Bedroom Floor Removal

It's been a while since I wrote a blog, even longer since I shared any of our home renovations.  So, no time like the present, right?

Last weekend, we started the master bedroom floor project.  All of the hardwood flooring in the second story of our house was installed directly on top of the floor joists.  Since, there was no sub-flooring, the floors have likely always been creaky and poppy in places, but certainly during our tenure here.  I don't generally notice the noise in the day when everyone is up and doing things.  But, having raised two children from babies in this house, I am highly aware of the unwelcome noise at night.  There's very little in this world that's scarier than the pent-up sheer fury in a desperately tired parent's face at 3:00 a.m. who having just spent an hour lulling a teething baby back to sleep steps on a noisy floorboard in their carefully planned escape from the baby's bedroom... rrrRRRREEEEEEEE!!!

So, the replacement of this floor has been a long time coming.  Our plan is simple:

1. Pull up hardwood flooring as carefully as possible so as to not damage the tongues or the grooves... check!
2. Lay down 3/4" plywood sub-floor and fasten with deck screws to keep it from ever loosening and thus separating from the joists and creating a potential noise location... check!
3. Lay down laminate flooring underlayment as a noise-reducing/gap filler.
4. Reinstall the hardwood flooring.
5. Sand and refinish.

While I had the floor open, I went ahead and added some electrical outlets to bring it up to the "two per wall" standard that you see in most new construction.

It's exciting getting this room close to completion.  We've renovated almost the entire house, in and out, and all the while we've slept in a bedroom that had had all the wallpaper scraped off and had been given a fresh coat of paint, but had been void of any other renovations.  In a couple weeks, we should have the floor back in, all the walls and newly-drywalled ceiling sanded smooth and painted, and all the trim put on and painted.  The only thing left to do will be the floor refinishing which will likely be done right before we put it on the market.

Stay tuned for future photos in the coming weeks.

Posted in: Before & After,DIY,home renovation