As I’ve posted a few times before, the carpet in our house is a yukky pink/peach colour. It’s in really good condition, as I think the previous owners laid it in the 90′s, but I can’t stand it. I hate the colour, but I also just don’t like carpet very much. It holds so much dust and dirt, and pet fur clings to it like crazy, making our house an allergy trap and also a time consuming clean.

Area that will be floorboards

For these reasons, we’re ripping up the carpet throughout the house excluding the bedrooms (JA’s request to keep it, I’m going to see if we can get it dyed) and finishing the radiata pine underneath. I got a quote to get the floors done by professionals, it was over $3000. So I’m doing it myself! Luckily my best friend’s partner is a floor guy and he’s going to give us a hand with the sanding, which is the hardest part. In preparation, I had to rip up all the carpet as well as the tack strips along the edges (you know, those damn sharp nails sticking up in the air that you always forget about and step on mid-project?) and countersink all the nails. I knew what I was getting myself in for as we’d done the same thing at my mum’s and also JA’s mum’s place, and I know counter-sinking the nails is the most annoying part, because it’s so loud and echoey. So you can guess how sad I was to see once I pulled up the carpet, that 98% of the nails were already countersunk… =D

Entry with and without carpet

So far I’ve pulled up the carpet from the hallway and the entry, and I’ll be doing the living room and dining room tomorrow. Then Scott is coming to help Tuesday, and from then on I’ll be coating it with stain and oil (hopefully to be finished and dried in time for a tea party on Sunday, eep). I’ve decided to go with an oil instead of a varnish as it will be easier to buff out the inevitable scratches from the dogs going crazy and playing inside like they do. I’ve also been advised not to stain it too dark as scratches will be much more visible, but I’m doing it a Jarrah colour anyway. I’m a bit stubborn like that.

While most of the small stuff has been moved out of the living and dining rooms I took the opportunity to look at different room configurations with the furniture. It took awhile but I’ve found one I’m happy with, which opens up the room and uses all the space, instead of having a small area behind the lounge that was being wasted.

Area behind lounge that is wasted space aka junkpile

Taken from wasted space corner

From entry through to living

No longer wasted space corner!

I separated the 2 pieces of the lounge and put the TV in the corner in front of the window

Entry through to living, more open and uses all the space in the room

So for the next week I will be a busy little bee, making my floors all pretty and tolerable =)

Stay tuned for the end result!

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