Thursday, July 27, 2017

Finally Gone!

Well folks, I did it! The avocado green shag is officially history! I'm "otterly" thrilled!


So... here's my living room before:


And after:


I must say, I can't really believe the difference. It feels like a whole new house. Sooo much cleaner, and the whole room feels bigger.

Here's the other half of the room - with a brand spankin' new area rug which I love, love, love!


But the green shag wasn't just in the main room, it was also in the attached room - which was originally a bedroom, but at some point the house was remodeled - I think they used it as a dining room, but I use it as my office.



And it was also in the hall:


Whew!!


Of course, the work is not yet done as there are still a few issues to address. When the house was remodeled a wall was removed, and where the wall was there isn't any flooring.

That funny looking leopard fur cigar thing is Smoky's favorite toy...

I still haven't quite decided what to do about it yet. I found a few pieces of pre-finished hardwood at the Habitat Store that are a pretty good color match, so I might use them... the other option would be to just get a big hunk of oak and stain it to match as closely as possible.

There's a similar issue in the doorway to the hall - I guess they decided the door wasn't wide enough, so there's a small area there that will also need to be patched.

But all that can be dealt with later. At the moment I'm just thrilled that the floor is in such good shape and that I finally got it done!!!

I did uncover a few nests of carpet beetle larvae in the process of yanking, so hopefully I've finally got them all. Haven't seen a beetle in a week or so... keeping my fingers crossed!

I'll probably get a few more area rugs, and I have to paint the molding... actually I should probably paint everything... well, one thing at a time.

Anyhow, Jasper was a little freaked out by the wood floor at first, but as you can see, he's decided it's OK.



So that's what's been keeping me busy! Hope you're all doin' well!

37 comments :

  1. It looks amazing- the floor looks like it is in such good condition!

    And YEY no more carpet beetle (hopefully!)

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    1. I feel quite blessed to have found them looking practically new. And I really, REALLY hope this is the end of the carpet beetles. I won't know for sure until next spring - they seem to go dormant most of the year, and then pupate en masse in the spring when the weather warms. But the fact that it's still summer and I haven't found any is a really good sign!

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  2. Well, this is exciting. The floors are beautiful and in such good shape. I guess they've been well protected by the green shag all of these years. :)

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    1. They really do look almost new. If it weren't for the occasional spot of sea foam green colored paint (why?) I'd think they'd never seen the light of day!

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  3. Replies
    1. I sorta feel like I've uncovered a whole new house!

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  4. Those floors look fantastic! It must feel great to see such stellar results, and you didn't even have to pay thousands for new floors!

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    1. I do feel a bit like I've unearthed a buried treasure.

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  5. WOW what a difference. The floor looks beautiful. I too think your new area rug is awesome.

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    1. I'm glad you like the rug - I seriously think I've looked at every rug on the entire internet. I'm just so not used to buying new things! I keep having to remind myself that I don't have to get everything perfect just because I'm actually buying something new!

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    2. I know that feeling- I have just spent the entire evening looking online for a new rucksack that will last, as mine just broke. I took SO LONG to pick because I want it to be perfect and last forever...sigh..

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    3. Well, don't feel too bad. CatMan's buying a new bike, and he just spent 2 hours on the phone with me agonizing over the number of spokes he should get on each wheel!

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    4. Haha I am glad that I am not alone in my weird purchase perfectionism!

      It took me ages to decide on which company was best, and even longer to decide which bag from their selection (of about 6 rucksacks) was the perfect one...luckily the company had little videos showing each bag, so I could spend even longer agonising...!

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  6. Quite an improvement. I know that everywhere we've ripped out carpet it's been an improvement.

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    1. Honestly, the way I'm feeling now, I NEVER want wall to wall carpeting again!

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  7. So pretty! You are so going to enjoy this after that hideous carpet!

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    1. It's really amazing. The whole house feels somehow "lighter" - I'm not even sure what that means, but I'm loving it!

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  8. Oh my goodness, it looks wonderful! I'm officially jealous of your beautiful floors, even with the minor issues you have to address. What is the pass-through arched window by your table? It looks like it goes through to your hallway??? Just curious.

    My living room was painted some sort of seafoam green when we moved in, too. We repainted it a very very pale yellow (most people think it's white or ivory) because it's a northern room and I wanted it to look warmer, especially in the winter. I haven't tired of it and it's been over 10 years.

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    1. Ha! The little window is a telephone nook. There's a phone jack right under it, and it has a little shelf where the phone book was supposed to go. The cats, however, think that it was put there specifically as a shortcut for them so they don't have to make the arduous 6 foot journey down the rest of the hall! :-)

      Your pale yellow walls sound wonderful! I'm starting to think that some past owner of this house must have had a serious love affair with the color green. First there's the seafoam green... which there appears to have been several shades of throughout the house, the kitchen has evidence of once being painted turquoise, there's pistachio green plastic tile in the bathroom, lime green in the stairwell, and even a weird greenish yellow on the basement ceiling! And, of course, the avocado green shag carpeting. One can only hope that all of those shades of green were from different eras and didn't all coexist simultaneously!

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    2. Our house was a mix of green and blue when we moved in. Not a pretty blue--more like a color I would associate with old-timey hospital walls or maybe a detention center. We also have evidence of turquoise paint. Maybe our previous owners were related. :)

      I love it that your cats hop through the telephone nook! We have a neighbor cat who visits us regularly. He is well able to hop over the chain-link fence but, hey, if there's an able-bodied human around, why not meow at them until they open the gate??

      When I was in college (in the stone age), we had one phone for our suite for 4 people. The two bedrooms were next to each other and shared a wall, so we had a phone nook and the phone rested on a rotating, um, I don't know what to call it, but it was a wooden L-shaped box that would swing from room to room depending on who needed the phone. It's a far cry from the current standards of the day when everyone is constantly connected on multiple devices! Your phone nook reminded me of that. My kids are baffled when I tell them that story. Ha.

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    3. Ha! When I went off to college, we didn't have a phone! Everybody just used the pay phone in the hall. Miraculously, we survived just fine.

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  9. Wow that looks great! And you find it fun to watch the kitties skittering around when they go on a chase. Pat yourself on the back for a job well-done. A huge improvement.

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    1. Thanks! The skittering is definitely amusing... especially around corners. I may have to get some strategically placed area rugs just to protect the floor from their claws!

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  10. It looks great! We got rid of carpet last year, and have been so much happier. That room is so much easier to keep clean now. Your floors look fabulous. And Jasper is a very handsome boy. :-)

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    1. I know, right? I think that's partly why I've always hated vacuuming. I could vacuum for hours on end and it was still dirty and dusty. It feels AMAZING to be able to actually get things clean! And Jasper thanks you for the compliment. He's my beauty boy!

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  11. The house looks fantastic! Love the look of wood in that style of home.

    We had some odd transitions in our last home, and the prior owner had a cool way of dealing with it with a fun/funky row of small tile. Honestly, those 4-6" tile rows were our favorite part of all the flooring.

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    1. Tile... now that's an idea I hadn't considered. Hmm.....

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    2. They were these little cream square tiles, each one a little different. It was fun. Anyway, cheap and an easy DIY approach.

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    3. Very interesting... I'm definitely gonna keep that in mind if my wood matching attempts are unsuccessful!

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  12. Oh my goodness, what a huge difference. Your floors are "otterly" gorgeous! I defy anyone to look at that last photo of Jasper and not break into a smile. So cute.

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  13. Oh, Cat, your floor is gorgeous!! I bet you wish you had done that years ago. I had to scroll back and forth a couple of times because even the curtains were more noticeable after the carpet was removed. You are so fortunate to have the original hardwood in such good condition. Patching shouldn't be that big of a job, probably easier than cutting and removing all that carpet. Congrats!!

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    1. I do wish I'd done it years ago. But it's providing me with great inspiration to tackle some long neglected projects. Next up is the bathroom. I am a bit afraid of what I'll find when I pull up that carpet... but at this point I can't wait for it to be gone!

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  14. Hi EcoCatLady! It looks really beautiful! You have such lovely, calming, serene spaces. Love the colour and the look. It must feel great to get it done. It's a bit terrifying to read of one remaining pocket of carpet beetles, but surely that's the last of them!

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