The Miracle of Sandpaper

This post is dedicated to the person who invented sandpaper.  You are truly a genius.  

I went to the house on Saturday morning to choose a stain color.  The decision was a lot harder than I had anticipated…I mean, I can't mess this choice up or I will regretfully live with it FOREVER.  Lots of pressure.

I was so excited when I got to the house because most of the floor sanding had already been done.  Here's what I saw when I arrived:

Living room

Sunroom

Den

I went upstairs and the maple floors up there looked almost brand new:

The guys put down 6 different stains: some too red, some too dark, some too yellow.  Here's what the process looked like:

I debated for some time between the two on the left and had my paint samples there to help me choose. Ultimately, I chose the darker of the two because there are some stains on the floor and I figured the darker stain would give me a little more coverage.  I hoped it wouldn't be too dark...

All day long, I was itching to get back to the house to see how the floors turned out.  I went there tonight and loved them!  Perfect amount of patina.  

Sunroom

Baby's room

Den

I had to choose 2 different stain colors because there's oak in the front of the house and maple in the back and upstairs.  Here's how the transition worked out:

                 

Here's some progress shots of the dining/living room & back bedroom:

Also, I chose the countertop!

Sorry for the glare...darn fluorescent lights