Hardwood Stomp

I woke up with a crazy idea this past Friday and spent the day mulling it over. When Sal got home from work, I threw it out there, "Let's rip up the hall carpet!"

He wasn't opposed to the idea. In fact, he might have been more willing to go for it than me. I was nervous about what we might uncover, and the expense involved in repairs or in replacing the carpet.

Saturday morning, we took measurements and decided to visit a local flooring store.

We chose a carpet we liked and set up an appointment for someone to come measure, but I just wasn't sold on wall-to-wall in the hallway. Our existing carpet was ugly and dirty and needed to go, but I wanted to rip it out because it just never looked right to me; a carpeted hallway and hardwood with area rugs over them in 2 of the 3 bedrooms.

When we got home, Sal decided he was going to read, and I decided I was going to rip out the carpet. I couldn't take the suspense.

I started pulling and called him upstairs to take a look. The hardwood was gorgeous underneath, not pristine, but in really good condition. Until we figure out how to cover the stairs so that no one takes a header we left the pad. Still, it's a 100% improved.

We also pulled up a strip of carpet in the living room that ran from the front door to the kitchen doorway. I've drawn an arrow in the "Before Living" picture (upper left) to show the carpet I'm talking about. This is the best picture I have of it. I didn't think to take a before picture, but trust me when I say it was ugly. By the way, this is the seller's living room, not ours.

Sal gave up on his book and helped me finish tearing out the carpet, the pad, and the tack strips. It ended up being a two day job.

NOTE: I love the feel of soft carpet under my feet, but both Sarah and I are allergy sufferers. I love the look of hardwood, but carpet is warmer. I could go back and forth on this too, but in this case the hardwood wins out.