I still don't know what to call this room. The Former Dining Room? The Library? The Reading Room? How about the Book Room? I kind of lean towards the latter because it sounds less-pretentious to me than the others. Well, other than The Former Dining Room. That just sounds stupid.
Since we will soon be installing new floors in the kitchen, we thought we should just continue the floors that are in the Living Room and the Foyer into the Book Room. There I said Book Room. So it is. But I digress … We contacted the place that installed our floors to buy more flooring and they had to search their warehouses. But they found some for us. This is what the floors look like in the Living Room and Foyer:
I did a little research, watched a few videos and thought that it might be a job that my Dad and I could tackle together. It's a small room, a square, with just 1 door jamb to concern us. How hard could it be?
Sunday evening Hubby and I ripped out the carpet. What glorious fun it is to rip out carpet. Although it's quite nasty.
Brandon digging carpet tack strips out of the slab. Niiiiiice holes that they leave in the foundation!
And me … sanding the edge of the stairs …
My Dad came over Monday morning and we commenced to attempt to kill our bodies that day. Let me just say that, yes, it was fairly simple. But no, it was NOT easy. I have no pictures of the actual installation process because we were rolling through and didn't want to stop even to eat or get a drink of water … we just wanted it done!
Here are the floors after we finished. They looked great, even with the spacers and no quarter round moulding yet.
The next day my Dad called me and asked me if I was as sore as he was. My answer? YES!!! I could hardly roll out of bed the next day. This "little" project surely had me feeling all of my 40 years. I guess it was all the time spent on our hands and knees (yes, we had knee pads, thank God!) and then getting up to make cuts, then back on our knees … over and over and over. All.Day.Long.
But it's done now. We did it, and did it well, I might add, and it looks fabulous!
Oh, I went to the bathroom later that evening and found this:
Ha … my silly Dad. He left me a quarter ♥
So here is the completed room, ready for everything to move back in …
And with everything moved back in …
This is what the room looked like before the floors (well, and before the books and curtains and light and stuffs):
What a difference the floors make!
My shelves ♥ …
My books ♥ … I collect antique books … but not just any antique book!
My antique cameras ♥ (that all still work!)
One of my favorite additions to the room … Brandon's grandfather's tube radio ♥ … we sent it off to have it refurbished and it works good.as.new.
Now begins the kitchen adventure. I don't know if I should be excited or sacred. I hear it's a little of both. Stay tuned.
