Buh-Bye Ugly Carpet!

When we closed, we had a laundry list of items to complete before moving in. Top of the list was painting and replacing the flooring. We were lucky that we were house-sitting for friends at that time. The pics of the existing carpet don't do it justice. It was an honest-to-goodness pink beige.

Not my style, to say in the least. I know you are asking what is the weird splotch of color on the wall. Well, the previous owner never moved her piano when painting. So she tried to color-match. Is there anyone out there that would have wanted to keep this color?? Not only was there the pepto-pink-paint-puke, we also had this awesome floral border.

However, I think the former owner ran out of border midway through. What's a girl to do? Well, apparently cut out the flowers and strategically scotch tape them in the empty spots.



After a little freak when we realized what we had gotten ourselves into, we got to work. First up to bat: the floor. We decided to install a laminate. And our crazy selves decided to install ourselves... with a lot of help. After doing some extensive shopping around, we decided on Ikea Tundra Laminate Flooring in Maple.

Matt pulled up the carpet and padding, only to discover a tile underneath. It was original to the home and most like contained asbestos. Who had the thankless job of chiseling that up? Mmmhmm, yours truly! This was also about the time that I developed the flu. Full-blown, achy bones, tossing my cookies, type of flu.









Let's not forget about the gorgeous tile in the entryway. I know, I know. I was crazy to want to replace it!

Looking a wee bit better, don't ya think? The paint is one of my favorite parts of this room. It's a perfect taupe. (Ralph Lauren's Natural Gray) It is so cozy and inviting.







And finally:

Project cost breakdown:
Flooring (1000 sf): $1000
Paint: $112
Light switches/outlets: $50
Light fixtures: $60
Total: $1222