It's been almost a month since I told you my plans for the dining/living room areas and guess what?
Change is coming so s-l-o-w-l-y, I'm getting scared this is not going to be ready for Christmas! :/
I know I'm a slow poke, but sometimes I even get mad at myself for taking so much time with certain projects. It's so hard to change.
In my defense, I have to admit I'm most of the time busy doing something, and I cannot keep my hands still. I worked really hard in the garden, removing the vegetable garden and creating a new flower bed. But, it's hard to see that work right now. Anyhoo, that took about two weeks of precious time I could have invested in the build-ins.
*This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
Last week I started working in these rooms, and first things first > Removing the tiny baseboards.
The guys who installed the hardwood floors told us it was fine to install the floor without removing the baseboards. Ha, how I wish I wouldn't listen to that advice.
Removing the baseboards was a pain because the floor was right there, blocking their way out. :(
Those nails that were driven at the lower part of the baseboards are kind of impossible to loosen up because of the floor.
I decided to tackle those suckers with power tools. My Ryobi Multitool was brought in with a metal blade and it was easy to cut those nails at the top and some of the lower ones when there was a bit more space between the floors and the baseboards.
And I could see progress.
But, there were some spots where those guys installed the floors so tight against the baseboards that the multitool was not even able to reach those lower nails. So, the reciprocating saw came to the rescue.
The baseboard came out in little pieces after all the struggle, but hey, it was done!
I went thru all that trouble because I had the tools and because of savings. But, there is an easy way to fix this problem if you don't want through all that struggle.
Removing the baseboards was a pain because the floor was right there, blocking their way out. :(
Those nails that were driven at the lower part of the baseboards are kind of impossible to loosen up because of the floor.
I decided to tackle those suckers with power tools. My Ryobi Multitool was brought in with a metal blade and it was easy to cut those nails at the top and some of the lower ones when there was a bit more space between the floors and the baseboards.
And I could see progress.
But, there were some spots where those guys installed the floors so tight against the baseboards that the multitool was not even able to reach those lower nails. So, the reciprocating saw came to the rescue.
The baseboard came out in little pieces after all the struggle, but hey, it was done!
I went thru all that trouble because I had the tools and because of savings. But, there is an easy way to fix this problem if you don't want through all that struggle.
There is this new type of baseboard that hides the little baseboard, so you don't need to remove it! I knew about it because my friend Marty did it right HERE in her bathroom. If you don't want to go thru that fight, go check her post, she has all the details about it.
Since I'm kind of replacing the baseboards on the entire first floor, that's not a cheap solution for me. I'm going to continue fighting those beasts. ;)
This was my progress last Friday - Baseboards gone, shelves removed, and the bases for the build-ins in place.
I dedicated a really good amount of time this past weekend to working on this project. But, I'm going to tell you about that in my next post.
Check the following links for all the work done in this room:
For more DIY Home projects check these out:
Yep, butterscotch oak flooring. Word of warning...DO NOT try to remove that stuff...you think the baseboards are bad, wait until you are trying to remove flooring that literally comes up in "splinters." After removing it from my entry, I don't find it near as offensive in my living room...lol! LOVE the progress!!! Keep us posted!
ReplyDeletehahah please don't even mention that butterscotch! :D As you can see, the finish is still great, but I'm not planning on changing that color any time soon. I'm looking for a new rug. ;)
DeleteRugs are good and can hide a multitude of eeks and oops! BTW, I found a small rug at Bed Bath and Beyond I loved so I checked with them at the desk and sure enough they could special order it in a larger size! LOVE!
DeleteYou go girl, this is going to be fabulous! And take your time, slow and steady wins the race.
ReplyDeleteThanks Julie! Well, I want to finish before the holidays arrive. I cannot stand all the mess in the main area of our home. :( I'll see how it goes.
DeleteOh wow, you are right, taking those baseboards out when they are under the flooring is totally a pain. It is looking good do far though. Thanks for the shout out.
ReplyDeleteOh Marty, thanks for posting about it! I was very tempted to go your easy way.
DeleteAnother BTW...when you install your new (preprimed and sanded) baseboards ON TOP of the flooring, set it on a piece of wax paper (or even brown)....paint and then just slip it out from under the baseboard before the paint dries. Soooo much easier than taping off floors!
ReplyDeleteI love this tip for painting the baseboards! I'm finally going to use a paint sprayer I won in an Instagram raffle. Gotta see how it works. I'm sure it's going to be faster than doing it with a paint brush.
DeleteI haven't found a rug design that I like. Worst case scenario, I'll use the one I had in there it's not that bad.
Enjoy your evening Beck!
You are my hero. I'd love to have some built ins. I'm so sorry that you had to work so hard to get the baseboards off. Terrible.
ReplyDeleteYour doing an awesome job. I hate when we start a project and we know it should so much easier than it is,
ReplyDeleteYou seriously amaze me with your awesome skillz!!
ReplyDeleteEstoy ansiosa por ver ese trabajo terminado ,, espero que tengas un bendecido comienzo de semana
ReplyDelete