Flooring 1-2-3

Well, let's just say that we hope that it will actually be flooring 1-2. We started to lay down the pre-finished birch hardwood flooring last weekend - during our 4-day house blitz and got about 1/4 completed. As most how-to books and magazines will tell you, the first line of planks take about 75% of the entire time you'll take laying the whole floor. With our out-of-plumb and crooked floors and walls, this was not an easy task - probably never is - but in our 130+ year old house - these variances are extreme.

It was nice to open the boxes (after moving them around the living room from various locations to make room for trim installation, painting etc. several times) and finally see the wood that would soon rest under our feet in the hall, living room and dining room. We bought the wood sometime in the late spring at Woodchuck Flooring - a place we found through the Holmes on Homes Web site. Anyway, they were helpful and we also purchased our cork floor from them - just the materials - Jamie installed it himself with some help from our friend Rick.

Some pics of the floors (jubliant Jamie exhalting over his newly installed cork floor in what would become the kitchen and birch in the hallway) and our buddy Rick during the demo (he's much better looking clean).

Looking forward to finishing the flooring this weekend (fingers crossed that it will indeed be the last time we'll need to rent a flooring nailer.)