Still didn't get to the hardwoods, perfecting the restoration first! (updates)

[Bungalocity]

It's a great combo of sage, chartreuse, fern, olive. Coulda been from the 30's!

UPDATE!!!!!! :

In the middle of the sanding! UNBELIEVABLY grueling work. My hands are swollen, my nose is caked and my body is sore beyond belief, it's awesome...

But I'm actually doing it.  I thought it was going to be a 1 day rental, I've extended it to a 3rd day now...then the orbital pad sander.

[littlealexa]

Looking good, and when you're done you can come over to my house and sand my stairs 

Keep up the good work, can't wait to see the finished product.

[Bungalocity]

My body feels like a truck hit me.  It has never hurt to sleep before!
But they're sanded.  tonight some loose end sanding, stairs, a few jambs I stripped and all day
Sunday CLEANING. Not a spec of dust can remain!
Monday stain...

[Bungalocity]

Staining is complete! 
Not the most even job in the world but once the rugs and furniture goes in hopefully
it will all blend in together.

Odor is tolerable, especially sleeping in the basement, but may have to move out for  a couple days during the
poly process.

For the record, anything you buy at the big box stores is pretty much pure crap.
Especially Varathane and Minwax. 
After joining a hardwood flooring forum I learned a lot, and the best brands are Bona, Syntex? & Dura Line.
I used the Bona Woodline lineup, quick-dri Special Walnut stain and it lays on sooo nice, it's oil modified.  You can wipe completely and it stays in the wood. and it's ready to walk on in 2 hours.

On to the Poly!

[Guy_on_Clinton]

looks great...   gonna look awesome when you get the baseboard, trim, and crown in there.....

[Bungalocity]

For those that have been watching this post......

[Berwyn Patsy]

Beautiful job, it makes one appreciate the real beauty hidden  in an old house.

[EC]

I see a nice opening at the former faux fireplace. Were you going to restor or put in a ventless fireplace?

[Bonster]

Let me guess:  you had relatives coming over and had to put the living room together.  lol...

j/k Great work!

love the lighting, particularly the dining rm chandelier and the mission-style floor lamp!

[MRS. NORTHSIDER]

Great job!  We painted our family room painted the same color as your dining room which is where we have our computer station - needless to say, I love that room.  My boss bought a home in a newer subdivision (they paid around 400K at that time) about 10 years ago and is having major remodeling done which includes having hardwood flooring and moulding installed on the majority of the first floor.  They certainly don't make em like they used to.  I would much rather live in a vintage home even with its imperfections.

[Bungalocity]

I see a nice opening at the former faux fireplace. Were you going to restor or put in a ventless fireplace?

It's one of three pieces too large for me to handle myself!  It's gotta be like at least 350lbs.
I wanted to block up the mantel in the back leveled up and all so as soon as I hard-wire the
globe and get some muscle in here it's going back!  Must be carried, not dragged!

[Bungalocity]

I see a nice opening at the former faux fireplace. Were you going to restor or put in a ventless fireplace?

BTW....

I actually popped each of the 20 beadboards from the back of the bookcases, stripped, sanded, stained and
oiled each one, plus got a 1x2 board to frame the back of each case so now it can hold my vintage family albums and shut the doors..

[Nazerac]

I see a nice opening at the former faux fireplace. Were you going to restor or put in a ventless fireplace?

BTW....

I actually popped each of the 20 beadboards from the back of the bookcases, stripped, sanded, stained and
oiled each one, plus got a 1x2 board to frame the back of each case so now it can hold my vintage family albums and shut the doors..

Oh man...I don't know whether to admire or pity your insanity.  Great job. 

Here I am thinking of sanding/staining a couple of my windows without totally taking them apart ... you are making me feel so inadequate!


Inadequately yours...

[Bungalocity]

I see a nice opening at the former faux fireplace. Were you going to restor or put in a ventless fireplace?

BTW....

I actually popped each of the 20 beadboards from the back of the bookcases, stripped, sanded, stained and
oiled each one, plus got a 1x2 board to frame the back of each case so now it can hold my vintage family albums and shut the doors..

Oh man...I don't know whether to admire or pity your insanity.  Great job. 

Here I am thinking of sanding/staining a couple of my windows without totally taking them apart ... you are making me feel so inadequate!


Inadequately yours...

Take em apart!  Pop the stops, pull the knots and lay em out on the bench.
That part only takes 5 minutes!

Someone once told me, regarding the motivation to working out:
All you have to do is show up and the rest is easy!  When have you ever gone
to the gym and just sat there?
And like exercise, you can then feed off the progress one little step at a time...

[Bonster]

Oh man...I don't know whether to admire or pity your insanity.  Great job. 

Here I am thinking of sanding/staining a couple of my windows without totally taking them apart ... you are making me feel so inadequate!


Inadequately yours...

Damn.  It takes a man to say it, Naz.

Glad you went first, +1!

[Bungalocity]

Let me guess:  you had relatives coming over and had to put the living room together.  lol...

j/k Great work!

love the lighting, particularly the dining rm chandelier and the mission-style floor lamp!

Haha nah, just the mental and physical hump of that floor project being done, once that was
finished everything becomes so easy now.

Don't know if I mentioned this but that chandelier is my ebay auction of the year...$106 + $20
worth of reproduction rayon cord...

[Bonster]

Take em apart!  Pop the stops, pull the knots and lay em out on the bench.
That part only takes 5 minutes!

Someone once told me, regarding the motivation to working out:
All you have to do is show up and the rest is easy!  When have you ever gone
to the gym and just sat there?
And like exercise, you can then feed off the progress one little step at a time...

True...when replacing my sashes I kept putting them off till the guy next door popped a stop for me... next thing you know I had every window out and the ol' lady's jaw hit the floor, LOL!

[Bungalocity]

Here's the shellaco cases when I took them apart. Simple construction, precise and brilliant

[Bonster]

How long did the poly take -application and dry time?  Did you have to leave the house for a bit?

[Bungalocity]

How long did the poly take -application and dry time?  Did you have to leave the house for a bit?

Hmmm let's see, here's a basic timeline of what i used, recommended times and costs etc...

- Floor finished up with 80 grit (doesn't matter if it's palm, Clark drum or edger wheel, has to be the same so
stain takes evenly. Sideways, circular, inline don't matter).
- While I tried several local hardware stores to remain nameless, their products along with the big box stores wound up being more expensive than professional brands!!!  Minwhacks is crap, along with Vara, Benmore etc. (names have been altered to avoid defamation lawsuits)
- I went with Bona Woodline Special Walnut stains $13 a qt., and I found one last 5gln bucket of Bona Oil-Mod poly, 450 VAC (the good-stuff now outlawed by environmental nazis).

Stain is oil-modified with driers and as the cans state, dries in 2 hours.
I waited until the next day to apply the poly. A friend used a 16" lambswool applicator to spread the stain and I was on my knees with a collection of towels and rags, one soaked to spread and following with a drier one, in circular motions.
The 'rougher' finest grit of 80 allows for aggressive wiping which helps keep it even.
The radiators, as you may have guessed, were a total bitch.

Poly: same type of lambswool applicator, fresh pad, and I used a bucket to pour on, and run back and forth.
The instructions state waiting 12 hours before walking on and sanding, I tried a drywall sander on a pole to rough up with 150 but that was starting to take off some of the stain! So I had to get on my knees with a sanding sponge.
Very very gently just to take out some surface bubbles and give the 2nd coat a chance to take.
The rule of thumb is, try a hidden spot and if it gums up it needs more time, if it dusts up, it's ready to sand.
It's very bone-dry in the house, the midwest, this time of year so everything dries quickly now.

Then 24 hours later I applied the 2nd coat.
Supposedly 24 hours to walk on comfortably, and I waited a week to start moving furniture back in,
and officially 2 weeks to cure.  I have a new kitten that has been using the floor as a launch pad
for her daily sprints, so this poly is so great it's impervious, at least to kitten claws.

It's important to vacuum between all coats and before all coats. same with tack rags. They're a PITA to handle but they will ensure all debris is gone.  The hardest thing to deal with was the plaster coming off the jambs and base out of nowhere!

As for leaving, I had always had in place a plastic drop taped to seal off the back of the house.
I slept in the basement with windows open, turned up the heat and crawled under the quilt and I was fine.
The dangerous period was the 24 hours. After that it was fine! I actually enjoy the smell of fresh poly floors, reminds me of my first apartment.....