See “Aloha” means both “Goodbye” and “Hello,” so… yeah… buh bye Hawaii and hello half-done cork floors. We’re back in Richmond (insert forced enthusiasm here – woot?) and we’re eager to tell you more about our trip. But we’re more eager to dive back into DIY and spill all the details about our big cork floor project that we started right before we left (about twenty four hours before we hopped on the plane actually). Oh and for those who didn’t drop in on us last week since our little vacation announcement, we actually did share two posts (along with a giveaway) while we were gone, so you can find those here and here.
We’re still recovering from jet lag (and from flying home on a red-eye with a toddler, haha – we’ll share more on that over on Young House Life at some point) but we’re very grateful for our little break to unplug and enjoy some sun and sand. So we’ll just update you on as much of the flooring as we’ve laid (and keep working the nights away until it’s done and we can do a full reveal post for ya!). Oh and we’ll write all about our HI adventures when we have time to sort through about two thousand photos and write all about it – hopefully by the end of this week. But back to the floors. We had originally hoped to completely finish the floors before we left. That was the plan…
We knew the photo crew would finish up on Friday the 17th after three full weeks of shooting in our house (we knew better than to try juggling book shoots + toddler + new floors, so we thought waiting until the book shooting wrapped was the best idea). So since we didn’t leave for Portland until early on Tuesday morning (the 21st) that meant we’d have Saturday and Sunday to install the floors while Clara napped/was in bed for the night. Then on Monday we’d pack, finish up/proofread all the posts for the following week that we’d share while in Portland, and get ready to leave on Tuesday am. Seemed perfect… ’til we realized on Friday night that we hadn’t let the cork boards acclimate OUT of their boxes for the recommended 48 hours. Cue the sound of a balloon deflating.
Yup, they had sat in the corner of our bedroom in their boxes for months (months!) since we purchased them in October from Lumber Liquidators on clearance. But we hadn’t taken them out to acclimate in all of that time. So sad. We just didn’t even think about it. So the above photo depicts the scene in our house on Saturday and Sunday while we literally waited for those guys to acclimate with bated breath. Nothing got installed over the entire weekend. It just sat there… acclimating (i.e. adjusting to the temperature of the house so any expansion or contracting would happen before putting them in place instead of after- which can make them buckle and warp).
The last minute wait-time did give us a couple of days to read up on the process, though. We’ve never installed a floor like this, so we referenced how-tos like this and this to get our heads in floor mode. Oh, and we were able to get some of the floor prepped in the meantime, like prying off all of the shoe molding around the room. Since ours is painted over, we used a razor to slice the paint so it would come off cleanly without peeling. With a floating floor you actually have to leave a gap around the edges (our cork packaging recommended a 5/16″ of an inch space) to give it room to expand or contract with changes in temperature. But when the shoe is reinstalled after the cork goes down it’ll cover that gap.
Another thing we had to do was trim the door molding to accommodate the new cork flooring. Since it’d be a pain in the behind to cut the floors perfectly around every groove in the molding, I learned how to cut a sliver out of the molding instead (so the cork floor could slide right under it for a seamless look). I used one of the techniques that I read about where you lay a hand saw flat against a piece of floor (and underlayment) as your guide and just saw away. Seemed kinda crazy…
…but it worked!
Once we had all of the shoe removed, the door moldings cut to accommodate the cork that will run under them, and all of the transitions pried up in the doorways, the floor was officially prepped. Oh yeah, and we gave it a good sweep too.
Then once the 48 hour acclimation time was up and the floors were cleaned, the next step was putting down the underlayment. This is the stuff that Lumber Liquidator’s recommended:
There was a slightly cheaper option, but that one wasn’t made from recycled material (boo) and it was slightly thicker (and we wanted the added floor height to be as minimal as possible since we had to float it over our existing flooring instead of removing the old vinyl due to the presence of an asbestos liner under it). Thankfully the cork is thin too, so when it’s all said and done the cork floor should only be able a quarter of an inch higher than the hardwoods around it, and with some nice smooth low-lying transitions it shouldn’t make for any annoying toe-stubbing or baby-tripping. We’ll keep you posted on dealing with those transitions as we get there.
Ok, so being that it was now Monday morning (i.e. less than 24 hours before we left on an 11 day business / pleasure trip), we were scrambling a bit – so our pictures aren’t as thorough as we’d like. We’ll do better as we finish up the floors this week (by taking a ton more photos) since we won’t be distracted by book photoshoots, cleaning, packing, and Portland-presentation-practicing. But here’s a pic that I snapped once we got the underlayment mostly down in one side of the room (it had a sticky strip on the back of it keep it in place). The underlayment doesn’t overlap itself, it is just laid in strips right next to each other and stuck to the floor with that sticky strip that runs down the side of it. Oh and you can see how I just used a regular scissors (not Sherry’s good scissors because I know what’s good for me) to cut out the underlayment that overlapped the stone fireplace surround (a box cutter also worked well).
To help with the actual floor installation, we bought this $16 kit from Home Depot. It came with spacers (to keep that recommended 5/16″ gap around the edge), as well as a pull bar and a tapping block. Those are both to help hammer the boards into place, but since you don’t want to hammer the board directly you use the block as a buffer (you hammer the block which slightly shifts the board so there’s not a big gap/seam). And the pull bar helps with the boards closest to the wall. I’ll take pics of these in action next time so this makes more sense. Promise.
The process was pretty slow going at first, mainly because almost all of our first few pieces required cuts. But at least it was good to get them out of the way.
Some of the instructions I read suggested cutting with a jigsaw, but I figured my table saw would make straighter cuts so I lugged it up to the carport to make my many (many) cuts more convenient. It worked really well.
Even after we got around the fireplace, we still had to cut the board at the start of each row (or “course” to use flooring lingo). We staggered each row/course because (1) it makes the whole floating floor stronger by offsetting the joints and (2) it makes it look more like a traditional hardwood floor. My boards were 36″ long, so we offset the courses by 12″ each. See the staggered edge below?
Even with those initial staggered cuts, it was pretty fast snapping in a whole row of whole pieces. In other words: cuts took a lot longer, and snapping whole pieces in was a breeze. I think all-in-all this whole section took us about five hours to do. We hoped to get more done in that time (our initial goal had been to finish the whole behind-the-peninsula section of the kitchen before leaving) but we got distracted by a morning snowstorm, a lunchtime wrap-up meeting with the book photographer, and eventually got caught up trying to pack for Portland and Hawaii (packing for ourselves took ten minutes, but packing for Clara took a little longer – and our flight was so early on Tuesday we couldn’t leave anything for that morning).
But as Sherry mentioned on Friday, having the floor started only makes it easier to get it finished this week. So our new goal is to have pictures of a completed floor by the end of the week (we’re actually gunning for finishing Wednesday night or very early Thursday morning so we can have the pics up on time for a Thursday morning post). We’ll be sure to take some time to snap better photos of the actual process too (imagine that!). Now that we’ve done around 30% of the floor (we’re doing the laundry room too) it shouldn’t be too hard. Wait, were those famous last words? We’ll just leave it at: we’re cautiously optimistic that we’ll get ‘er done!
What have you guys been up to lately? I’m not one to get all mushy, but we missed you guys last week. Any flooring projects going on? Do you like to leave the house perfectly clean before embarking on a big trip or start something and leave it half-done to greet you when you return?
Cindy W. says
Joh, the scissors comment reminded me of this:
http://pinterest.com/pin/119556565077857171/
Hee!
YoungHouseLove says
Bwahahahaha.
xo,
s
chris@clickandimprove says
Excellent work, you guys. I’ve been pushing cork flooring in our area as much as possible: its one of those green solutions that really rarely gets talked about and, obviously, is not impossibly to install. It looks great in the house and certainly shows more personality than the tiles.
Elisabeth@SimplyParkers says
I will join the masses by saying welcome back and we missed you :) Can’t wait to see those completed floors! Also, your Portland presentation was a bit of an (in the words of Ms. Winfrey) Aha! moment for me. It confirmed what I’d been wrestling with for a while so I decided to drop the “hot topic” from my blog name (so throw that silly business card in the recycling bin!). Lol. Hope you guys had your fill of macadamia nuts and coconut syrup…can’t wait to start planning our own Hawaiian vacay, it can’t come soon enough!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thanks so much Elisabeth! It was so great to meet you!
xo,
s
Anna says
Welcome back! Glad you had a chance to get away and looking forward to hearing all about your adventures in PDX/HI.
I am adamant that we clean the house before we leave – the husband is always a bit reluctant to do so, but every time we come back he says “I’m so glad we cleaned before we left!” So he’s finally getting the hang of it. (This next trip, though, he will have 2-3 extra days off after we return, so I might leave the mess and give him something to do while I’m back at work…*evil laugh*)
Jessie H. says
I usually like to leave a clean house before traveling, but since I’m attempting a solo international flight with our 6-month old, I’ll be lucky to get out the door dressed and with my face on.
Floors are looking great!
Sam says
Floor looks grrrreat… although it also looks like John is using the table saw mitre gauge backwards!
Doing it that way, there’s a fairly significant risk of kickback (i.e. floor propelled into John’s face, at speed).
Would be mucho safer to use a mitre saw (if you have or can borrow one), or a circular saw, or build a crosscut sled for the table saw.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Sam! Yeah, I usually flip it around half-way through my cut so the guage stays on the table surface the whole time. I know it’s not perfect, but my mitre guage is very unsteady when it’s dangling off the table. We do have a miter saw, but it’s just not wide enough to cut the full length of the plank (which I have to do fairly often). But thanks again for looking out!
-John
Sam says
I completely understand, just wanted to help avoid any floor vs. face situations! I can’t recommend a crosscut sled enough – super cheap to make out of scrap (e.g. some MDF and 2×4). Will save time (make it large to cut boards in a single pass) and dental bills:
Here’s a curbly example: http://www.curbly.com/users/chrisjob/posts/6864-curbly-video-quick-tip-create-a-crosscut-sled-on-the-cheap
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the link! Will check it out!
-John
Katrina says
I think it’s so great you guys took the time away in Maui to relax and get away from everything and be with your family! Seriously sometimes I get tired just reading about all the things you are doing! You guys are definitely motivate me though! Glad you guys got a breather. :)
Also, kind of a funny story. Last night I went to a friend’s bachelorette party, and she had a friend there who was a flight attendant.
We were driving in her car in Seattle, and we passed West Elm, and i was telling everyone how much I LOVE West Elm, and that reminded her about this nice couple she met on one of her flights who have a blog and just finished writing a book. So I cut her off and say, “IS IT YOUNG HOUSE LOVE?!”
And (obviously) it was! It was funny though, cause I got all giddy and excited about it like I was there or something haha!! I’m a total dork, but I love your blog and read it everyday, so I was excited that she had met you guys!
Anyways, she was telling me how she was hanging out with you guys in the back and just chatting (cause Clara was apparently not wanting to sleep?) and how nice you guys were!
Kind of a random story, but now are you starting to feel a little famous? :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh- it was Rebekah wasn’t it?! We love her! She saved us when Clara was not… uh, cooperating! Haha.
xo,
s
Ann says
I’m glad you guys took a vacation – you needed and deserved it. The floors will be done eventually. I like to have the house all tidy when we leave, but in reality it doesn’t happen too often.
I did start spray painting our dining chairs the night before I was to be admitted for an induction for our 2nd baby. And I ran out of spray paint, so my hubby had to go buy more while I was in the hospital so I could finish when I got home. That’s nesting gone crazy baby.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- no way! Congrats on the new baby!
xo,
s
Amy L. says
Ahhh, I can’t find a clip, but your opening was similar to 30 Rock, Season 4, ep 21 where Jack is standing in front of 2 open elevator doors one with Avery, one with Nancy, and he says, “Aloha means hello and goodbye, so Aloha”. It was very funny…less funny without the clip! You tube fail! Welcome home!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- nice! We vaguely remember that one now that you mention it. That show = good stuff.
xo,
s
Ashley says
Yay! I’m soooo glad you guys are back! Don’t get me wrong, I’m very glad you got what seems like a fabulous vacation, but I really missed you all.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Ashley!
xo,
s
sarah says
the house must be spotless before we leave on a trip….that way it will be easy to come home to.
we got to hang my new dining room light this week.
http://carrotcakeandcreamcheeseicing.blogspot.com/2012/03/let-there-be-new-light.html
the rest of the room will be finished by the end of the month!
YoungHouseLove says
Love the copper inside and the warm glow!
xo,
s
Plein Jane says
I had to laugh when I read, “Do you like to leave your house perfectly clean before you leave on a trip?”
Many years ago, just after our son was born, my husband and daughter left for California to help my in-laws set up for their 50th anniversary party. The plan was for me to follow a few days later with the baby after the work week.
That Saturday, I called a cab, strapped the baby to my chest in a Snugli, picked up our luggage and the diaper bag, shut the front door and left for the airport.
When we got back a week later, our front door and entryway was surrounded by yellow police tape. WTH, we thought — a break-in?! As it turned out, I hadn’t closed the door tightly enough, and the wind had blown it open not long after I left. A neighbor noticed it was still that way that night and called the police. According to her, the whole neeighborhood was frantic because the police told her that the master bedroom was “in disarray.” (Um, ever pack for four people, including a baby?)
We think about that now when we leave for a trip. It’s become the equivalent of making sure you have clean underwear in case you’re in an accident.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s hilarious and mortifying all at the same time! Once in NYC John and I were coming home from work to my apartment and the door was open. I got so freaked out I called the cops and they came out and decided the fire department had broken in earlier that day since my carbon monoxide detector was going off and they wanted to make sure no one was inside passed out. So then they just left the door open and left – no note or anything! I asked them if they tested for carbon monoxide and found anything and they said they would have to “respond” to my call to dispense that info so I said “ok, please respond” and ten minutes later there’s a giant firetruck with sirens on and men with axes on their back piling into my apartment while John and I looked on with our jaws open. All that was for a bad electrical circuit (no carbon monoxide found). So crazy!
xo,
s
Angie says
You guys are so awesome! I am working on tiling my hallway right now–just finished demo yesterday–and I was wondering “how the heck am I going to trim the door moulding to fit the new tile!?!?” Your logical explanation above is so obvious (but it never crossed my mind). I’m pumped to give it a whirl! Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Good luck!
xo,
s
seansmom says
Laminate flooring is great!! And easy to put down too..in fact, I laid FIVE rooms of it ALL BY MYSELF when we built our “old” new house 5 years ago. Hubby was out of town at a jobsite, so I got out the trusty chop saw and went to work. It took me about two days(working about 6 hours per day) per room, but it was all done by the time he got back home.
Kristen says
So jealous to see your flooring project actually working out! We’re in the middle of a complete kitchen demolition/renovation at the moment (and by that I mean everything gutted pretty much to the studs and the subfloor) and when we went to Lumber Liquidators to order our white bamboo flooring it was completely out of stock everywhere. They had no idea until they actually pulled it from the showroom floor and looked it up. We were so bummed. And on top of that, it was as if every store we called or visited around us had never heard of bamboo flooring, white flooring, and definitely not white bamboo flooring.
We ended up getting a Pergo floor from Lowe’s because it was the only thing we could find with a similar look.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw man, so sorry Kristen! Here’s hoping you end up loving the Pergo flooring!
xo,
s
chipster says
Would love to read the book and use the bookmark! Your floors look great, waiting to see the finished product!
Tali says
Sorry if I missed this somewhere… but what was the original flooring in the kitchen? Was it vinyl or tile? I’m guessing vinyl, but am curious as to what you could lay the cork over…. The idea of removing existing tile is what is keeping me from replacing my current kitchen flooring…
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, old scratched up vinyl. Not sure if you can lay cork over tile, but maybe if you call Lumber Liquidators and ask they can tell you?
xo,
s
Christine says
Hey! Floors look great! Can’t wait to see the kitchen with the floors! Just wondering how you knew there was a asbestos liner under the existing floor. Sorry if someone else already asked this… I skimmed, but didn’t see anything.
YoungHouseLove says
Black paper under old vinyl tile is commonly known to have asbestos, so when we saw that black paper our hearts sank. Since we were pretty sure that’s what’s in there, we’re just treating it as if it’s asbestos just to be on the safe side- but a few experts have said all signs point to it being asbestos liner. It’s a dark black paper that looks sort of like tar paper but more matte. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
GreenInOC says
Glad I searched – that was my same question!
Is there a test that can be done to determine for sure?
It’s looking good, welcome back and hope you had a more than fabulous time!!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, I believe you can order one online (maybe search “asbestos test” and see what comes up) or get pros to come test for you.
xo,
s
mp says
I was under the impression that just having the packages in the house was enough acclimation. When my laminate floor was installed in my previous home in December 2001 (probably the last glued floor in America), HD delivered the planks and scheduled the installer to come out two days later. Of course, a lot may have changed since then.
Glad you’re back safe and (somewhat) recharged!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, it was that way with our hardwood but the cork specifically said out of the box- maybe it’s a more change-able material or something?
xo,
s
Emily says
Looks amazing already! I have been checking you guys out for a little while now and I have to say, I missed reading about your reno updates! Can’t wait to see how your kitchen looks when it’s all done!
Kim says
Seriously, you guys are like machines – but in a really good way! And like you, I always want to come home to a clean house – it just feels so good to walk in the house (sad from leaving vaca.) and know that everything is all done! And also like you, I would probably want to start a project like that so I had more incentive when I got home to get right on it. Good luck!
almk42 says
Two floor-related questions for you:
1) I was talking with my husband about redoing the floor in our kitchen (right now it’s one of those cheap sheets of vinyl from Lowe’s) with maybe slate tile. I know tile flooring has to have an underlayment otherwise the tiles can crack when the floor settles. He said to do it right, you’d need to take out the cabinets that are on the floor and put tile under them. I told him that you had already redone your cabinets and were only laying the floor to their edge (I assume you’re laying the flooring under the dishwasher and refrigerator). Who is right?
2) How did you discover that there was a layer of asbestos under your kitchen’s floor? Our house was built in 1971, so it’s definitely something we think about while remodeling. We’ve been told, for instance, that our popcorn ceiling likely has asbestos in it, but we haven’t had it tested. So, how do you know what is safe to remove in your house and what isn’t?
YoungHouseLove says
Many kitchens are renovated with new tile, counters, and appliances without removing the existing cabinets- but you can run the new flooring under things like the dishwasher, stove, and fridge just by pulling them out and installing the new floor under them (like we’re doing). More pics soon! As for how we discovered there was an asbestos liner, we knew that black liner paper under old vinyl in a house of this era points to asbestos being present in that black paper, so as soon as we saw that black paper (when we moved our pantry to where our fridge used to live) we decided to leave everything alone with the floor and follow recommendations to float new flooring right over it for safety reasons!
xo,
s
Larissa says
Random question: Where is the video of Clara eating and screaming? I think she’s eating tomatoes, maybe? My mom doesn’t believe that it’s perfectly normal for a baby to scream at food, but I can’t find the video anywhere. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- I think it’s part of this medley (it’s at the bottom of the page): https://www.younghouselove.com/2011/05/house-party/
xo,
s
kristen says
sounds like the haircut video? http://www.flickr.com/photos/younghouselove/6097704644/in/set-72157624133612792
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, it could be that! But it’s mostly whining/crying. Poor gal!
xo,
s
Dani says
Hey John and Sherry, the floor looks great! I have the same flooring in my studio, (http://www.danimiller.com/blog/?p=218) and I love it. A couple of pieces of advice though – don’t be stupid like me and use a magic eraser (or rough cloth) to try and clean anything stubborn off it. It will leave you will a marred area that is less shiny than the rest of the floor. Also, we chose not to seal the floor after it had been laid down (as the instructions had suggested), but I kinda wish I had now. I think it would make it a lot more durable. And if I was putting it in the kitchen, where I would be spilling a lot more, I think I would definitely seal it. I am sure you guys were already planning to, but that is just my 2 cents worth ;)
Glad you guys are back, I missed your posts!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tips Dani! We definitely plan to seal it as soon as it’s all in! Thanks for the magic eraser/rough cloth tip! Will be sure just to use soft microfiber cloths to wipe things up after it’s all nice and sealed!
xo,
s
Heidi P. says
So beautiful and rich and warm. I’m trying to convince my parents to redo their kitchen and to put cork in place of their carpet, so I keep sending them links to all your kitchen renovations :). These flooring ones will be great for them :).
While you were gone, we’ve been suffering from no-more-naps syndrome :(. Jason got a toddler bed and some new dressers that could be child-proofed. Night time isn’t bad, but naps don’t exist anymore and I’ve come in to find 1)a poopy diaper removed with an attempt to get a clean one, leaving a little poop on every single unused diaper (grrr), 2)a call to poison control because of a near overdose of his floride vitamins that he somehow reached and removed the cap from, and 3)a bloody toe from the metal edge of his closet door. Oy! I’m just glad last week is over. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man! That sounds like quite a week! Here’s hoping this one’s better!
xo,
s
Lynn @ SafeBeauty says
Welcome back fine folks! Glad to see you made it back all in one piece. This weekend the whole fam was wiped out with some kind of summ’n that just isn’t pretty and makes me sound like a 10 pack a day smoker. But then it ended with us taking a trip out to Home Depot to stock up on home supplies to get this casa in order before the move. Hopefully. The floor is looking great by the way. I am anxious to see the end result because I’ve never thought of cork as an option for us, but then again we never say never in this house.
My best, Lynn
bekah says
Id love to replace flooring, but they tend tp frown on that in a rental. I did recently scrub it…not nearly as fun!
I did redo our living room! Im a lot-a-bit in love with it!
http://www.countrymousetales.com/2011/11/entertainment-center-before-after.html
I love the new flooring you chose, it looks amazing!
YoungHouseLove says
Gorgeous! I love it!
xo,
s
bekah says
oh wow, I am a giant dork. That was the wrong post. THIS is the living room.
http://www.countrymousetales.com/2012/03/house-tour-living-room.html
Thats the project I did over the weekend. duh self.
Dont you just love when it takes you almost 24 hrs. to realize your mistake? Sorry, but Im glad you liked our red entertainment center! Thank you
YoungHouseLove says
Amazing job! Love that too!
xo,
s
Marcia says
You may have already blogged about this but has anyone ever asked you why you have strip wood-flooring AND parquet wood flooring on the main floor? I have parquet throughout and am not a huge fan but yours stained dark looks better than my natural with Glita which has yellowed over time. Any thoughts?
YoungHouseLove says
The room with parquet is an addition they added in the seventies, so our only guess is that parquet was hot so they went for it! Haha. We think once all the hardwoods/parquet are stained the same rich mocha color of the cork it’ll be nice and seamless since they’ll all sort of melt into each other.
xo,
s
Karen @ bellacarina.com says
Glad you had a great trip! That first week home from Hawaii is always the worst…especially because your body is still on “island time” as in laid back and moving slower!
We’ve been doing some spring cleaning getting ready for our big move to NOVA next month!
http://bellacarina.com/food/spring-cleaning-comes-early/
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh congrats!
xo,
s
Brittany says
Just out of curiosity-do you wear ear plugs when using those kinds of power tools? I know that stuff can get rather loud, ay carumba, lol. Random question, I know :o)
YoungHouseLove says
Nah, it’s not too bad actually! But I would if it was really loud for sure!
-John
angela says
Way off topic but its pretty funny…
I was browsing through an issue of American Baby when I came across a pic of a nursery and I was like “They totally ripped off YHL!” Then I realized it was a page dedicated to your nursery, haha!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- no way! We haven’t seen it yet. Thanks for the heads up!
xo,
s
happymacbeth says
I cant wait to see these finished. I am also super jealous that you guys went to Hawaii… totally my dream vacation! I hope you had a lovely time! :)
Tirsa says
So glad you guys are back after much deserved RR. Can’t wait to see the finished floor- and kitchen!
The last time we travelled (two weeks ago) I left the house spotless and felt sooo good about coming home to relax only to find a big puddle of liquid gooo under and next to the refrigerator. It turns out the men who had installed the filter the day before leaving did not “lock” the refrigerator and DS played with the buttons. So, we came home to a warm refrigerator with everything melted and gone bad. Spent the evening cleaning up instead of relaxing….. ((sigh))
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man that stinks!
xo,
s
Jamie H says
LOVE THE FLOORS! My hubby and I are going to attempt to tile our laundry room floor this weekend. Wish us luck!
-Jamie H
YoungHouseLove says
Lots of luck!
xo,
s
Kaitlin A says
Welcome back! We did the SAME THING with our bamboo floors, a few weeks ago! We totally forgot to acclimate them until too close to the install date (condo association = no DIY for us) and had to put off installation. I am no the patient type, but they were so worth it! http://www.condo-nest.com/2012/02/bamboo-zled-part-iii.html.
Yours look awesome so far! Hang in there!
YoungHouseLove says
They look amazing!
xo,
s
mary says
maybe you guys have answered this before, but, do you feel weird about the three different kinds of flooring that it looks like you have in the kitchen, dining room, and living room?
i’m wanting to tear out the carpet in our bedroom and lay some kind of hardwood or laminate, but i’m afraid it will look weird with the existing maple hardwood that we have right outside our room. thanks.
your flooring is beautiful. i’ve been so inspired by your patience with the whole kitchen project and your self-control to not rush things.
YoungHouseLove says
We love cohesive flooring, so our plan is to refinish all the hardwoods in the same rich mocha color as our cork. That way it should look a lot more seamless and blend nicely from room to room.
xo,
s
annie says
We missed you tooooooooo! You guys on your (well-deserved) vacation + WNYC public radio pledge drive week = my saddest media week ever!
Sara says
So glad you guys had such a great trip AND I’m so glad you’re back! My boyfriend and I embarked on a spontaneous roadtrip this week (from Boston to Miami through Charlottesville, Wilmington and Charleston – we’re crazy) and totally thought about you – in a non-creepy way – when we drove South of Richmond from Charlottesville to 95. It’s a beautiful area and I totally wish that I could have run into you guys somehow! Congrats on being thisclose to completing the kitchen! So excited to see how it turns out! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw I wish we had run into you!
xo,
s
Shannon Hoving says
I’m loving that cork flooring! I had to laugh at John’s comment about not using Sherry’s good scissors; that sounds like our house. That man of mine said, “Maybe Sherry can do a tutorial on how to tell the difference between scissors for fabric, scissors for paper, and scissors only for hair, you know, as a public service. Then I wouldn’t be in trouble all the darned time!”
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- I literally have written on my good ones with a sharpie “no John cuts!”
xo,
s
Anna says
My husband and I just started searching for our first home. We put in an offer on a home that has popcorn ceilings. After some research, I have found that it is likely that it may contain asbestos. This was a concern, since the plan was to take it down ourselves. You mentioned that the reason you were leaving your flooring down was due to an asbestos liner underneath it. How did you know about that? With looking at many older homes, I am concerned about future DIY projects that we may undertake. Do you have any advice regarding these possible issues? Your blog is such an inspiration. I cannot wait to get our first home. I was just hoping that since you have experience with mid-century homes, you may have some pointers. Thanks!
-Anna
YoungHouseLove says
We had learned a while back that most vinyl flooring from the era of our house (50-70s) might have black paper under it, and if you see that black sort of matte paper under the tile it is most likely full of asbestos and shouldn’t be messed with. When we saw it, our hearts sank. But we knew as long as we didn’t tear it up and just floated a floor over it we were safe, so that was our plan of attack. Not sure about ceiling scraping though. I think if that has asbestos the only way to deal with it might be to call in the pros. Anyone have tips for Anna?
xo,
s
Karah @ thespacebetweenblog says
Hopefully you guys had a rejuvenating vacation…welcome back to crazytown, er, I mean home. :)
Susan says
In 2009, we installed cork from Lumber Liquidators throughout almost all of our then house–your post brings back lots of memories! We loved loved loved the cork! Small tip–when a narrow gap developed between two planks, we “grated” some of the leftover cork, mixed cork with wood glue and easily filled the gap and were once again “seamless”.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that’s an awesome tip!
xo,
s
Kami says
Missed reading you guys at work! Interested in your flooring DIY because as a part of my kitchen redo, I am redoing all the floors on the first floor.
BTW, any Burger adventures while you were gone?
YoungHouseLove says
He just hung out with some of his favorite relatives who house sat for us! He apparently had a blast and went on lots of long walks since we had some nice mild weather!
xo,
s
Amy says
I’ve only been married a bit over two years, but my hubby and I are so different and going away on vacation revealed to me another difference. He can’t leave anything un-done. I was packed and happy I’d gotten that done in time, when he announced we needed to do laundry, something I didn’t understand since I had all the clothes I wanted for the journey. lol. I wanted to go to sleep, and laundry meant around 2 extra hours of being awake, and folding clothes. Now I think more like him (and even wash and dry out the sink after doing dishes, per his instruction…does make a difference, even though I made fun of it beforehand since “there was just soapy water in there! It’s clean already!” haha).
We’re considering what kind of flooring would be good for our kitchen and dining room now that we’re going to have a baby and don’t want to keep carpet under our dining table.
The underlayment info was helpful, Thanks.
Steph Stimson says
We used the very same underlayment from LL under our 5″ rustic red oak Bellawood last summer and it has been incredible, does exactly what they said it would do (sound barrier and squeaky subfloor deterent). Those cork floors are GORGEOUS and cannot wait to see the finished product! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Yay! So happy to hear that!
xo,
s
Lee Smith says
IF YOU WERE HERE,
you’d see me putting the final shoe mould trim on my new bathroom floor.
I’m almost 60 yo, and this is day 9 of some kind of work related to my bathroom floor. Prepping the concrete took several days.
Your cork floors are great! Have wondered if they have a little “give” to them or do they feel hard underfoot.
I love YOUNG HOUSE LOVE.
Allison says
We recently installed our first “floating floor” from Ikea. And with 800 sq ft, it took much longer than I expected. It helped that we hadn’t moved into the house yet, so no need to worry about furniture in the way or getting dust everywhere. I plan to update the “house tour” page as soon as we get a little more settled in! Definitely NOT what it looks like now! http://mattandallisonkelly.blogspot.com/2011/12/were-floored.html
P.S. I just got my first mac and was wondering how you organize your photos. I heard iPhoto doesn’t allow albums within albums, which is a must for me. With my PC, i just put everything in folders/sub-folders on the desktop. Do you guys use a special program to organize on your hard drive?
YoungHouseLove says
We just use iphoto but do it very simply (we love that they stay in chronological order)- like a Family 2012 album that it all goes into (and then comes out for a photo book later). Each project gets a folder too, like cork floor, painting cabinets, etc. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Julie says
Three years ago I put down a floating vinyl tile floor in our kitchen and dining room (after ripping out the carpet on our first night in the house and expecting wood floors but instead getting original 1961 linoleum!) I wish I would have known the trick about cutting the door molding- now I want to do it all over!! I love the cork flooring – it looks beautiful!
Caroline says
Welcome home. The floors look great and are going to make a huge difference!
I have a question for you.We are in the beginning stages of a kitchen redo and I was hoping to pull up the linoleum and finish the hardwood but had never thought of asbestos being UNDER the floor. How did you find out you had asbestos liner under your vinyl?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
If you move something like a fridge or pantry and peek under the vinyl and see a black paper-looking liner (and have a house from the 50-70s) it’s most likely a liner paper they used with asbestos (which is really dangerous if torn/removed since it releases into the air). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kal says
Hooray!! SOOOO glad you guys are back. Thrilled to hear that the vacay was a success :) But, for realz, you guys are not allowed to leave. How else can we learn how to spray paint things we may be collecting (hoarding)? The floors are going to look incredible. Good luck finishing them up :)