Okay, most of these photos are terrible, so bear with me and we’ll get through this post together. Here, hold my hand and I’ll guide you through the darkness. Everybody grab a buddy and lets go….
We decided to paint the floors upstairs. I really wanted to refinish them, but Ellen’s floor was not in good shape and we had to use some serious amounts of wood filler in a large area, so painting was our best choice. This photo shows the first coat and my daughter wearing one of her favorite shirts that immediately causes me to violently dry heave when I see it. WHY DID SHE MAKE HER T-SHIRT INTO A MUSCLE SHIRT??! Is she a wrestler?
Whenever I see that shirt I roll my eyes and say, “This is the last time I want to see that shirt. Throw it away already. GOOD LORD, JUST LET IT GO!” then she smiles and says, “Mom, you’re just jealous of my supreme awesomeness. You know you want a shirt just like this, you know you do.” Then I pretend to barf all over her shirt wishing I really could.
I left the measuring of the squares to the architect, because it only seemed fair. Ellen taped the whole thing by herself because by the time we got to this point in the project I was done. Which usually happens, remember, I’m a good starter…bad finisher.
And then this happened. Half a gallon of paint that Ellen used to paint her furniture got tipped over when her mattress fell over on it. This spill happened in the hallway right outside my bedroom door. Every time I heard the kids coming up the stairs I’d start yelling, “DON’T STEP IN THE PAINT!!! LOOK OUT FOR THE PAINT!!! THE PAINT! REMEMBER THE PAINT!” Needless to say my family was a bit sick of me by the end of that day. And remember, I was totally over the floor project by that point and sinking into a pit of despair that it would never be finished and I’d have to live with a big paint glob on the floor for the rest of my days. Because, I couldn’t possibly clean up that paint or assist with this project anymore with the paralysis that was happening to me with each moment that the project was delayed.
As always Clay, the finisher, has to come to my rescue. Should I tell you that we got the wrong paint for the dark squares? It was an oil base. Should I tell you that when Ellen was pulling up the tape it pulled up the paint too? Clay and Ellen had to go back over all the light colored squares and touch up the edges.
You’ll notice in all the following photos we are stepping only on the dark squares because the light squares are still a bit wet, but we were determined to get Ellen back in her room because all her furniture was in the little boys’ room and they were having to crawl over it to get to their beds. Not to mention the mattress that was in the hall that now has a big paint blob on one corner.
We still need to fix a few squares, replace the quarter round on the base boards, fix and paint the walls, make curtains, find a cute over stuffed chair and a rug. I was so disappointed when I discovered we had the wrong paint, but as it turns out I really like the high gloss and low sheen together. So far the colors hide dirt quite well.
See the squares in the lower right? Those might stay like that for the next twenty years.
Ellen had a friend over one day and they worked really hard painting her furniture. I bought the glass knobs on ebay. I love the way the furniture looks with the floor.
And I’m really happy that the furniture is done!! Especially since it’s been on my to-do list for 16 years!
Okay, now we just need to finish the hall floor. Uh, Clay? Honey? I’m done with this project, soooooo, that would mean you’ll need to paint that hall floor. Clay? Hon? Hello?
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Ok, I have to admit I was against painting the floor. However, seeing it now, I love it! Great job.
LOVE. THE. FLOOR.
Hey, that looks great!
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ooohh. Everyone did a great job. LOVE it!
It looks great!
Awesome! I want that room. It’s way better than mine.
I really love the furniture!
Oh, I love painted floor! Reminds me that I need to get to recoating my living room floor…
And I know the feeling about the spilled half-gallon of paint… been there, done that, except I picked it up to shake it and the lid was not actually on. I coated not only the floor, but the wall, and myself too! Fun.
It simply could not look any better!! Great job Ellen and Clay.
I think it looks fantastic! I, too, was somewhat against the painting vs refinishing…but I do love it! Did you have to put some kind of sealer over it?
Looks so good. I know you must be happy that it’s done.
I love the muscle shirt and I love the floor….and is your daughter just a mini version of you?
It looks wonderful!!
I love the floor and the furniture! My mother-in-law taught me a trick for getting dried paint off hardwood floors. Take a razor blade and it peels the paint off. Thinking about your blob!
Looks great!!
I dunno … if I had supreme awesomeness, I might be tempted to wear that shirt. And I love love the floor.
Total Awesomeness! I love the squares and the furniture looks great. Good job on the glass knobs….those are like icing on the cake. Speaking of, you should make a cake with icing to celebrate the fine job!
Glad you posted…I was wondering where you went!
Your daughter looks just like you! The finished product looks awesome and I’m thinking an area rug could cover up those ‘needs painting’ patches for 16 years or so!
make that a small rug, you don’t want to cover up the awesome floor!
Your beautiful daughter looks just like you. Well, how you would look if you wore awful muscle shirts. Love the floors!
SOOO, you’re free now to come paint my floor?
The floor looks awesome…ratty corners and all…Ellen is adorable in her muscle shirt…Furniture is beautiful…Now get to work on the hall……
Great looking floor! I think you did a great job, despite the severe case of depression.
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That looks fantastic! Congratulations. (P.S. – my husband is a starter- I’ve been without moldings for 15 years in the family room. We’ll finish those up two weeks before we move to our reitrement home.)
That is an awesome floor. And I love it with the furniture. Great job.
Wonderful job!! I love it and your daughter looks ecstatic if not supremely awesome.
Colors, please? Did you use a porch/floor paint?
Wow, that looks great! I’d never have guessed light colors would work so well. I can’t tell that one is gloss and the other isn’t, but I’ve always wanted to do that to walls — combine gloss with matte.
Maybe you could do the hall in spots to disguise the spill?
I suspect if you wear that muscle shirt a few times, she’ll not like it so much. ???
I too am a great stater…it’s just the finishing that I’m weak on. Did I tell you I still have the cracked concrete floor in my bedroom which should be hardwood? Yeah for 3 years now. Hum…maybe if I start it Kahuna will…no never mind that is why they are still concrete 3 years after I started them.
The room looks great! I hope you’ll show us photos once you get all the little finishing touches in there.
I have fallen into my own pit of despair here. See, once upon a time, I had this wonderful vision of painting the walls of the 1/2 bath to look like it was in the middle of the woods. I was so sure I could do it–even though I have painted very little and have never done anything as large as even this mini mural I had planned. I convinced Danny that I could do it. Then I completely psyched myself out overthinking it. And now, because I nagged him and threw a hissy fit last fall to get the basement doors done, he is nagging me about the 1/2 bath. I’ve considered giving the job to Josh, but I’m too much of a control freak for that.
That floor is remarkable! It looks like a picture from a magazine. The furniture is awesome. You get an A+ for this project. Well, maybe Clay and Ellen get the grade?
LOVE the floor…wow! It is soooo cute and the furniture is so cute for her too….Good job
Those look wonderful! Can I borrow your daughter? FOr just a da..month or 2? We have a couple of decks to paint… Oh, Pick up some of those round floor slide disks & it will save the floor from being scratched. or pieces of felt would work…Awesome job. She looks so excited, Clay also…that its done. Or, is it excited he now gets to start the next project? There is ALWAYS a next project as a home owner!
You guys did an awesome job on these floors! Now can you come to my house and do the same thing here?
Oh wow…..That looks amazing! Ellen must be very pleased with the result.
the floor looks fantastic! and see, the white squares on the right…well they are just there to make everyone else feel good, cause too perfect has nothing to do with life
. great job!
Love the floor! Looks so fresh and clean. Think the kid and the shirt are pretty cute too.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who freaks out during these big shindigs and my hubby is a very good rescuer too. The floor looks great, and the kid is very cute looks a lot like her mom. So where is your muscle shirt?
I LOVE THE ROOM! What a great idea going with a checkerboard pattern. Oh, and post some pictures when you get the room entirely done – can’t wait to see it!!
Wow! I love the floor. Really, really love it. I just painted the wood floors in my bedroom, but I just did white. I’m not patient enough to measure and then tape out my entire floor…I just paint. You did a great job!
The room is awesome.
-FringeGirl
Everything looks awesome!!
Killer job on the floor. Amazing what paint (and lots of hard work) will do to brighten a space and totally take up the wow factor. Great lesson you’ve taught your daughter despite your temporary paralysis. Where did she learn to become such a ham? She’s adorable and obviously very happy. Wish my boys would smile so big for the camera!! Thanks for sharing and keep us updated on the puddle.
Wow April – that looks really good.
The floor and furniture look great! I once painted my daughter’s room purple for her birthday and knocked the can of paint over on her carpet. The bed is now strategically placed to hide the purple splotch. My motto is, It’s not about how perfectly you can do a job – it’s about how creative you are covering up the mistakes!
The people who move in after you are going to shake their heads…
But it looks just beautiful! So to heck with them!
Good job on the knobs! They are fabulous!
Ellen is a lucky girl!
What a magnificent floor. What a tribute to the idea of sticking with it. That’s outta this world.
Beautiful floor and the furniture came out great too!
Fabulous, I love it!
Love the floor and the furniture. That girl of yours is adorable. Reminds me of someone. Apple didn’t fall far from that tree!
It looks fabulous!
april, in that second pic, ellen looks just like you!! the way i remember you when you, me, julie, annie and grandma used to sit around and watch survivor! dye her hair blond and she could be you for halloween
miss ya!!
becky