Before and After: Living/Dining Room

The next big project in the reusing-what's-here department was to refurbish the wood floors in the living and dining room. They'd been painted white, but by the time I moved in that had become an unfortunate shade of grimy gray. I just hoped what was underneath was worth salvaging. D.J., who runs a refinishing outfit called Timeless Wood Floors, came by to take a look and give me an estimate. (Lacking experience and a great big sanding machine, I didn't feel up to tackling this project myself.) He thought they were fir and would probably turn out much like the unpainted wood flooring upstairs. I was sold. Here's the "before" look.









Just before heading back to Petoskey for Christmas, I spackled many, many holes in the walls, then repainted everything a shade of tan ("Ramie") that was very similar to the previous color (other than the two-tone fireplace wall). With that done, and with help from cousin Michael to strategically stack all the furniture puzzle-like into the mudroom, everything was set for D.J.'s arrival. Maisie and I stayed away to avoid the dust and noise during the week after New Year's, and then returned to a marvelous transformation. At my request, D.J. used a zero-VOC finish called Rubio Monocoat, in a shade called "Pine." It's a natural, penetrating oil, rather than the sit-on-top coating of polyurethane. The whole effect is warm and rich - really lovely. I couldn't wait to put down rugs, arrange the furniture, unpack some books at last, and settle my small jungle of houseplants in their new home. Here are some "after" shots.