Take Off Your Shoes, Mahalo!

Chez Claire is undergoing a bit of renovation. On Wednesday I had a new kitchen floor installed. Now it is time for the living room to get its due. Behind all the flooring work is, if I sell Chez Claire next year, I don't want to be the sort that does all the cool renovations just days before vacating the premises. I want to enjoy the renovations for a bit. 

Chez Claire is 100% hardwood floors, but the wood is covered by carpet in the living room and hallway. When I bought the house, I wasn't thrilled about its room-darkening, brown carpet. I vowed to tear up the rug and restore the hard wood beneath. Those plans never materialized, because of the logistics, but mostly because I waffled between 'buy a new rug' or 'renovate the underlying hardwood'. So, after more than a decade of waffling, I opted for a new rug. The old rug is dark brown, raggedy and stained so badly, that cleaning it only gave the dirt spots a better opinion of themselves.

Trust me - the old brown carpet looks better in this photo, than in person

When I was picking out the kitchen floor, I also chose my carpeting. I decided to be daring, and I got a pale, barely beige tone, to brighten up the room. It was a crew of two that showed up for the work. They pulled the furniture into the hard wood floored side of my 'great room'. Then they went to work, first pulling up the old creepy carpet.

The carpet half removed, showing aged foam underneath

Under the yellowed foam is more foam, in black

I already knew what was under the carpet, as it was loose in numerous spots. I knew there is hardwood under the carpeting, but the biggest reason I didn't just rip up the carpet & have floors varnished & finished is a nasty black foam that is glued to the unfinished wood. I had no idea how that was going to be removed, but I found out. The instillation me just scraped it up with weird scrappy tools (seen in photo above).

Most, but not all of the black foam scraped up from the hardwood floor

And down went the new carpet cushioning

I was as pleased with the carpeting men, as I was with the kitchen floor installer. They gave me all sorts of carpet tips as they worked, & when necessary asked for my input. I totally love it when installers just do stuff and I find out later it might have been done better had they only asked me. You know, that's how companies earn repeat customers.

TADA! New living room and hall carpeting

Totally in love with new carpeting. Plush cush under the toes, makes the entire house feel brand new. In honor of its new flooring, Chez Claire now takes a page from many Hawaiian homes. From now on all will be asked to  remove their shoes before venturing into my queendom.

Speaking of setting foot in Chez Claire,  the new flooring are completed just in the a nick of time; I am having a lot of company in the next two weeks. First Gene & Joann will be up from San Diego for a visit. Next it will be Barbara and her Aunt Judy for a few days. I am totally looking forward to seeing everyone and can't wait to kindly say to them, "Welcome dear friends, now, take off those shoes, Mahalo!"