A Flooring Update. With SQUEE!
When I purchased the carriage house in 2014, the kitchen had a brand new 12×12 tile floor from Home Depot. Oh, the horror.
But under the tile, and under two layers of vinyl, and a layer of plywood, in 2015 I discovered the original circa-1921 floor.
So, the tiles were removed. They had been laid atop 1980s vinyl.
More digging at last revealed the 1921 floor. And so things remained…
…into 2021. And now?
Gadzooks! I picked the dark stain to work with the horrible Home Depot cabinets. They will have period-correct 1920s wood counters and green glass knobs. And 1920s-style base trim.
The kitchen floor now matches the newly installed sun porch floor. One would never know that the porch flooring…
…was salvaged from the old front porch.
14 Comments
Leave a Reply Cancel Reply
Your email address will NEVER be made public or shared, and you may use a screen name if you wish.
It look so amazing! Great job
Oh, wow.
Your plans for the Home Depot cabinets will work beautifully. The design is so kinda nondescript that the counters and knobs will make it work. Everyone will be distracted by the floor and that sink. Oh, that sink.
If you plan on making a skirt for that sink, there are some fabulous 1930s reproduction fabrics at the quilt store. I used some to make curtains for my front window.
Damn, I am so itching to remove all of the falling apart 80s laminate and pressboard kitchen cabinets in my parent’s 1960s house and put the original mahogany cabinets they saved back in place. But it’s looking very like I will never have the opportunity to do that.
Ross, I don’t think there are enough words to describe the beauty of that floor. I think I would hate to even walk on it now! Take a bow on that one! Who cares about the cabinets, there will be plenty to distract the eye away from them.
I visited a museum once in Brazil where they made everyone wear slippers. Cody could have a bucket of bunny slippers at the door. That floor is gorgeous!
Cotton socks. That way, visitors can polish the floor as they walk around.
Fabulous result! Proof that old, worn-looking materials can be restored and reused.
Stunning. 💜 The deep chestnut(?) hue adds a warm, solid feel. Those rooms could handle anything from the floor on up! 🌻
Big steps!! Looksgreat!!
Simply gorgeous! 🙂
Oh my gosh, what a job removing all of those layers. But the original floor looks gorgeous and the plans for the wood counters and green glass knobs will make the cabinets fade into the background. Great job.
Sometimes it feels like your work on the Cross House and Carriage house is archeology, digging through layers of the past to find what was originally there. Gosh, are those floors beautiful now. Love it.
Wow, those floors look amazing. I much prefer darker wood and am impressed by the grain running through these. Onwards and upwards with this part of the renaissance!
Colin
Wow amazing. Hi Ross and Cody. I hope to visit the Cross House this year sometime and get to meet you two. Ross, I think it is amazing that you have done so much restoration on the Cross House. Thank you for saving it. My favorite architecture is The Queen Anne Design. I’ve been following your blog and website since the beginning. Ross, you’re an inspiration.
Sincerely hope that Ross is okay right now! I am starting to get worried as it’s been 11 days or so since he posted last?
Is there anyone on here with an Old House Dreams account who would consider submitting this amazing Marina City condo in Chicago from 1962? All the fixtures and features appear to be original. It’s fantastic!!
https://www.redfin.com/IL/Chicago/300-N-State-St-60654/unit-2505/home/14099743