The last 25% of the building process takes 50% of the time. I do not know if this is a hard, fast rule but it sure was proven out in our experience. The foundation and framing were done so quickly but the work needed to dress up that framework and make it livable took so much longer. At the time of this writing, the house is finished and we are living in it, but over the next several posts this blogger is going to recount the experiences we had in getting the house to the point where we could move in.
In the first week of November, in the midst of ongoing finish work, I placed an order for the oak flooring and trim and plywood material to build the kitchen cabinets. As I have already posted, the cabinets got built and installed but the task of laying down and finishing the plank flooring and door and window trim loomed large in our plans for the next several weeks. Our desire from the start was to use natural wood with a stained finish that would show off the grain of the oak. That process began with the acquisition of 5" wide plank oak flooring from Cline Lumber in Dalton, GA and 1" thick oak lumber that I would use for door and window trim. After that pile of wood arrived we began the chore of placing 2600 square feet of the planks in the house. One of the critical steps in the installation of a wood floor is to make sure the material is acclimated to the house before it is nailed down. The worst thing you can do is nail down material that is full of moisture because it going to dry, shrink and open up large gaps between the planks. We stacked all the wood in various rooms of the house so it could sit for a month before I started putting it down.
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| Some of the flooring stacked and waiting |
On the third week of December, I laid down the first plank and for the next two weeks, I spent every day walking from the chop saw station to each room as I cut and nailed down this beautiful wood. it was a tiring experience, but at the same time, so rewarding to see a finished floor spread from room to room.
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| First room to have flooring installed |
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| Den floor going down |
As I got used to the process of cutting and laying the floor, I learned what to do and what not to do in order to get the planks to fit tightly. As good as the quality of the wood was, it still was not perfect. Some planks were bowed and twisted and needed to be worked into place. If you think you can just "throw it down" and nail it in place, you will be grossly mistaken. The flooring is tongue and groove and is meant to fit together but some of these planks had a mind of their own and just did not want to fit together nicely.
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| Hall flooring |
One aspect of the flooring process that must be bought up is the necessity of having proper tools. I purchased a used pneumatic stapler and air compressor to nail down the floors. I already owned a power miter saw so I had all that is needed. The other necessary requisite is strength and stamina. If you have a problem with squatting, kneeling and getting on your knees, do not undertake a flooring project.
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| First room done! |
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| Dining room done! |
The week after Christmas, I laid down the last plank in the upstairs den. Before I finished nailing down the upstairs floors, I decided to go ahead and sand the floors downstairs. By this time, we were up against a tight time schedule and we had to think about all that needed to be done after the floors were finished. Thankfully, I had the able assistance of the most willing and capable family one could have. My mom, dad and son were indispensable in getting the floors sanded, stained and varnished.
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| Mom doing what she does best |
Each of these wonderful individuals was great at doing what they do best. My dad was tireless in the gopher department. I learned quickly in the whole building process that it takes a lot of time to pick up tools and materials. He never complained when he was asked to "go for" something. He picked up stain, varnish, sanding equipment and made a trip over to Dalton, GA with a load of lumber to get it planed for use as trim. My son spelled me in the floor sanding area at a time when my body was about to give out. After installing and sanding all the downstairs floors, I was ready for relief. Steven came and sanded the floors upstairs while I moved on to other tasks. And what can be said about my mom? There has never been a harder worker in the world! She was on her hands and knees staining and varnishing every inch of floors. Her desire to do it the old-fashioned way required that she brush and wipe every bit of material that went down. My family is great! I cannot say enough. Of course I had others help but they will be mentioned in another post.
Just days before our final inspection on January 25th, the last room was varnished and buffed. We had done the whole house in a little over four weeks. The results are exactly what we were wanting. We used a light stain that highlighted the grain of the oak and helped brighten the rooms. These floors look great, are solid and will certainly outlast anything else in this house. We are definitely glad we chose to install this material in our house.
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| Finished floor in den |
