Hardwood floors in the bedroom
February 24, 2014
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We are slowly moving this house over to hardwoods throughout – it started with a bum fridge that leaked all over our laminate floors years ago. Because of that insurance check we were able to pull out the carpet on the main floor and put in hardwoods throughout. We do finished on site wood and I explained why I love them and the pros and cons of hardwoods here. They do take longer to install than engineered floors, so there’s more patience needed. :)
We got a quote about a year ago to have them put in upstairs but it was more than we wanted to spend at the time, so we decided to break it up. We started with the master because the carpets were truly, truly gross. Four animals and ten years tend to do that.
On Friday they pulled the carpet and tact strips out and then laid the floor in a few hours:
We use white oak, three inch wide boards. Back when we had them put in downstairs I wanted wider planks but was warned against them with our Midwest climate (that sometimes changes 30 degrees in 24 hours) because of buckling. I quite love the three inch though – they are classic.
They use wood filler on the floor and then let that dry overnight.
The next day the meticulous sanding is done and then the first coat of stain goes down. Yesterday he came back and I’m pretty sure he buffs the floor again just a bit because that first coat of stain usually has some imperfections. Then the coat of poly goes on and by last night it was dry:
The poly doesn’t completely cure for a few days or even weeks but I may start moving a few things in later today. As long as you don’t drag items around it’s fine.
As always we went with the Jacobean stain by Minwax and a satin poly:
The satin poly makes my life SO much easier (instead of a glossy) – you don’t see foot prints on them at all. It makes a HUGE difference!
Our room is big, but it looks massive without any furniture! It makes me want to just put our bed back in and that’s it:
The floors will darken just a bit over time but this stain is a good color – not crazy dark but dark enough that it contrasts against the white trim. My very favorite thing. :)
So if I was a better planner and if I hadn’t been hit with the bug last week, I would have tried to do things like paint the walls in the room before the floors were installed and pull up the old baseboards as well. Our base is installed so dang well it makes me sweat and swear to get them out.
Now that the floors are in they are going to be even harder to get out:
So I have a ton of work to get this room back in order but I LOVE the floors! And I can’t wait for this to arrive tomorrow:
I hope it looks as good as I think it will! I got it 70 percent off last week and it looks like it’s 50 percent off right now!
So could you live with hardwoods in the bedroom? We’re not sure yet if we’ll do hard floors in the other bedrooms someday or just replace the carpet. After seeing what came out of our carpet the other day I’m leaning towards hardwoods. ;) It will be an adjustment to walk around on hard floors in there but I think the rug will help quite a bit (I’m planning on picking up some padding to put under it today.)
So far I’m happy with this change – I’ll let you know if I still love it in a few months! :)
I love your floors! We just put in similar floors in the master bedroom and it make s a huge difference. I can't wait to see your room reveal once you have it put back together. It will be beautiful!
ReplyDeleteLove love LOVE your new floors! Something I also want for my bedroom. Well, for the whole second story floor and no budget whatsoever :( Can't wait to see what you do to your walls and the base.
ReplyDeleteThis looks really great! I keep trying to convince my hubs to go for this but he thinks it will seem odd with the rest of the upstairs being carpeted... is the rest of your upstairs carpeted? I love this. Time to master my plan of getting him on board!
ReplyDeleteYes! We have three more rooms up there that are carpet right now. The loft area will be hardwood eventually but I think the mix is fine! :)
Deletewe have no carpet in our house. bedrooms are hardwood. we love it (except the wood is very dark and shows dirt and smudges easily). right now, we don't even have a rug in the boys' room (they're 2 and 4 and when they're sick, wood is SO much easier to clean :) ). i don't really like carpet, and i treat wood floors like any other floor (vacuum all the time with a brush attachment, and steam mop when needed). we have wood through the entire house (sans bathrooms) and we love it.
ReplyDeleteYour floors look amazing! I love the rug you chose too. Can't wait to see it all come together!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks fantastic! Oh, I wanted to get a rug during that 70% off sale, but anything I liked was out of stock in the size I wanted :( Will have to keep trying. Can't wait to see how the room looks once you have the rug and everything in there.
ReplyDeleteThese look incredible! The stain color is just perfect! :)
ReplyDeleteWe just bought the same rug (except in "ash") for our living room! It was delivered on Thursday and looks and feels phenomenal. You'll love it! Make sure to vacuum it often or else I heard it can start to shed. We vacuumed it really well before putting our furniture over it, and we've vacuumed every other day since then. Our rug has grey and black running through it and it's seriously so pretty. The kids (and dog) love sitting on it!
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm so glad to hear that, thank you! I just hope the creamy color isn't too yellow on this one. Dying to see it.
DeleteBeautiful! Your room looks huge now. I so want to go with hardwoods upstairs but we're having trouble getting over the cost of having everything done. One day I'm hoping my wish will come true.
ReplyDeleteWe put the 3 in hardwoods in our bedroom and LOVE them. I don't regret it for a minute! I too wanted the wide planks but with the extreme GA heat we were warned against that as well. I'd love for you to check out our bedroom. The floors make a huge difference!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.beforemeetsafterblog.com/2014/02/master-bedroom-update1-year-later.html
Gorgeous Sarah! I can see going all hardwoods with kids and pets especially. Just have to save up and do it one room at a time. Great to have a fluffy rug in there though, because hardwoods in the AM can be a little harsh. I just saw that rug at Bargains And Buyouts in Cincinnati on Friday! I'm not sure how big yours is compared to the one I saw though, but it was crazy cheap!
ReplyDeleteSoooo smart! we have bare boards in our bedrooms (200+ years because of the age of our cottage), OH is currently filling in the gaps with balsa wood and eventually we will paint them. I never miss carpet now and will not have it again. Like you, when you see what it looks like on the reverse when you take it up....... yuk! Looking forward, like everyone else, to seeing your room when you have finished it!
ReplyDeleteCan you share where you bought the rug? Would love to find it at 50% off!!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's from Rugs USA, I linked to it above the photo. :)
DeleteI have hardwoods throughout and we love it... just added a little faux sheepskin to either side of the bed for when we first step out in the morning :)
ReplyDeleteI hate hate hate carpet, so it's all hardwoods everywhere here (well... and tile too!). When you have a lot of pets, hardwoods are just SO MUCH EASIER. I don't spend my entire life vacuuming anymore. I do have a couple of small throw rugs, but those are easy enough to clean. Hardwoods are where it's at, and yours are gorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteYour floors turned out beautifully. I did that, too, in my last house. I spread it out into two installments. So expensive and really, where do you go with all of your furniture during the process?! Love the colors, too. I posted a before and after of my first floor wood floor instal a couple months ago as it was such a transformation. Only issue is that I have a separation between two pieces of wood now. No pain, no gain. Beautiful master bedroom!
ReplyDeleteLooks beautiful!! Can't wait to see it with the rug. We have hardwoods in our entire house except our basement. I love them - the ability to change out the rugs whenever I wish is a great feature for sure!
ReplyDeleteLooks great! I have the same rug in my master bedroom and i LOVE it, I'm sure you will too! I was a little apprehensive when ordering it, but it is soft and fluffy and really pulls everything together, getting it 70% off doesn't hurt either!
ReplyDeleteWe love the Children's Museum and the Indy zoo! (Especially the museum in this cold weather) Love the look of the floors- and your room does look huge!
ReplyDeleteYour floors look fabulous! I can't wait for ours to get installed tomorrow! I agree with you on the junk in the carpet~EW!
ReplyDeleteCindy
Gorgeous! Perfect stain choice. We originally had wood floors in our bedrooms, but I gave in and had carpet installed. They were so incredibly beautiful and I loved how it looked, but it would just get so cold in the winter and made getting out of bed even more miserable. We also live in a 114yr old house in Minnesota, so it gets COLD in the winter. I'm sure your house is significantly less drafty and you won't have nearly as much of a problem as we did!
ReplyDeleteLooks great! Curious question...do they only do one coat of stain and then poly?
ReplyDeleteI love the Jacobean stain! Best stain! Looks good! We have REAL hardwood floors in our home, and once we're done with our kitchen remodel we'll re-stain the floor. I love our hardwood floors. Best floor to ever have in your home.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is soo beautiful!
ReplyDeleteCould you talk about the dust & dirt this job caused?
Chrissy
Beautiful....love, love, love!! :)
ReplyDeleteAny idea why your blog posts end up as my posts on FAcebook....???
ReplyDeleteYour floors are absolutely beautiful. We have to have our floors refinished and I am having a hard time deciding on if we should go dark or not. Something has to be done after this winter and all the junk that came in on boots. Can't wait for spring.
ReplyDeleteThe floors look great! I didn't realize the stain you used was jacobean, but i'm so glad you did. We are thinking of using that color and it's nice to see how it looks in someone else's space. I love how it brings out the grain in the wood! Thanks for the tip about the satin poly! I had no idea it was better at hiding footprints! Great advice! We have hardwood floors in our bedrooms and love them.
ReplyDeleteI love your comments about Indy as I also live in Indy and enjoy blogging. Your floors are beautiful. We are thinking of replacing the carpet in our family room with hardwood floors, and so your comments about width of boards, stain color and finish are very helpful.
ReplyDeleteWe have the exact same stain color on our main floor in our house. I LOVE the color. So fun you have it too!
ReplyDeleteWoweee!!!! They look amaaaazing. We have hardwoods in our bedroom and I wouldn't have it any other way.
ReplyDeleteWe have hardwood floors in our master (downstairs - the kids's rooms upstairs have carpet). And I LOVE it. I like the color of yours better than ours - ours is a more maple/oak, yellow-ish. So it's pretty, but I really like the darker color. I hope someday to get rid of all the carpet in the house - too many kids and pets to manage that much carpet!
ReplyDeleteLove your new hardwoods!! They look a lot like what I have in my house. I have them throughout even the bedrooms and I've always loved it. Easy to keep clean and you can always put a rug down like you're doing (and I love the rug you picked out!) It all looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWill you wait to lay the pad and rug down in case it "sticks" or leaves some kind of mark on the fresh wood? Or is that not really an issue? Thanks. It's absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to have a house in which to do that.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!
ReplyDeleteGrew up with hardwoods in my bedroom and have had them in a house we lived in. Loved it as an adult! So easy to take care of, swiffer it every once in a while. I recently got a shark steam mop and I love it. The floors don't get soaking wet and most of the time water is all that is needed to keep them clean. I think you will love them! Love the satin finish,my kitchen tile is satin finish and it always looks clean!
ReplyDeleteCan you share what stain and color you used on your floors? It is a great stain btw--love it! looks great!
ReplyDeleteI have athsma and allergies, so I would LOVE to have hardwood throughout my house! We just got a new bed, and the carpet under the bed was so full of dust and hair it was beyond disgusting! I think I need one of those little robot vaccuum things so I can vaccuum under there every week! But anyway, my hubby has chronic foot pain from plantar fascitis and he swears he can't stand to walk on anything but carpet, so I keep suffereing through my allergies day in and day out. Maybe someday I'll complain enough to change his mind. :) I'll be pinning pictures of your floors just in case, cuz they look fabulous!
ReplyDeleteWe just installed hardwood in our master bedroom, which was the last room left that had carpet. I have 3 dogs, so the carpet was absolutely gross. The house smells better and just looks cleaner. We need to get an area rug though because our room is large and I think it needs to be warmed up a bit. Your new floor is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYour floors are gorgeous! I've never had hardwood floors but recently I found an amazing deal on them so we were able to purchase them earlier than we thought. I can't wait to install them! They make such a difference, don't they?:-)
ReplyDeleteThe floors are gorgeous! You chose such a good color!
ReplyDeleteI laugh every time I hear someone mention the stain color Jacobean. It ALWAYS makes me think of Will Ferrell's character in Zoolander -- Jacobim Mugatu. hahaha
ReplyDeleteSoooo pretty...we had our floors stained that color when we moved in, but changed to golden oak when we did a huge addition/ remodel. Miss that color as it is very forgiving mess wise! We love our hardwood bedrooms as we all have allergies. I have become a slipper gal, as a result, after never wearing them growing up. I'm going to check out the sister blog, too, don't think I won't tell her where her traffic is coming from! : )
ReplyDeleteI've been gradually doing the same thing...hardwood flooring each room. I have two left. I love them in my bedroom Sarah so I think you're going to love them in there! They look great!
ReplyDeleteHi, I was wondering if you know how often that rugs comes up for 70% off? And how do you like it in person?
ReplyDeleteYour floors are amazing!
I am not sure, but they do it for holidays. Black Friday weekend is usually 75 percent off. :) Thank you and I LOVE the rug in person. It's not white, it leans slightly creamy. Just a bit.
DeleteSarah, Lowe's has a tall baseboard that goes over your existing one so you don't have to rip it out. I'm going to use it in my bathroom that has tile butting up to it...it's not cheap but it's easy! ;)
ReplyDeleteUgh! OK, I thought I had heard of something like this but couldn't find it! You'll have to tell me where when I see you next!
DeleteHi! Discovered your blog a few weeks ago, and I just realized that I bought that same rug during the same sale! :) I was wondering if you have tried to clean it yet? I love it but after a few months of a dirty dog and walking on it with shoes, it is looking dingy. I have tried several different carpet/upholstery cleaners but nothing has worked! Just wondering if you had any experience with it.
ReplyDeleteHilary yes -- we had a chocolate milk spill and I was so scared it was ruined. I used my spotbot on it and it took it right out! Love that thing! I was afraid the strands were too long but it worked great!
DeleteI need your help Sarah. I have Brazilian cherry hardwood floors in all of the downstairs, stairs and second floor hallway. I want to put new hardwood floors in my 6 carpeted rooms upstairs. Should I put different hardwood floors in each room or should I put the same hardwood in all 6 rooms? From a good design point of view what do you think is the best idea? People have told me it's a bad idea to go with different floors in each room. I don't know though. What are your thoughts please? I don't want to go with the current Brazilian cherry in all 6 rooms because the current original Brazilian cherry floors are 14 years old and probably won't match up well. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI would definitely go with the same throughout if you can. It will make everything cohesive -- if you can't match exactly that's fine! Good luck!
DeleteCould you tell me what the wall color is? I love how it looks with the Jacobean floors!
ReplyDeleteIt's called tornado watch from Lowe's -- a great moody gray/green color.
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