Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Big Changes Ahead!

We moved into our house nineteen years ago this week.  (It's hard to believe that we've been here that long! ) The carpet that was here nineteen years ago (green shag - need I say more) is still here.  But not for long!  This Saturday we're ripping up the carpet in the living and dining rooms!  YAY!!!

Don't get me wrong - it's been a good carpet.  Obviously it was a good quality one since it was probably 10 years old when we moved in.  But it's waaaaay past it's prime.  Years of animals and kids have taken its toll and it is literally falling apart.

So when Della and I painted the living room trim over Mother's Day, we "accidentally" pulled up a piece over by the bay window.  Just to, you know, see what was under it.  Imagine our surprise when we saw that the floor was Southern Yellow Pine (according to the local lumber yard guy) cut into wide boards.  And in pretty good condition.  According to Greg (local lumber yard guy), Southern Yellow Pine is harder than oak and more expensive to replace.  Of course, this was just a small part of the floor we were looking at, but if the rest of the room looks this good then we're going to sand and refinish it and I'm going to have a "new" wood floor!  NO MORE CARPET!

Another thing we found (ahem) was mold.  Lots of mold on the back of the carpet from all the years of scrubbing the carpet to try and keep it clean.  It's no wonder DH and I have been sick with respiratory problems all winter long.  Our house is killing us! 

DH is not one to jump into any life-altering (expensive) decisions and he has been dragging his feet about this whole "let's rip up the carpet" thing.  But when I showed him the mold I think he understands how important it is to get this out of here. 

So, Saturday's the day.  Don't worry - there will be plenty of pictures.  Do you want to see what it looks like now?  OK:

IMGP1769

That's Elvis sitting in the living room.  And that's our carpet.  Pretty yucky, huh?  Not for long, baby.  Not for long!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sally,
A big hello to my little buddy Elvis! Wow, that would be awesome if you had a beautiful hardwood floor under all that carpet!! I can see a shopping spree for area rugs coming up! *grins* Still don't know for sure if I can sneak up for awhile on Saturday or not, but if I can swing it, I'll give you a call first!

Terri B. said...

Can't wait to see pictures of your wood floors! We've got the old oak floors and I can't imagine not having wood flooring.

Gin said...

I love your new header!! Cookies....ahhhhhh (can you tell I'm dieting??) hahaha

Elvis is adorable!

Sally said...

Glenda - Another hand would always be welcome. (Note to self: Get more beer! LOL)

Terri - I can hardly wait as well. I hope they are in fairly good condition all over. Won't know 'til we get it up. Wish me luck!

Ginni - Thanks! You've got to visit Mari's site (when she gets it back up). She's amazing!!

mari said...

Sally - Elvis is back in the building! He looks great!

I know what you mean about mold and carpets. I rented a steamer to clean the carpets in our old apartment and disregarded the instructions. I used too much water and then it took ages to dry. We got mold very quickly and I had to have a professional (at my own expense) come and clean it up. I, too, had respiratory problems and massive headaches from it, so, I was glad to move into a hardwood environment. Can't wait to see what the 'new' floors look like.

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Fabulous Sally! Can't wait to see the photos and better breathing!!
Elvis looking good!

Sally said...

Thanks Tanna. He's getting along as best he can. Can't wait for tomorrow!!!

Reenie said...

Hey Sally! I tried to leave a comment several days ago and it didn't *stick* :( Or maybe you didn't *approve it. :)))))

Anyway, the cookies and Elvis are adorable. Good luck with the re-dos. xoxo

Sally said...

Sorry about that Reenie! I was a few days behind getting my approvals done. You should be up now.

Anonymous said...

elvis is CUTE. :-))

Sally said...

Thanks RT! He is, isn't he? I have pictures of the new floor, but don't feel like writing about it right now. Soon (I hope).