Have you ever had one of those days when you look at a room and you just LOATHE everything about it? I did and I was called to action!
We had a dog, dear Chewie, who in his old age, decided that the front room (i.e., the music room) was his personal bathroom. I’ll spare you the details, but this was a constant problem we had dealt with for years. One day, as “scents” wafted into the family room, I snapped, walked into the front room and started ripping out the pee stained carpet! My husband actually quickly joined my carpet removal frenzy. We were like brides at a Kleinfield’s sale…SCARY! It felt so good to purge the home of that carpet, but now I was left with ugly subfloors!
So I did what every normal person does when they are faced with an ugly challenge… I painted the walls! Not what you thought was it? Surely new wall color will distract anyone from the ugly subfloor. Right? The walls were a rich crimson red, but it felt formal and no one wanted to spend any time in the room. Soft, serene Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams washed away the red. The room instantly felt fresh and new, except for those floors. (sigh)
I pulled the furniture into the foyer, minus the baby grand, and gave the subfloors a good thick coat of KILZ primer. It blocked out all the dog scents that were soaked into the wood. Uck. KILZ works great though! Isn’t the Sea Salt blue beautiful?
Replacing the flooring with carpet was not what we were interested in doing. We wanted hard wood. Two-thirds of our lower level is already hard wood. But a battle started brewing between my husband and I about the subject and cost. I’ll get to that in a minute. As a temporary fix, we decided to paint the subfloors a rich chocolate brown.
Note: painting subfloors is only a temporary solution. I’m also a Realtor and in our state (VA) a subfloor has to have an additional covering over it to be considered a finished space by appraisers. An appraiser could deduct the unfinished square footage, lowering your homes’ value, or also the bank could refuse financing. So before you decide to rip out all our carpet and live with painted subfloors, please look into the real estate laws in your area. You don’t want any surprises at resale!
I adore dark floors! Our previous home was a 1949 Cape Cod and had beautiful dark floors. This new home has butterscotch stained red oak. I hate butterscotch. I don’t like the taste or the look! It’s orange hue is unappealing to me. My brilliant thought was to paint the subfloor dark to show my husband how beautiful dark floors could be in our ENTIRE home, like my beautiful friend Megan has.
Hint-Hint- “Hun…. can we refinish the entire downstairs flooring?”
His answer was a profoundly strong “NO. We can’t afford it and we don’t need it.” I don’t like to be told NO, I never have. In fact, I have a huge problem being told what to do in any respect. It’s safe to say I’m a control freak who likes it my way. So here we contemplate the word contentment.
CONTENTMENT
Contentment: a state of happiness and satisfaction.
Many of us struggle with contentment. We peruse the lovely pins on Pinterest, the images on blogs and magazines, and the seeds of desire start to sprout in our heart and minds. We want more! Being a home blogger certainly does not help mastering contentment!
I had to make a shift in my thinking.
Instead of being bitter towards my husband for what he wouldn’t allow me to do and purchase, I focused on the facts:
1) I DO have hardwood flooring and I should be grateful for that (even though it’s ugly butterscotch).
2) I am blessed beyond words and need to be thankful for all that I do have.
3) I need to model contentment and joy for my children and be less self centered.
We do have enough in savings to add hard wood to the music room and have purchased matching, prefinished flooring which we’ll install soon. Yes, it’s butterscotch, but I’m trying to be content with it. Someday I’ll have dark floors, but until then I’ll make the most of what I have and be happy with it!
Do you struggle with contentment? How do you deal with it?
Kim
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This made me laugh:
“We were like brides at a Kleinfield’s sale…SCARY!”
I love the temporary solution of painting your floors! The real estate rules kind of surprise me. What do they think of old homes in which the subfloor WAS the floor? The home I grew up in had nothing but wide finished and varnished hardwood planks on the joists.
If it makes you feel any better about your butterscotch floor… we DO have dark wood all the way through our home (it’s bamboo) and some days, I absolutely hate it. It’s SO hard to keep looking nice because every speck of dust and dirty puppy footprint glares off it. Lighter colour floors take way less cleaning!
Thank you Nette! To answer your question: It really has more to do with what banks require for a home to qualify for financing. The square footage of a home being considered for financing has to be “finished and heated space”. A sub floor is lower, not sealed from the crawl space and therefore subject to pests, moisture, and possible vapors that can enter the home from beneath the sub floor. That is why the banks require a second covering (at least in VA). Most of the oldest homes around here have 2 layers of planks, and I haven’t come across what you’ve described yet, so I’m not sure how to answer that. 🙂
Nette, yes, I agree! Kim has already heard my complaints about our dark floors. Love them, but they are a LOT of work! Of course… when the kids get older, they will be nicer looking and I can lump sweeping into their chores. 🙂
I think the floors look fantastic…just right to live with until you can have the flooring of your dreams!
xo,
Jane
Thank you Jane!
I think it is o smart of you to stop and take stock. It is too easy to get carried away with not being happy with what you have. Several years ago, I stopped looking at magazines and watching HGTV. I was getting too wrapped up in what I did not have and could not afford. I decided to be happy with what I did have, and what I could afford. I had to make an effort to change my thinking and it’s one of the best things I ever did. I am purposeful in being thankful everyday now. For simple things like running water, heat, health, etc… I still like to do projects and make improvements but I think I have a reasonable expectation on what is realistic for my home, family and our budget. Thanks for sharing in your post. I am sure the new flooring will be beautiful!
(PS-I don’t like to be told what to do either.lol)
I so agree! I know it’s my love of beautiful things that spurred my desire to recreate them on a budget I could afford. Keeping it all in perspective and balance is a discipline I’m trying to work at.
It looks great to me Kim! I did, but I taught myself a lesson. I bought an expensive bedroom suite, long story. Even though I love it, I look at it and know why I bought it and it makes me not want to purchase things because I’m discontent. I’ve learned my lesson and hope that I don’t get caught up in it again 🙂
Debbie
Thank you for sharing that Debbie!
i too struggle with contentment with my house. My house is 35 years old and when we moved in it looked every day that age. Slowly but surely, we have been fixing it up. All rooms have been done once and some twice. I realized last year that I am lucky to have this house and while it’s not perfect, no house is.
I think taking small steps…..listing the projects you want to work on and ticking them off when you can. Just this past weekend I ticked off one thing that has been bothering me for a bit….
I understand the old house issues. Our tiny Cape Cod was charming but there was also a “to-do” list a mile long with maintaining an older home. I agree with you, baby steps… tackle one small project at a time, and one day you’ll turn around and be amazed at all that you’ve accomplished! 🙂
I totally understand this discontentment. We moved to a beautiful home on 10 acres about 10 months ago. Slowly i’m getting it how i want it. but then i see other lovely ideas on blogs and wonder/discontentment sets in. I think we have to learn to be grateful for the what we have.
Jane
Ten acres would be AMAZING! I can just imagine how lovely your home is in that beautiful setting. Thanks for sharing.
I love your post today. It is a lesson we all need to be reminded of – we ARE blessed in many ways!! I understand how you feel. We moved into a new house that was a “spec” home – no options available to us – and we have yet to paint over the builder’s flat off-white walls. My husband is not ready to take the time to paint them. And since they are not stark white, I have to be content for the time being. Have fun installing your floors!
~Lacey
http://www.handstampedbylacey.typepad.com
Thanks for sharing that with us Lacey! I’ve learned over 19 years of marriage that I had to accomplish many of these home projects solo. He’s slowly joined in the decor-fun! Painting walls is really one of the easiest, least expensive ways to completely transform a room. If he’s willing to let you buy the paint then I say GO FOR IT Girl! 🙂
You’re so right, Kim — as home bloggers, we’ve got beautiful spaces in front of our faces 24/7. Since my budget is ALWAYS tight for redecorating projects, I just concentrate on how I can get looks for less and then count my blessings. And bide my time. 🙂 Someday…
Love it when we can get the look we want for less! And definitely realizing our blessings throughout it all is a great focus to have! Thanks Heidi!
You’re so right, Kim — as home bloggers, we’ve got beautiful spaces in front of our faces 24/7. Since my budget is ALWAYS tight for redecorating projects, I just concentrate on how I can get looks for less and then count my blessings. And bide my time. 🙂 Someday…
brides at a Kleinfield’s sale… snort!
I love your temporary solution! (And I don’t know anybody who likes to be told no.) Would it make you feel better to know that the darker the floor, the more it shows the dog fur…?
I do struggle with contentment, especially seeing big beautiful homes in blog land. We live in a very expensive neighborhood. (Really safe, big trees, some of the best public schools in the state) A 50 year old house (stock, with virtually no upgrades)will run you upwards of $700K These homes are approximately 1,800 square feet, and we measure our yards in square feet as well. We are a family of 6. In 1,850 square feet of living space. We are stuck here due to work and family stuff.
I see bloggers homes in NC, UT, TX, VA, etc and instead of being grateful for what we do have, I get mad about how little our CA dollars get us. If only we could live in another state: for the price of our tiny little home, we could get a 5 or 6 bedroom house with a big kitchen, a big porch, a big laundry room, acreage…. and then I try to remind myself that God wants me here right now, and has given me everything I have and I don’t deserve any of it. That helps to re-calibrate my thinking quite a bit when I realize I’m being a whiner.
Oh wow Viv, I didn’t realize there were 6 of you also! I understand the cramped space feeling all to well. Our old Cape Cod was the same size as your home and there’s 6 of us too. We had to make the most of every square inch and learn to live with less, really because MORE wouldn’t fit! And you do have to go where God leads your family, I know that for sure. You have a wonderful perspective on dealing with contentment. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. 🙂
We had a cancer-ridden dog that leaked… and I, too, flipped one day and got a utility knife and cut that stuff out… well, all around the path he’d walk — IN OUR MASTER BEDROOM!!!! LOL…. we just recently got it replaced…lived with it for about a year.
Yah, I’d rip it out too, especially if it was in my master!
Phil 4 11-13
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
It bought me a few years of contentment before we bought a new house! 🙂
That’s always a good verse to meditate upon to help pluck out the weeds of desire. Thanks Michelle.
What is it with men and their lack of vision for DARK wood floors?? Our house has two HUGE adjoining rooms (actually both dens – awkward) and when we bought it, they were covered in very expensive white carpet, and our dogs “Chewied” all over those rooms. When we could finally afford new flooring, it took me forever to convince my husband to go with dark, wide plank wood. He finally agreed, and they look FABULOUS. Best part of my house, honestly. Also, THANK YOU for showing off the Sea Salt paint color – I am stuck for a blue I like in my kitchen, and I am going to find a test pot of Sea Salt immediately. OK, after work. Can’t wait to see the room!
I just came subscribed to your blog and I’m so glad I started reading your heart speak after looking at you beach diy’s. I know I’m not the only one that whines but it was nice to see someone that loves their husband also goes through the same disagreements I do with mine. I guess it is a good thing he keeps some things in line even though it takes me a bit to keep things in prospective. We live in Alaska and have built out house out of pocket and the kids are grown, 22 and 26 both moved out when they graduated—missed them like crazy but more extra money to go into the house and also do upgrades. I can thank my wonderful husband. We now have a beautiful 2200 sq ft.home on 4 1/2 acres that is fully paid for. A 950 sq ft. cabin on 10 acres miles away that we built and rent out..We have several vehicles all paid for also a 2011 4dr, eco boost ford truck owing only $6500.00. Paying as we go and when we get bonuses it goes towards it. Many times I wanted money to go for something else then weighed it out with him and seen where we are getting ahead. We still can do yearly vacations and now are looking forward to doing more trips. I am only 51 but I know when I was 35-40, 50 sounded old, sometimes still does. LOL!! I realize now he DID have a goal. It is soooo hard at times to go along with no and I know sometimes I didn’t give in and it took us back a bit but got my senses and kicked myself in gear. Even now I find myself wanting to change something I did 6 months ago. I like sooo many different things. Love my husband for putting up with me. but I do put up with some of his fun stuff too. LOL!!! Just wanted to tell you I enjoyed your blog.. Thanks again!!!
Ps I’m not meaning to sound like I’m bragging I guess there was a method to his madness now my oldest daughter has even invested in the Dave Ramsey program and is on her way wisely.
Hi, I love your flooring project. I bought my house 3 years ago and I am finding out that the previous owners did not lay any underlayment prior to laying down the floors. So its sitting on slab…and it makes downstairs extremely cold in the winter, therefore, I am planning on replacing the flooring and I love how yours look. Can you please indicate what color is the Bruce flooring? My walls are grey on the upper part and I have trim and shadow boxes in the bottom. I too love dark floors. Great job!!! Thank you for sharing your project.
Jess
Hi Jessica,
Thanks so much. Here is the post about installing the hardwood floors http://www.sandandsisal.com/2012/08/installing-hardwood-floors.html
I was wondering if you contemplated (at least once) about using one of those rollers that make a wood pattern? I need to put plywood on the old hardwood flooring (really a subfloor but that is what the original owners called a floor) at our Bay house. I want to paint the plywood flooring until we can afford and decide what to put on top of the plywood. I haven’t seen any examples with the wood look roller thingy though. Still looking.
Hi Kathy, No I’ve never used one of those woodgrain tools. I haven’t seen one on a paint roller either. Brittany from Pretty Handy Girl did a faux wood finish on a tabletop but I can’t imagine doing it on an entire floor. That would be a huge project.
KathyJB I found this link while trying to decide how to temporarily paint my subfloors, as I too just ripped out my gross stained carpet that I could not handle anymore. (At 9:30 PM when I got home from work)
Kim I hope you don’t mind me posting a link to another blog. Sand & Sisal is still my fave!
http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2014/02/diy-plywood-plank-floors/