In preparing for the installation of our heart pine flooring, we first, had to make the floor the same level. The contractor built a frame to raise the lower floor (there was a step down in the middle of the room) and then added new plywood throughout the entire house to have a consistent and strong floor base. Neal found our flooring on Craigslist. Basically, we purchased several large beams from an old yarn factory in Columbus, Georgia. We took a field trip (with my Dad) to go see the factory (before they tore it down) and check out the beams. We purchased the beams and had a mill cut the beams into flooring. In the picture below (in our guest bedrooms), you can see some of the oil spots where the heavy equipment sat on the floor. It is truly rustic.
The day our flooring was delivered from the mill was an eventful day (not in a good way). The truck driver called and said he could not make it to our house in the tractor-trailer and we would need to “come get the wood” several blocks away in our neighborhood because his truck could not navigate our neighborhood street. Huh? How would we do this?
We met him in the neighborhood and I (Suzanne) climbed up in the back of the truck to see how much wood we would have to transport to our house. There was no way would could “carry” this. So the driver decided to try another route (not as steep) to our house. Neal and I drove back home and minutes later we heard a VERY LOUD BANG! The truck driver forgot to close the door and when he drove up a hill, all the truck’s contents emptied on the street. That is our wood flooring in bundles on the ground and on the truck. Oops! MANY people from the trucking company came and assessed the situation . . . and carried the flooring to our house (now just a block away). Oh my! That was a day to remember! Years later, we still see the spilled paint on the road and feel guilty! Back to the flooring . . .
After the flooring sat in the room and to get acclimated, it was installed throughout the main level (including the two guest bedrooms, Neal’s office, and our master bedroom). Below are more pictures of the flooring after installation, but before polyurethane.
Here is the master bedroom flooring in the new addition. Through the doorway is the master bathroom where we eventually had the tile installed.
This is the foyer (and front door).
And another picture of the flooring. This back wall at the end of the hallway was previously our front door.
Here is the new flooring after polyurethane. (We did not stain the floor; we liked it natural and it darkens over time.)
The finished floor! Isn’t it beautiful! (The old railing around the basement steps has been removed and the new railing has yet to be installed). The rectangles on the floor are the sunlight coming through the upper-level windows.
After Pictures of the Main Living Area
This area includes the kitchen, dining area, living room area, and sitting area. (The windows appear to be curved because I took a panoramic photo.) These pictures were during our first Thanksgiving after renovation/construction.
Here is a more recent picture on a bring summer day.
This picture shows the heart pine handrails and new spindles that match the floor.
Here is a final picture of our master bedroom with the new (actually old) flooring. Here is a picture of our foyer now.
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Nice posts! 🙂
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Sanny