Our foyer project turned into many projects along the way. Living in an old home you realize that other things need to be address once you get started. It all began when I refinished our English Tudor front door and then moved onto painting our staircase.
(Before Tile Entry)
The ceramic tile in the entryway was old and cracked.
I knew it was not original to our home.
I wanted to get rid of it in the worst way.
Do you see the wood threshold? Not a great place to have one.
I spent many years tripping on it!
I could not put a carpet runner there because of the threshold.
The ceramic tile made the area look even smaller than it was.
I wanted to elongate the floor and make it look like it did
100 years ago.
Here is where the fun begins.
It was time to remove the ceramic tile.
What a mess that turned out to be!
We discovered more flooring under the tile and metal lath. Ugh!!!
We were in luck! My husband's friend Jack had a floor sander.
Our red oak wood floor sanded really nice except for the dark water lines left behind from the linoleum tile. Water must have seeped in around each tile. I was feeling quite sad at this point :(
The good news was the wood threshold was removed!!! This area was a lot of work. There was a lot of water damage here too.
It took us another week to get rid of most of the water stain lines. We had to be so careful and to only sand a little bit at a time.
We were finally seeing progress and feeling hopeful that my idea to take up the ceramic tile was a good one. lol
I was sweating bullets beforehand.
Not bad at all was what I was thinking! I then filled in areas around the molding with wood filler...
...and my husband sanded the floor one last time. Ya!
Even with the shop vacuum there was dust everywhere!
Stay Tuned for Part Two of Our Entryway!
Thanks for stopping by :)
(Before Tile Entry)
I knew it was not original to our home.
I wanted to get rid of it in the worst way.
Do you see the wood threshold? Not a great place to have one.
I spent many years tripping on it!
I could not put a carpet runner there because of the threshold.
The ceramic tile made the area look even smaller than it was.
I wanted to elongate the floor and make it look like it did
100 years ago.
(Before Picture)
It was time to remove the ceramic tile.
What a mess that turned out to be!
Old linoleum tile was underneath the ceramic tile. Oh good grief I first thought. Then I started to think that might have been a good thing. The red oak wood floor was looking pretty good underneath all the tile.
It took me forever to get all the glue off the wood floor that was underneath the linoleum tile. It was so thick and sticky. I used a lot of orange cleaners. It did make the house smell quite nice.
Our red oak wood floor sanded really nice except for the dark water lines left behind from the linoleum tile. Water must have seeped in around each tile. I was feeling quite sad at this point :(
I was sweating bullets beforehand.
Even with the shop vacuum there was dust everywhere!
Stay Tuned for Part Two of Our Entryway!
Thanks for stopping by :)
XO,
Dee
29 comments:
What luck to find that wood floor underneath everything, Dee! I can never understand how people could cover up wood floors like that.
it looks wonderful and what a wonderful surprise to find that original floor, they just don't make them like that anymore!
Dee your entry way is going to be fantastic. I have always LOVED your door, so much!
Going to look great. And that door...I love.
Very fortunate that they left the flooring there for you. You should warn folks that they should have the linoleum tested for asbestos before removing it themselves. There are testing kits available for about $10. I can't wait to see the finished floor, I am sure it will look stunning and worth all your hard work. ~Diane
A lot of hard work but it will pay off in the end. Love how it extends the space and "just flows" now.
You've given me hope for what lies underneath the laminate flooring in my living & dining rooms... hope there's no glue!!!
What a huge job!!! But I know it's going to look beautiful at your next reveal, and I'm sure in the end, you'll be glad you started pulling up the first layer of tile.
Mary Alice
Oh Dee, I can only imagine the work involved because I know the pain of trying to do anything that should be simple in an older home.
I can't wait to see the entry all finished!
Hi Dee,
I can't wait to see your completed entryway. You have tackled quite a job.
Dearest Dee,
Oh, there are endless surprises in a home but this little room was literally FULL of them. What a joy to find under all that mess a red oak floor! Sure, with lots of work, hours of work done by both of you (thus no billing...) it turned out the way it did and the end result will be just great. So glad you're done with it. We're still working, at least Pieter is, on our water control. Hope to finish that by the end of the month. It is outdoors around the house but oh the mess, muddy and sandy... I have given up cleaning; you know a thing or two about that too. We have to bite the dust and once its all done we can attack the house and clean up. No problem with that!
Hugs,
Mariette
Dee...what an amazing job you did on that foyer. It really looks like a labor of love. My very first (and tiny) house used to be a tool shed on a 100 year old farm. And I remember very well removing layers and layers of tile and linoleum from a small bathroom! How lucky that there was hard wood beneath for you and I look forward to seeing how it all turns out! : )
Sweating bullets is never good! I hate digging into old stuff because you never know what you'll find or how much it's going to cost. In your case though, you found buried treasure! That wood is beautiful and I'll be looking forward to part 2!
Looking good so far! Waiting for part 2. :-)
Mo
Thanks for stopping by and your sweet comment Dee.
Your entry way is looking great! Can't wait to see the finished work.
You must be feeling better! :) Wow, this is an amazing project! I love the new look! The joys of an older home- it's like opening a package, always a surprise! Multiple layers of flooring; Whew! Dee, I love the change and I think your efforts are paying off well!
We too live in an older home and I don't get what people are thinking. We had Berber carpeting in every room in the house - including the bathroom. We started with the dining room and found linoleum beneath the carpeting. But, then we found our oak floors beneath.
I can't wait to see your finished floor.
Glad you won't be tripping.
I need to do the same thing. You make it look so easy :) Can't wait to see the final product! -Bev
What a blessing to find the original wood floors under there, though I don't suppose it seemed like a blessing while you were working on them. :) I adore your door, by the way!
To be continued!!!! What, you had me hanging on every word! What a great surprise and now you can get rid of the threshold...This is going to look gorgeous...I can't wait!
Carol
Well, it looks like the wood is in pretty good shape underneath. Great news~ and I know you will be so happy when this project is behind you. I always trip on thresholds….always….
I'm loving how good it's looking already! I would've wanted to change it too. I don't like a lot of different flooring on the same level.
Amazing. Love the original floors. Ours were all covered up by layers of floors and carpet
It's looking great already! You must be thrilled! Don't you just love how a simple project can get all crazy? At least you look like you are in the homestretch. Keep us posted!
-Shelley
And then there was wood!
Oh my! That really looks gorgeous now! And at least it wasn't removed before the other flooring was put in. You're going to love this so much more. What a pretty entry. Sweet hugs!
Wow, can't wait to see the rest!
Linda
Sewwhat!
Oh, Dee, it's looking great. I just know when all is done it will be fantastic! Hang in there, it will be worth the work.
Hugs,
Patti
Great, this is the makeover,
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