Check's IN the Mail

THE CHECK IS HERE! Hooray for tax returns! I hope we can go get the floors this weekend. We'll see if our local Lumber Liquidators has what we want in stock. Not that I know what we want yet - but I can't wait to get it.

Squeee-Squwah!

That is the sound our downstairs floor makes - and the entire downstairs vibrates when someone walks across the current oldy floor. Not a lot - but you know when someone's walkin around. No sneaking into the kitchen for a cookie in this house.

The current wood floor floats on... well, I'm not sure what it's covering, but it's even older and rougher wood. Plus, below, the beams are way off 16 on center, therefore, there's not as many of them to properly support the floor.

So, prior to putting in a new floor, Mike wants to firm up our current one. Our carpenter has advised us to install more support beams from below and then screw down the current floor with long, high strength screws. Mike wants to hire him to do all this... and I'm wondering, how much is that going to cost for labor and materials?! Never mind the 3/4 ply that needs to go over the old wood floor before the new one can be installed.

You know - I can make cost estimates all day long and try to work out every detail. And in every single case, the job goes over budget before it even starts!

Fresh Flip

Well, I got the samples on Saturday. And let me just say that neither the web pics or the catalog pics were accurate. Mike and I weren't "thrilled and excited" about any one of the colors.

And at first I think we were both convinced that we could "live with" the oak color. But the more I thought about it and stared at the samples, the more I thought, "Why should we spend all this money on something we don't absolutely LOVE?"

Plus, I had apprehensions about the whole laminate thing. I know I know I know - I had decided. But now I'm un-deciding my decision. Why not spend the extra thou and a half or so? These are going to be our floors forever. Why go the cheap and easy? Everyone agrees that wood is best. So rather than be unsatisfied, I'd rather spend the dough and elbow grease.

I know this is so completely contradictory to what I've been saying for weeks. It just took some samples to really get me thinking about it.

So now our plan is to stain a small piece of trim and bring it to the LL store. We'll compare it to the hardwoods on display and choose one that way. (After tax returns come back, of course.) Hopefully if they have all our sq ftg in stock, we can bring everything home that very day.

Choices Choices

Well - I'm confident that we want the Nirvana V3 line of laminate from Lumber Liquidators. No glue, no nails, 25yr warranty, soundproofing underlayment already attached - very cool.

So I ordered up some samples - you get 3 for $10 and they give you a coupon for $10 off your next order... so you end up getting your samples for free. (Did I mention free shipping too? Super awesome.)

Although I'm pretty sure that I want this line of laminate, but I'm not sure about colors - so I ordered three different colors. I'll show you them.

Option #1 is a mahogany color - which I love at first glance. But Mike is worried that it's too dark.

Option #2 is oak, and although it's a little browner than I'd like, the grain looks really cool and dimensional. It'll be a good comparison and middle of the road-type choice option.








Option #3 looks too light and too brown on the web - but in the catolog, it's the color Mike and I agreed upon. (This is the reason for samples guys: internet and catalog do not do a floor justice.) This is the cherry sample and we're hoping it will be the best match for our trim color.







I'm so excited! I can't wait for the samples to arrive. In fact, I think I'll my tracking # now.... *checking checking*

Ok, the samples are scheduled to arrive tomorrow - right now they're in:

HAGERSTOWN, MD

Eeeee! Our tax returns are scheduled to be sent out 2/23. So definately by then we'll have decided on a color, measured our square footage, and perhaps nailed down some 3/4 ply downstairs to further firm up the currently bouncy floor.

So what do you guys think?

My Unlucky Jan

It's been a while. Mostly because I've been out of commission due to... well... continuous bad luck. First Mike caught the stomach flu. Then I had jury duty for over a week and my work was raging mad about it. Then I caught the stomach flu. Then work was madness because I missed so much because of jury duty and the stomach flu. Then a friend and I got into a bad car accident on our way home from a concert. (No injuries though - so I guess that was lucky.) And now I'm just waiting for the next bad thing to happen... though hopefully this string of misfortunes is over.

But would you believe we're inching forward on the homefront! Amazing that I've felt like it. Although I have to admit I was really depressed right after the whole stomach flu thing. Every crack in the wall, every splat on the floor, every lapse in the paint - it was painful. But I'm feeling more hopeful now, after forcing myself to do some work.

The Sunday before last I stripped the paint off my vanity, cleaned the basement, and insulated our attic space. Meanwhile, Mike finished installing the baseboard in the mudroom, the mudroom closet light, and a smoke detector.

This past Sunday, we sanded and stained the vanity, picked up and installed the last of the basement windows, researched glass bricks on the internet (for use in the small basement windows), fixed my truck's back power window, and cleaned a portion of the garage.

But what's really got my psyched is our upcoming tax return - it'll be enough to buy new floors! I think we decided to go with a laminate, mostly because it looks good, installs without glue or nails, has 3mm of underlayment already attached, has a 25 yr warranty, and still costs half as much as real wood. Yes - I know wood is good. But I think the laminate is a better/easier choice for us.