After stripping the gunk off the hallway floor, it needed to be sanded. I’m very glad I ended up sanding them down a little too, it is so much softer to walk on.
The sanding didn’t help much with the water stains themselves, but it evened all the colors and tones enough to look well-aged and well-lived-in. In fact, once I was done sanding, it reminded me a lot of all the floors I used as inspiration for the last dollhouse.
I sanded them with my little hand-held sander. Which is actually on its deathbed. In fact, it attempted suicide a couple times during the process. I can’t say I was happy it didn’t succeed…this guy has given me trouble from the beginning. But it did hold on and we finished the floor. (This is the one I had, and this is the one I replaced it with, replacement is going strong YEARS later. Affiliate links.)
AND, once the floor was finished, we finally put baseboards up. We’re not sure why, but when the previous owners put drywall up in here, they left it a good inch-and-a-half (in some spots) off the floor. Even with the 4″ baseboard up, shoe molding was required to cover the giant gaps between the crooked wall and the floor.
We added baseboard cap to match the house’s original baseboards, and then caulked and painted it all. Here is our progress so far (unfortunately, the walls were already half-painted in the “before” photo, but imagine them all the dingy, flat yellow).
I also painted a little pattern on the plywood where the floor grate used to be, just a temporary measure until we figure out what to do there. But in the mean time, it doesn’t stand out like a sore thumb anymore.
Just a few more things left to do in here and this space will be done!
It looks amazing! I’m sending it to my mom who doesn’t believe I can do something with the floor upstairs in my Cottage. You’re giving me hope!
That’s great, Magali, I can’t wait to see yours!
The generous baseboards seem to suit the place very well. Oh and how much you have done to your floor, perhaps you should treat yourself with a new sander once this project is finished. I think you’ve earned one.
Thanks, maybe I will. 🙂
Looking great Christina! It really looks amazing, and you were very brave to sand it all yourself with a little hand-held sander! Thumbs up girl! 🙂 Hugs, Inge x
Thanks, Inge! 🙂
What did you coat the floor with, when you were done? Anything? I used Citristrip to strip poly off of my floors this weekend, and they look just like your floors do now. I am wondering what my next step should be, since I like the matte look.
We actually didn’t do anything to the floors once they were cleaned up. We didn’t plan on leaving them unfinished, but the more time went on, the more we preferred them that way, they stayed nice and soft, and they weren’t difficult to clean. I wish I could be of more help! 🙂
Did you use a handheld orbital sander?
Yes I did!