In a RARE turn of events, this was one project where DIY was not because I wanted to save money, but because I could not find something I liked. Sure, I could buy the $10 p.o.s curtain rods, but they were ugly. Even the fancy ones were ugly.
So I got some pretty drawer pulls at Anthropologie to use for the finials. I got wooden dowels at the hardware store and spray-painted them silver (same paint from the chair leg project). I took the pulls apart to switch the pieces around slightly, and David trimmed the dowels and put holes in the ends for me. Attach some brackets to the wall and voila! I am very happy that the curtains are finally up.
We are having a "hooray we are done with the floor" party on Sunday, so the house will be clean and I can get some good "after" pictures of the kitchen and living rooms.
Our to-do list is coming along nicely! We have completed numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5!! David's desk (number 3) is nearing the end as well. It is hard for that one to move along since he gets only about 1 day per week to work on it. The guest room (number 6) is on hold for now... it is finally cleaned out of all the furniture that was in there while other projects were in process. Now it is mostly clear, but acting as a holding area for yard sale items. Once we decide on the paint color and have our yard sale, the room will be ready for a face lift! Then David's desk will move in and we'll decide on the rest of the layout.
This was our SPRING 2012 housework list... and we WILL be done with it while it is still technically spring time.
We are super excited about a rewarding vacation coming up next month. Between housework and our real jobs, I'd say we've earned it.
Here are some videos from the wood floor project...
I would line up the bamboo planks and David would put them in place & nail them down. The loud noise at the end is the air compressor which powers the nail gun.
We had to remove a layer of plywood from the kitchen so that the subfloor was all one level before putting down the underlayment and then wood flooring. It was tough work. David removed the sheets and I would pull out the staples. Hundreds of staples.
The door frames had to be adjusted so that the flooring would fit underneath. It was difficult to find the right angle... so I got in the pantry.
Some of the this we are VERY glad that we had: work gloves + a mini crow bar. Who would have thought one of the most useful tools in every step of this project was a teeny little crow bar. This was also one of the least expensive items! We got the work gloves as a Christmas present from my mom. These were AWESOME in preventing splinters when handling all of the wood pieces.
Thank goodness this is done. The house looks bigger, and we could not be happier or more proud of our work. HOUSE PARTY ON SUNDAY MAY 27! Come check out all of our hard work!
Before (with carpet and ugly curtains)
During (pulling up staples)
During (starting on the wood)
Floor COMPLETE. Just need to finish with the decor!
Last week we installed baseboards and shoe moulding. Yesterday David caulked and touched up some nail holes. Yesterday and today I am painting the baseboards and moulding. Then, we have to fill in & disguise some nail holes on the floor (on the perimeter where we were unable to use the nail gun). I can see the finish line!
I also purchased wooden dowel rods to make curtain rods for the living room. And we got schmancy hardware for the curtain rod finials. I ordered a rug for the kitchen (SO pumped that it was just $44), but still deciding on colors/patterns/textures for the living room. Then we'll have to decide on artwork!
I will post more pictures when the curtains are up, and when the kitchen is clean, haha. Almost all of the tools are gone too! The saw and air compressor took up a lot of space. We'll finish tidying, then on to the next room... the guest room/office.
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