Saturday
Mar062010
I can barely type this…
Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 8:06AM
...because of the blisters.
I think I have about seven. Two of them started from gripping the steering wheel too tightly as I drove 1200 miles this week. The other five came from the manual labor I've been doing since arriving at the studio.
We did make it safely to Minnesota, thank goodness. More on that story another time. Today, a couple of studio updates. Still no internet or computer there, bear with me.
When we decided to take this 110 year old building, we knew it needed some TLC. But it turned out to be reconstructive surgery, not just a little pampering. In addition to the month of work put in by a team of contractors and family members, we've been working nonstop since arriving just to get one section of the Enchanted Forest in usable condition.
When we arrived, we found some beautiful paint colors. We didn't have much time to sit and stare, as there were trucks blocking the driving lane that needed unloading.
Cast your eyes onto the middle section of this floor:
Just to give you a better idea of what needed to be reconstructed:
This is not just an ugly, eyesore of a floor. This is practically unwalkable, certainly a safety hazard. 110 years ago, the people who built this building installed pine hardwoods. In the 1950s, someone thought it would be a good idea to install linoleum directly on top of the hardwoods. And then when people tired of the linoleum, they decided to staple plywood directly on top of the linoleum. And then they put lunchroom tiles. And then on top of that, carpet glue and carpet.
Someone then decided it would be interesting to rip up the carpet and see what was underneath. They took a couple of whacks at it with a scraper and a crowbar. They saw exactly how much back breaking work it would be to get all of the layers of floor off, and they just left it. I don't know who this person was. I would like to show them my blisters. And I'm sure the three other people who've been helping me would like them to spring for a massage for their backs and some salve for their hands.
In case this ever happens to you, here are the steps involved in removing 60 years of flooring.
1. Rip up carpet.
2. Pry off chunks of plywood subfloor with crowbar.
3. Scrape off layers of adhesive to make sure everything is nice and uneven.
4. Leave for two years.
5. Research what will remove all of this crap off your floor, discover that flooring adhesive in the 1950s was not nearly as water-soluble as what is made today, and that your best bet is to get the floor really wet with water and soap to soften everything.
6. Get down on your hands and knees.
7. Wonder why there is not a machine that will do this for you.
8. Use a 4" razor scraper to begin scraping the layers off the floor.
9. Realize that you're barely marring the surface with your industrial scraper, and that this will take a lot of time, a lot of elbow grease, and a lot of water.
10. Get more buckets of water and soap. Kneel back into the 1/4" of water standing on the floor that is now mixing with contractor grime and 60 year old adhesive and turning into a brown sludge. Scrape some more.
11. Squeegee off the floor periodically to get rid of the sludge. Shovel up garbage cans full of black goo.
12. Dump 900 more gallons of soap and water on the floor.
13. Cry quietly to yourself.
14. Muck around in the muck, scraping all the while.
15. Give up and just accept that your clothes and shoes will be dripping wet all day, and that they will stand up on their own when dry.
16. Take pain killers for your knees, neck and back.
17. Scrape.
18. Scrape.
19. Scrape.
20. Enjoy some of your handiwork.
21. Go back tomorrow and do it again.
22. Go back the next day and do it again.
23. Post some pictures on your blog so that people know you aren't dead and that you still care about them.
24. Thank God for the independent coffee house that's 1/2 block from the studio where they already know your name. Otherwise, you probably would've fallen into a deep coma right there in the brown muck.
25. Thank God for all the people willing to help with steps 6-22.
I think I have about seven. Two of them started from gripping the steering wheel too tightly as I drove 1200 miles this week. The other five came from the manual labor I've been doing since arriving at the studio.
We did make it safely to Minnesota, thank goodness. More on that story another time. Today, a couple of studio updates. Still no internet or computer there, bear with me.
When we decided to take this 110 year old building, we knew it needed some TLC. But it turned out to be reconstructive surgery, not just a little pampering. In addition to the month of work put in by a team of contractors and family members, we've been working nonstop since arriving just to get one section of the Enchanted Forest in usable condition.
When we arrived, we found some beautiful paint colors. We didn't have much time to sit and stare, as there were trucks blocking the driving lane that needed unloading.
Cast your eyes onto the middle section of this floor:
Just to give you a better idea of what needed to be reconstructed:
This is not just an ugly, eyesore of a floor. This is practically unwalkable, certainly a safety hazard. 110 years ago, the people who built this building installed pine hardwoods. In the 1950s, someone thought it would be a good idea to install linoleum directly on top of the hardwoods. And then when people tired of the linoleum, they decided to staple plywood directly on top of the linoleum. And then they put lunchroom tiles. And then on top of that, carpet glue and carpet.
Someone then decided it would be interesting to rip up the carpet and see what was underneath. They took a couple of whacks at it with a scraper and a crowbar. They saw exactly how much back breaking work it would be to get all of the layers of floor off, and they just left it. I don't know who this person was. I would like to show them my blisters. And I'm sure the three other people who've been helping me would like them to spring for a massage for their backs and some salve for their hands.
In case this ever happens to you, here are the steps involved in removing 60 years of flooring.
1. Rip up carpet.
2. Pry off chunks of plywood subfloor with crowbar.
3. Scrape off layers of adhesive to make sure everything is nice and uneven.
4. Leave for two years.
5. Research what will remove all of this crap off your floor, discover that flooring adhesive in the 1950s was not nearly as water-soluble as what is made today, and that your best bet is to get the floor really wet with water and soap to soften everything.
6. Get down on your hands and knees.
7. Wonder why there is not a machine that will do this for you.
8. Use a 4" razor scraper to begin scraping the layers off the floor.
9. Realize that you're barely marring the surface with your industrial scraper, and that this will take a lot of time, a lot of elbow grease, and a lot of water.
10. Get more buckets of water and soap. Kneel back into the 1/4" of water standing on the floor that is now mixing with contractor grime and 60 year old adhesive and turning into a brown sludge. Scrape some more.
11. Squeegee off the floor periodically to get rid of the sludge. Shovel up garbage cans full of black goo.
12. Dump 900 more gallons of soap and water on the floor.
13. Cry quietly to yourself.
14. Muck around in the muck, scraping all the while.
15. Give up and just accept that your clothes and shoes will be dripping wet all day, and that they will stand up on their own when dry.
16. Take pain killers for your knees, neck and back.
17. Scrape.
18. Scrape.
19. Scrape.
20. Enjoy some of your handiwork.
21. Go back tomorrow and do it again.
22. Go back the next day and do it again.
23. Post some pictures on your blog so that people know you aren't dead and that you still care about them.
24. Thank God for the independent coffee house that's 1/2 block from the studio where they already know your name. Otherwise, you probably would've fallen into a deep coma right there in the brown muck.
25. Thank God for all the people willing to help with steps 6-22.
in Chit Chat
Chit Chat 
Reader Comments (38)
The original floor is incredible! It will be worth the suffering in the end, for sure. Glad your rip is over. May you settle in quickly and love your new home!
wow... you are one braaaaave woman! i would have seen the mess and found a way to cover it back up! refinishing hardwood floor that were just covered with carpet (and pad) held down with a bit of adhesive and a few staples is no fun, i can't even imagine the amount of work and pain going into finishing your floors! (wait, yes i can, i just read your post!) they will look beautiful when they are done, though, and you will be so proud of yourself every time you walk across the room!
OMG! I'm so glad you have help and support. That is so much work, but it looks worth it. That original flooring is beautiful.
BIG hugs!
Wow Sharon, those are beautiful for what it's worth and quite a memory working with your friends and family. Glad you arrived safely, your studio is looking beautiful.
Been there, done that, totally sympathise!! But oh, look at that beautiful floor! :-) You should be very proud. Imagine all of those gorgeous skeins of edible yarn that will be produced on those floors.
Oh, man, what a job!!!! Those floors are going to be worth it, though!!
My husband and I just stained the concrete in our living room. Never in my life have I ever done so much manual labor. During the process I swore I would NEVER do this again or if we did do it again, I will hire someone to take off the crap. It's hard work, but in the end, it really is worth it. LOVE the paint you chose for the walls!!! Looking forward to seeing the final product of the floors.
Wow! You've been doing a ton of work, and the studio looks like it's going to be really gorgeous. I'm excited that there's going to be something so pretty in downtown Duluth!
HOLY SHIZ! It's going to be so unbelievable when you are finished. I am so happy for you!
Our floors were icky on top of pine too, but they turned out really nice, those already look lovely!
Nice lights too btw ;)
When we removed the flooring in our house we dealt with about 5 layers..ended up cutting through with a saw right to the floor joists and starting over. There were blisters, swear words and liquor..
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