What we did today.
House preparations continue, and in an attempt to get as much out of this place as we possibly can, we’ve decided to do some of the major projects that we’d been putting off, like tearing out the kids’ grungy old carpet and replacing it with laminate flooring. It looks so bright and clean now that we’re wondering why it’s taken selling our house to make us finally do it.
We were hoping to also tear out the old vinyl in the kitchen and restore the oak floors that are underneath, but once my husband started lifting the floor underneath the stove, we realized that there are two layers of old asbestos linoleum tiles glued onto the wood. The asbestos in the tiles is bad enough, but apparently the glue they used to stick them down has asbestos in it too, so sanding it off is not an option. We’re not sure what we’re going to do instead, but we’re thinking about pulling up the vinyl and laying ceramic tiles over top. Why are renovations in an old house never straight forward??
The floor looks fabulous! You’re going to be sorry that you’re leaving that little house…even if you are going on to something far more exciting. If you’re anything like me, probably you’ve been hesitant on some of those jobs because you know that one simple reno in an old house usually ends up being three complex jobs (just like your kitchen floor).
Carla – Thanks! I forgot to mention that those are the bedroom walls you helped paint.
It is going to be hard to leave when everything is looking great, especially once the garden gets going.
Oh well, lots to look forward to!
My sister is getting their house ready to sell and the more they get those projects done, the more they like their house. (:
we had the same floor issue. to remove the glue safely we did the following: soak old bath towels (thrift store stock up) in the hottest h2o possible and lay them over the glue. allow to soak for a few hours. then you go in a scrape up the ‘mud’ and dispose. i will not lie to you, this work absolutely sucked and some times took a few ‘soakings’ to remove it all. adam did a section at a time because it was so time consuming. the trick is to keep the asbestos contained and turning it into a muddy substance is how you keep it from floating through the air. in the end it was worth it for us but definately tops the list being the most time consuming, labor intensive, and simply gross home improvement project to date. good luck to you.
Your floor looks great!Good luck to you.IΒ΄m already excited what for pictures from you we can see as next.ItΒ΄s always interesting to see.
Chelee – I’m starting to feel that way too! At least we’ll get to enjoy it for a few months.
Heather – That sounds like a grueling job! Unfortunately (or should I say thankfully), we don’t have enough time left for a project of that magnitude.
Steffi – Thank you, I will share more of our projects as we get them done!
We have done projects just to help sell the house before too. We always loved the way it looked after and wondered why we didn’t do it before BUT we have never regretted moving and I know you won’t either. Especially since it will be to land when you are in the city now. The next house will be better since you will be more experienced and have an even better idea of what you want it to be or look like.
Tile I agree is best but I have seen where people paint their old linoleum/vinyl and clear coat it. Looks really good and is quick and cheap. Just the thing for selling a house. I don’t know how it holds up but remember this: a lot of people rip out what others have done so they can put in what they like. Remember: keep it cheap—they may tear it out after you leave.
Good luck and don’t stress π
Monica
Monica – Well, we went ahead and tiled it. It looks great, so I hope it won’t just get ripped out. It feels so much more finished than just covering up the old stuff with paint or something. Hopefully it was money well spent!