Home Improvements

Found here

This is the flooring that I have been installing in our upstairs bedrooms. Last night the last room got finished up. It is really nice laminate flooring and everything looks very different now that it is installed. All that is left is to finish putting the quarter round all the way around the baseboard to finish it off and to cover the gap between the wall and the flooring.

There is definitely an art to installing this kind of floor. I think I've finally got the knack of it because the last bedroom--our room--went in very fast. Now the living room-dining room needs to be done and all new baseboard needs to be installed. We are paying someone to come out and install the wood on the stairs and upstairs landing. That would be just too much for me to try to do. Then after they tell me how much space I need to leave them for the stair installation, I'll do the downstairs.

I think I've saved us about $10,000 installing this myself. In the process, I've been able to buy a couple nifty saws and get much better using a coping saw. I've learned how to install baseboard and quarter round. My right arm feels pretty strong now from hammering it all into place with a rubber mallet. The instructions say to "tap it in place." My eye. I have had to whack it into place almost without fail, for three bedrooms.

So this project is halfway completed now. I wish it could all be done at one time, but for now, I am content with it. Last night we stood at one end of our bedroom and looked across the length of it. We could hardly recognize our own room. The floor is shiny and feels very solid under foot.If we're wearing socks we can run and slide for several feet. I just hope not to do that in the middle of the night. For now, it is a good feeling to be halfway done.