Alas, there is major progress afoot!
(Underfoot??)
Anyway, floors are being tended to, and that usually signals the beginning of the excruciatingly long end!!
Notice the serious nature of the nearly century-old grime on these floors! They could not have been in any worse shape without involving either a box of matches or an act of God. The issues did, however, include a rather large flock of pigeons. You can thank me for sparing you a close-up.
Here we have a test area, trying out the sander. (And by "we", I mean definitely not me.)
Okay, that's better! There really are beautiful wood floors under all that....um, dirt!
This was after sanding the area three times.
At this point the upper platforms have also been sanded and conditioned, and the stain is being applied. In these smaller areas, they prefer to do it by hand, with rags. (And by "they", I still mean not me.) Because this is really, really hard work.
In the light of day, it is decided that the color is a bit too red...
So it is darkened, and thankfully now it is just right!
This room is on the third floor of the building, and was originally used for choir practice. It's about 1500 square feet, including the large new bathroom in the far corner. That room was a sort of secret, non-functional office/storage room, and is undergoing quite the transformation. Stay tuned for that reveal on the forthcoming "Parade of Bathrooms"!
The "steps" around the perimeter could not be removed, as they are hiding some interesting construction quirks, such as the tops of the vaulted ceilings from the floor below! Weird.
The "risers" for these steps are an odd assortment of wood, so instead
of being stained, they will be painted, probably to match the new crown
molding, which is still white in these photos.
This area will most likely be used in the way that a "bonus" room is used in most homes. Some gym equipment, a pool table...
And definitely some roller skates! Woot!
