1st Floor Renovation - Build Along - Pics

[brnhornt]

I've enjoyed following along with other folks projects (woodworking to hardscaping) so I thought I would share the adventure I am currently on. The whole thing started with the idea of removing the horrendous 80's-era carpeting in the house and replacing it with hardwood...just like most other projects...it grew.

Removal of carpet in dining room:


Done...view from living room into dining room:


Flooring arrives:


Here's where the first departure comes. We hate the look of the stippled ceilings in the house. (note this is not typical popcorn texture) soooooo...while the flooring it out...might as well sand it down. Oh...and while I'm already sanding...might as well change the lighting to what we would like:


Dining room ceiling sanded, lighting done and holes patched:


Dining room ceiling skimmed/primed/painted. Recessed lighting installed:


Living room ceiling sanded, new electrical being run (there was nothing before):


Living room recessed lighting installed and working...ready to patch/skim/prime/paint:


Slight gap here...forgot to snap a picture...but the patching/skimming/etc all went well in the dining room...on to the foyer.

Foyer tile demo'd and luan subfloor removed. No electrical work in this room...just need to sand the ceiling:


Well...we can't replace the ugly tile floor with beautiful hardwood and leave the staircase alone...and if we're going to sand/refinish the staircase...might as well do it while the flooring is out and I can make a mess without worrying.

Carpet removed from staircase:


Little surprise there when I pulled the carpet off the stair landing and am looking at OSB rather than hardwood. Plus...looks like the builder took advantage of carpet going down and simply finished the left and right sides of the treads. So much for a quick clean/skuff and Polyshades adjustment. Just two of the many fun extra projects that come along. Current plan now is to paint risers/trim/spindles white, while sanding/refinishing the oak treads a darker color than the flooring. For the landing I'm going to wait until after the flooring is installed and then use the remaining hickory flooring (milled/changed) to cover the landing and stain to closely match.

All this work has spanned about 1.5 months so far. Something I have been working on for an hour or two after work, and on weekends....nice to move along at a casual pace without too much pressure.

I finished priming the foyer ceiling last night and plan to paint it tonight...I'll get a post of that up soon. Once done then it's on to refinishing the stairs and then spraying the trim/windows/doors....

Stay tuned....

[jteneyck]

Great start; thanks for sharing your adventures. I'm ignorant as to how you sand a popcorn ceiling smooth - So, how do you sand a popcorn ceiling smooth?

Be sure to get those boxes of flooring opened up well ahead of when you plan to use it. I have a friend who had sealed boxes of it stored inside his house for 2 years before using it. He just opened the boxes and started installing it. A few months later he had some huge heaves. He got it fixed but learned a valuable lesson the hard way.

I think your plan for the stair colors will look good. I built a balustrade for the same friend and they finished it similar to what you plan and it looks great.

John

[brnhornt]

jteneyck said:

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Great start; thanks for sharing your adventures. I'm ignorant as to how you sand a popcorn ceiling smooth - So, how do you sand a popcorn ceiling smooth?

Be sure to get those boxes of flooring opened up well ahead of when you plan to use it. I have a friend who had sealed boxes of it stored inside his house for 2 years before using it. He just opened the boxes and started installing it. A few months later he had some huge heaves. He got it fixed but learned a valuable lesson the hard way.

I think your plan for the stair colors will look good. I built a balustrade for the same friend and they finished it similar to what you plan and it looks great.

John

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Thanks John! This isn't popcorn...this is stippled...popcorn you can just wet it down with a sprayer and then scrape it off. This texture is made of actual joint compound so it's hard and doesn't scrape well. Some have luck with a razor scraper....but I've found that a vibrating palm sander and 80 grit paper make pretty short work of it. About 2 hours to do the living room. I just seal the area up with plastic, cover all HVAC, put on respirator and start working. You don't have to make it perfectly smooth...just to the point where the 16" finish trowel will float ok...the two skim coats are what make it all nice and purdy.

I didn't think about opening the cardboard cartons...I didn't think the cardboard would form much of a real "seal" and therefore hinder the flooring from equalizing...but I'll make a point of doing so a week before I start just to be safe...thanks!

[jteneyck]

Thanks for the info, but a palm sander overhead? For 2 hours? You must be pretty young!

About opening the boxes. Don't just open them, take the lumber out and sticker it so air can circulate completely around every board - for at least a week before you use it. Dense stacked wood won't equilibrate for weeks/months.

John

[brnhornt]

Foyer ceiling done. Since the previous picture showed the ceiling texture pretty well I set up the work light to try and cast the same light...main fixture will be replaced when SWMBO decides on one

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

Great work so far. I don't know what kind of flooring you have but I'll echo John's words to a certain degree. I'd get the boxes opened up and elevated of the subfloor so air can circulate under it as well. If the flooring is strapped to together inside the boxes, I'd leave the nylon style straps in place so the wood doesn't start twisting and walking all over the place on you. If you can acclimate it for a week or more that would be great. If you want to get really anal get a moisture meter and test the flooring vs. the subfloor. I know a slight difference is acceptable but I can't remember what it is.

Another idea is adding the wrought iron style spindles to your staircase if you like that look. Now would be the time to do it. I'd use Benjamin Moore Advance or Sherwin Pro Classic waterborne on the newels and hand railings. Degrees the lacquer good for adhesion. A primer may be in order as well. You could test an area and see how good the adhesion is.

[AUswimKC]

BM advance is the greatest "paint" ever invented. It lays down and flattens out like nothing I've ever seen

[Phil Thien]

Why do you need to paint the risers? I'd be hesitant to paint risers white unless you want a chore keeping them clean.

[brnhornt]

The treads are oak...but the risers are common pine. We had white risers in our previous home and you are right that they can be a pain...but found a few swipes with a magic eraser was all it took.

[bennybmn]

Come on, what's not to love...