Living floors - done!

The day after Thanksgiving, our flooring contractor contacted to say he could squeeze us in to start the hardwood on Saturday, and finish Monday. We were so excited! But, he advised that the kitchen floor was too damaged on Saturday morning to refinish. The floors shown here were scrubbed down hard from the plaster dust.

Sanding, replacing damaged boards, and staining took the crew most of Saturday, and due to a blizzard on Sunday/Monday night, they were not finished until Tuesday. Anna and I rode out on Wednesday to see and were greeted with the faint fragrance of clear coat and the most beautiful, sleek, perfect floors I could have hoped for! We took some measurements, photos, considered layout, and stopped at a diner before heading home for the evening.

The big downer of the kitchen floor was a weak area near the stair wall. Underneath the dishwasher, we found a plywood platform and no water damage near the sink, so have come to believe this was pertaining to the dishwashing area. Water seems to have pooled underneath the existing tile and stayed there for some time, with the tile, mortar, and underlayment providing some support, but not enough once the tile was removed and the impact showed damage there. We hate the delay in our kitchen progress, but also know there is always time to correct the problem, and most importantly, we can walk away and come home after a few days of camping out!

While discouraged at the state of the kitchen floor, we have taken his advice, continued to evaluate the extent of damage and research our options, and do agree it is best to replace down to the subfloor entirely. A floor built for the kitchens of 80 years ago will not likely hold up to the weight of modern appliances, substantially more cabinetry, and we don't want the tile to crack due to settling from that weight, so... onward!