Original wood
Last year we tackled refinishing the original pine floor in my oldest cabin, Yksi (No.1), which is over a century old.
What a job! First we pulled the carpet and linoleum, circa 1980. That was easy compared to the subfloor, which my father had neatly applied with about 4,000 nails! After extensive patch work, the sanding began, which took several days and reams of sand paper.
The floor had definite discoloration in patches from previous floor overlays or furniture but all was intact. The bedroom floors in this cabin had been refinished decades before, but this beautiful plank flooring in the main kitchen and living area had probably not seen the light of day in well over 50 years. The transformation was pretty amazing.
Once the sanding was complete we moved on to the touch-ups, applying multiple coats of a semi-gloss lacquer, more sanding, and finally a polyurethane finish.
The finished floor looks stunning, complete with all its wonderful imperfections. Just as our faces show wrinkles and lines from years of life, this floor exemplifies real beauty.
Many may be familiar with Nicole Curtis of the popular show Rehab Addict on HGTV. Curtis buys properties and brings them back to life, or more accurately, back to their former life, taking pains to restore the homes' original appearances. She is a real do-it-yourselfer as she takes on much of the manual labor herself, with a goal to salvage and restore as much as possible.
After rehabbing her grandparent’s house, she said: “I feel them when I’m here. I’m empowered. I’m loved. This dirt here belongs to me and I belong to it. These houses hold stories, memories, hope. That’s what draws me to them. Not many get it. For me, these homes are my solace.”
I get it, Nicole.
Special thanks to my friend Joel for taking on this job and letting the cabins benefit from his considerable expertise. This year we’ll be tackling Viisi (No. 5).