We are not quite at the conclusion of our epic flooring saga. The new floors where installed on Wednesday and Thursday. New trim is being delivered today so Jeremy can paint it over the weekend. The trim will go on this coming week. We have most of the furniture back in place (expect for a bookcase and the all items that sit on our closet floors). We can move the furniture off the walls when the time comes to install the trim. I was able to put most of my linen closet back in place, but I will be such a happy camper when all the items have been returned to their homes. I’m still waiting for that “settled” feeling to arrive. I’m optimistic that it’s right around the corner.
It’s always an adventure to have flooring replaced. Clearing the floor makes our house a bit chaotic. Our carpeted rooms became storage units – mainly our bedroom and master closet. I tucked items under the kids’ beds, in the laundry room, and in the playroom as well. I was able to move most of the smaller items myself over the course of a few days, so that really took the stress level down for me. Jeremy and his dad moved the big furniture into our bedroom the night before the project began. Our bedroom became the living room, dining room, and at times even the playroom, for a few days. Oh, yes, and also it was still our bedroom.
To get out of the way of the construction zone, we went over to my in-laws on Wednesday. It was nice to have a place to crash where we would keep up our normal routine somewhat. The boys played, we did summer school, we took a walk, and I read. On Thursday, we drove out of the the area to visit one of my forever friends. She lives by an active train track and a lake, so it’s always a highlight for my kids (and me) to visit. I’m thankful for friends and family who gave us a place to hang while we were displaced.
You’ve maybe noticed that I haven’t jumped into gushing about how much I love the new floors. It’s been a rocky journey for me. The truth is while the new floors are fine and I’m landing in a neutral place with them, I just don’t “love” them. I wanted to and was hopeful I would, but I don’t. I still prefer the other floors (not the fact that they broke all the time, but color and pattern). Our old floors were darker with a bit of brown to them. The new floors are lighter and grayer. We picked as close a match as possible with the choices we were given, but the look is still very different. Now our brown cabinets pop whereas before they blended more. It’s not a bad thing, just different. It will take some time to adjust and get used to the changed. I think getting the trim on will help.
We had a little drama with a happy meal toy making a mark on the floor within three hours of being home the first day (the floor wasn’t even finished yet). I started to freak out. If a happy meal toy could mark up the floor in the first three hours, what will we do in three days, three weeks, three months, three years? Will these floors hold up to our boys and their toys? It started to spiral and add to it the fact that I didn’t love the new pattern… Wednesday night was rough. I woke up on Thursday with a renewed hope. Wednesday felt like a valley, but I was ready to climb out of it. It was good to see the whole floor completed yesterday. It was good to clean up (sawdust is not my friend). It was good to have our living space be livable again.
I’m exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster as well as the energy it takes to deep clean and move back into the house. But, I am thankful that the work got done in two days instead of three. It was lovely to not set an alarm this morning. It was nice to just be in our space and acclimate. I spent my morning making cookies and taking care of my usual chores. I’m very much looking forward to having the trim on soon and this project completely behind us. Even though I am still adjusting to the change, I am thankful that we were able to get an upgraded product that will hopefully be drama-free for years to come!
Amy Scott's Thoughts 