trying not to make a hardwood joke.
We finished the floors. They're absolutely gorgeous, if I do say so myself. It's like I have a whole new house, a completely different look and atmosphere from the dumb beige carpet. So classy and elegant, just like I wanted.
Doing 620 square feet over a long weekend with only two people was a bit much, I think; just one extra person (ahem Jack) would have been really helpful. Also, gluing the edges for the floating floor was a bigger pain in the ass than I thought it would be. But my dad is like Van Gogh with power tools, so he did all the fancy cuts and edging and molding. Seriously, if I had forgotten at all how awesome my dad is, this weekend was a big refresher.
I'd been doing manual labor every evening for the past two weeks in preparation, and now this, so I am very tired and sore. Tonight I finally sat down in the recliner to relax with some music like I usually do, and it felt a bit weird, like I should have a hammer in my hand instead of my laptop. My hands, by the way, were bred for fine motor skills and delicate lab work, and were clearly not used to such brute forces as they encountered this weekend. They are the sorest part of my body, and that's saying a lot. They're also black and blue and scuffed and scratched, because that's what happens when you give a klutz a hammer. But I did it! Add hardwood floors to the list of things I can do!
Anyway. There are a few things to get used to with the hardwood (I've had carpet all my life). The acoustics have completely changed and it is loud in there. Hopefully some rugs and maybe curtains will help dampen it. The dark wood shows dust easily, especially when the sunlight hits it, but it is also extremely easy to clean, so I'm not worried yet. Finally- and I'd never thought of this- furniture is really easy to move now! You put the little felt pads (chair cookies!) on the bottom of everything and then it just sliiiiides across the floor. Putting furniture on carpet is like planting a fucking tree, you do not just uproot it on a whim. Now I could follow the sunlight across the room with my couch if I wanted.
I will put pictures up eventually, after it's all clean and the furniture's back in some kind of order.