Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Upside Down Kitchen Update

A finished floor, but ...
a dilemma and a change to get there.

Once the first coat of polyurethane was down, 
it darkened the floor as seen in the following photo:
Hindsight: I should have used more chalk paint.

This created a dilemma since the Polyurethane is oil-based and another layer of the chalk paint
would not have worked since it's water based and would pool up on the floor. 
I searched and searched for a solution with no results.
So I winged it and added half of a can of an oil based enamel paint
to the polyurethane. A complete guess on whether this would work or not.

I had no idea what this would do and was concerned it would ruin the floor,
or that I would create a toxic combination.
So I tested it under the area where the stove would eventually rest,
swathed in a face-mask and safety glasses.
(In spite my scientist hubby, the NVO, assuring me it would be OK.)

Whew!
Two coats of this concoction applied with a lambswool applicator 
and it worked perfectly.
And now the floor is done!!!
And we love it!

Seven days of curing the floor before the appliances can be moved back.
In the mean time, the NVO will put in new baseboards and
I will paint the baseboards, finish painting the cabinets
 (just white on white to polish them up a bit)
 and cleaning and organizing every nook and cranny that I have not hit yet. :-)

Then we will relax with a cup of tea in our new kitchen:
 And think about how fortunate we are to have the means, health and time
for this project and how well we work together.

This is the floor before:


And here it is now:
Updated and fresh
...once again for about $1.20 a square foot,
or $2.00 a square foot with a new sub-floor too.
Happy Homeowners! Happy Floor!

(More on rag rugs with link for pattern can be found here.)

12 comments:

  1. Just love your floor! and your heart rugs! We used to have a similar one in peach and teal that my mother in law crocheted, but somehow, over the years, its been misplaced or lost. About 12 years ago we moved to the state we live in now and I haven't seen the rug since the move. Thanks so much for the pattern link! :) Enjoy your new floors! They look great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ooooh I love your heart rugs, beautiful!!

    Lluisa xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. The floor looks great Astri and I love the rug, enjoy your relaxing cup of tea you both deserve it. :) xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello Astri, Your new floor looks fantastic. Congratulation on your new look. I absolutely LOVE your rag rug Heart.. Especially the one with yellow and green red and blue. I think I will try and give one a go for our new camper.. Have a fantastic week. Hug Judy

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congrats on finishing the floor Astri. It looks great.

    Linda

    ReplyDelete
  6. That looks wonderful - so bright and pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  7. It is fantastic and will be wonderful enjoying a cup of tea ♥

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your floor turned out great! And I am jumping over to the rug instructions. I must try that sometime. When we put in our baseboards, I painted them all before they were cut into the right lengths. Then we just had to go back and touch-up the nail holes and connections. Easier on the back and we did not mess up our beautiful floor. Now I am off to wax my ASCP tables. Have a good day. Job beautifully done! Linda@Wetcreek Blog

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, it looks wonderful! And the rug is the perfect finishing touch. So glad you figured out a solution (and didn't create any noxious fumes). :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your floors look great Astri! It will be wonderful when you have all the appliances and you can enjoy that cup of tea together. I love the rug.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, what an effort! But thankfully it worked, the floor looks great :D. Oh and the colorful hearts are soo pretty ♥
    Have a wonderful Sunday!
    Nata

    ReplyDelete