Floor-LESS. Joy-FULL!

So a tiny itty bitty H.I.P. (short for Home Improvement Project) turned into stretched out H.I.PS. (That would be Home Improvement ProjectS.)

Since the day we found our beloved home, I was not in love with the white linoleum floors. Each crumb reacted like bleach on white pants. Yet, it was hard to justify replacing them when the boys were galloping to and fro day after day. To our knowledge the previous owners had grown children. Therefore,the carpet was lusious and the linoleum pristine. Fast forward 6 years and 3 boys later. Even with a Dyson-loving caretaker and a "no shoes" rule, the carpet and linoleum had seen their better years and were begging us to let them rest.

"It would make a lot of sense to paint while the baseboards are off." I said to myself and then later to my husband who loathes painting. On a whim, I picked out a not-so-practical paint color which goes against my practical unwhimmish nature. It was a good move. I really feel like I am living on the edge with my "icy aqua" walls and buttery yellow and red accents. There is even a floral printed rug for the first time in over a decade. I went a little overboard during the "victorian rose" era of decorating inthe early 90's and never wanted anything floral in my home...until now...and I promise to keep it simple.

The entire family joined in the linoleum removal. It was really fun for the first 5 minutes or so. I didn't realize it was stapled with thousands of staples to the sub floor. Being the perfectionist that I am, I wanted each one removed. After a few blisters and many hours, the hammers came out. For three days we (and I mean WE -- Daddy, Oldest, Middleson, and Babyboy with his toy hammer)hammered down staples until the floor was flush and ready to be covered with an upgraded surface.

Surprise! We never knew water was seeping into our home under the patio door. Removing the linoleum led to the discovery -- and that was a good thing as the damage was minimal and repairable. Twelve or so hours later, we (rather husband and helper) got over that bump in the road and back on our flooring journey.

Many many hours of prepping, moving, hauling and wearing shoes in the house to avoid staple injuries, we had finally arrived. Installation day was upon us. Whoo Hoo. We had been encouraged by many that it would be a "quick, half-day" job. Umm. Three days. Three long days at least with a toilet re-do sandwiched in the middle.

Oh,how thankful I am for the new floors. I like to call the shade, "toast-crumb oak" since all the crumbs are camoflauged. I'll save hours of time and kilowatts of energy since my Dyson won't need to show himself quite so often. The floors will pay for themselves in no time at all.

With fresh paint and new floors, its time to get outside for the Y.I.P. You got it -- yard improvement projects. At least there won't be any staples to remove.