Friday, August 24, 2012

Floored

It's finished. The great floor refinishing is done. Look at that shine!

Before - water damage and scratches, January 2012
All that remains is for the furniture to be put back in place, tomorrow morning.

Eigh's handiwork - orange glop
As awful as the damage was,

Sanded
 as disruptive as having the work done was, as much an unexpected expense it was, when it's all said and done, the floors are so beautiful I'm glad we did it.

We have what is known as a "pre-finished engineered hardwood floor." We had it put in back in 2003, over a plywood subfloor that had carpet in the living room and linoleum in the kitchen. Over the years, with elderly dogs, spilled water bowls and "accidents", and with baking sun and rain coming in from the clerestory windows, the floor had gotten pretty beat up. We considered having it refinished, but never got around to it. The final straw was our former housekeeper, Eigh, deciding to surprise us by refinishing it himself while we were traveling in Europe - without having either skill or knowledge how to do it.Or permission from us.

More of Eigh's handiwork
We had been so pleased by the firm that originally put in the floor that when the damage was done, we contacted them to help us. We discussed the options and decided to have the entire installation refinished. The price was steep, but surprisingly less than we'd thought. In any case, we couldn't live with it the way it was.

Before, January
 For anyone in southern California considering wood floor installation or refinishing, Mike Pillar & Sons is a great company. They've done a great job for us. We've spent almost a week with Francisco and Lorenzo working in our home, and they were incredibly dedicated craftsmen, trustworthy and respectful, taking care with our home and its furnishings. They really liked Jack, too!

Now - beautiful
Not only did they do a fantastic job, but our floor has a new beauty that, I think, transcends what it was before. The intricate grain of the maple veneer is more apparent now, and the color more clear and bright. Thank you, guys!

5 comments:

Gilly said...

That is one beautiful floor! I love the colour, such a lovely honey shade (but not sticky!)

You will be pleased it is all done now and you can relax!

smalltownme said...

Gorgeous floor! My own maple floor was recycled from a high school gym.

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

Beautiful floor, beautiful work done by professionals. I'm so glad they could save it from the the damage caused by water, normal wear-and-tear, the ravages of time, and Eigh.

Claudia from Idiot's Kitchen said...

Beautiful! We have a similar engineered hardwood so I'm happy to see that refinishing is not only possible but beautiful. Glad it turned out so well for you.

cactus petunia said...

Wow! They're beautiful! Our floors are in terrible shape. Maybe someday...sigh.