Maegan and Cody vs. the Floors: Episode 3 (Series Finale)

So, I took an extended, unintentional blog-cation. I wrote this months ago, saved it as a draft, and never added pictures. Today (now that we have internet in the house!), I decided to revisit, revise, and post! Here goes...

Last time on Maegan and Cody vs. the Floors:

• There was a push-sander.
• Maegan was hesitant about the stain.
• It worked out fine.

In this episode, we tackle polyurethane and baseboards. What could possibly go wrong? 

Well...many things. Especially for two people that have never worked with polyurethane before. We bought two brand new paint rollers, some trays, and three gallons of the shiny stuff. We had a strategic plan of how to get across the whole house and trap ourselves in the kitchen.

Oh, and I had to buy some of those hospital shoe covers. You know, the kind surgeons wear? So, we were obviously stylin'.

Also, he's using a Swiffer. Attractive, right?

We started in the master bedroom and worked our way to the front of the house. Everything seemed to be going fine, until we noticed these weird bubbles...

Now, if you've read this blog from the beginning, you know that we have had trouble with paint bubbles before. We knew better this time. Leave it alone. Walk away. See what it looks like tomorrow.

Weeellllll...these bubbles stayed. When we ran our hands across our should-be-smooth floor, it felt like a hotel room floor after coming back from the beach. It was rough, bumpy, foggy in some spots, and it looked terrible. Apparently polyurethane likes to bubble up on the first coat. It has something to do with getting into the uneven parts of the floor. Google reassured us that this happens to most people on the first coat.

Google also told us to sand the floors and apply another coat. So, we sanded the entire floor (again), and it sucked. We knew we would have to be very particular with the second coat, so that we wouldn't have to do a third. 

As we contemplated this, we started on the baseboards. I'm extra proud of our system for painting baseboards. Here's a picture:

Finally! Photographic proof that I did stuff, too!

After placing the baseboard pieces on the trailer, I came across with a roller. We used oil-based paint, so it was really smelly. I was glad to be outside. 

Then, Cody came back across with a trim brush to smooth out the paint. The end result looked awesome. This is probably the most successful and efficient we've ever been on this house.

Putting in the baseboards, though not as simple, went just as smoothly. We also put up door trim and jambs. These finishing projects are pretty awesome; I love seeing things come together and actually look like a house 

I've never really appreciated baseboards before. They add so much of a finished look, though! I guess there are some things you grow up seeing, never really paying attention to. Then, you become an adult/homeowner, and you think, "Huh. Those things are really nice. Who thought of those? They must have hated painting down to the floor, and said, 'To heck with it! I'll just put up boards that go all the way around the floor!' What a good idea." 

(Okay, okay...That thought can probably only come from thinking about baseboards. Still, they're very practical.)

Like I said before, I wrote this post quite a while ago. I'm glad I kept it, however, because now I remember doing all of that stuff! Since that time, we have gone to Florida for a wedding, moved in, ended our old lease, celebrated Father's Day with our Fathers, and done lots of work on the house. 

Stay tuned for an update on the bathroom and kitchen! I won't wait so long to post for those :)