home here permanently… and he comes with lots of friends.
I’m really unhappy that we managed to damage the floor in less than a week since Scott officially finished them, but there’s really nothing I can do to fix it at this point. I guess I’ll just have to remind my friends from now on to make sure they don’t wear old shoes (like those worn metal thingies that poke out when you’ve been wearing heels for too long) when walking on my new floors. By the way, I hate that my excitement about new floors makes me a total harping maniac to my friends, but please forgive me – I want to protect my investment!
While the scratches aren’t deep, they are numerous – especially in the kitchen. The floors are still shiny, and you can’t really see the scratches unless the light is hitting the floor in a certain way… but I know it’s there, and it really irks me.
Since we still have a couple more years before we say goodbye to this house, I’ll have to do what I can to protect them in the future. And, since my budget is being stretched to its limit as it is, I can’t go splurging on the rugs I really want. So, I did the next best thing: I raided Garden Ridge (I’ve been mentioning it a lot in recent posts, but believe it or not, all of the items I mention were bought in the same day). I purchased two area rugs for less than $100 total – one goes in the dining room (which is less damaged, but needed a rug anyway) – it’s so new, the bumps haven’t flattened out yet :)
… and an indoor/outdoor rug is going in the kitchen where I expect a lot of foot traffic.
This rug really isn’t my style, but I’ve been reading tutorials on how to paint a rug like this. When the weather gets warm again, I think I’ll give it a shot. After all, if it doesn’t work out, I only spent about $40 – I can take that kind of a gamble.
We need an even bigger rug for the living room area, but I’ll probably wait until after the holidays to buy it. Can’t buy rugs and gifts at the same time – unless people have just really been wanting that dollar store candle holder!
Im so sorry!! I can sympothize with your heartbreak though….we had a similar thing happen with an unfortunate fridge move
http://dreamhomediy.blogspot.com/2010/08/sad-sad-sight.html
I am so sorry about your floor! I wore flat boots so it wasn't me!!!!!
I don't mean it like that, Lauren! There is no one person to blame. It's simply that the floor didn't stand up to what we did to it when I specifically chose laminate for its durability!
I can't believe that dining room rug is from GardenRidge – it's gorgeous!!!
First off – Ouch! I'm so sorry about those scratches! That's a total bummer, for sure, because it's pretty much what wood laminate is supposed to be good for. :( I've heard of some sort of crayon or something for sort of buffing out scratches in flooring (although I can't remember if it's laminate or wood) – would something like that help the scratches that are already there be less noticeable?
Secondly – I've been searching high and low for a new rug for our living room, and I LOVE the gray one you found at Garden Ridge! I'll have to stop by sometime and see what else they have there!
~Chelsea
http://www.shawliving.com Find something you like for your living room there and message me on fb to find out the cost! =) Shannon
Chelsea's right.. laminate is supposed to be tough as old nails, so you have my sympathy.
And I so know what you mean about.. knowing that scratches are there even when you can't see them. ;o)
She's also right when she says there are ways to repair them.
Called, not unsurprisingly.. 'laminate repair kits' you should be able to get one from where you got the flooring…
Or you could move up here to Canada luv.. here culturally it's normal for all guests to take their shoes off.
Good luck
Jo xx
Btw.. love the rug under the dining table..is it pink and grey or cream/grey ?
Plus those indoor/outdoor jobbies are fantastic… tough as anything and if they get dirty you can literally hose them off outside.
xx
There ARE stain pens at the hardware store that will hide a lot of your woes. In the meantime, I have this big Crate and Barrel basket for shoes by the front door…
OOOH, if you come up with a solution to the floor scratches PLEASE let me know! We have the SAME problem in our kitchen!
Old English Scratch Cover is amazing! We have dark stained pine floors, so any scratch is highly visible, and this stuff makes them invisible and lasts a long time. I don't know how it would work on laminate, but at about $5 a bottle (at Walmart)it might be worth trying.
I just bought the exact same gray/white rug a few weeks ago for my living room from Garden Ridge! It works great with my purple and gray walls. Great minds think alike :)