Sanding Floors

I started another project I have been wanting to do for over a year now.

This floor is in need of a makeover as bad as I am.

I am not sure what this room's original intent was when the house was built.

It is in the front of the house and is about the same size as the living room.  

I am standing in the doorway between this room and the living room.

 I just call this my Southwest room,

as in decor not location. 

Hence the blue door and the terracotta paint color.

I have dreams for this room.  

(It wasn't until just now that I realize it is southwest in location as well.)

Back to the project.

Last year I attempted to sand this floor by hand.

No electric tools and no drum sander.

I quickly learned that was not going to fly.

I decided I would rent a big drum sander, haul it out here

and get the job done.  In the meantime there were a million other projects

and this one got left by the wayside.

A few weeks ago, Farmer's Wyfe did a post on her blog
showing photos of her son's room and what she had done
with the wooden floors there.
 Like me, she also lives in an older farmhouse.
Well, that was all the inspiration I needed to get me
back to work on the floors in my house.

It occurred to me that there are more options to choose from
than a block of wood wrapped in sandpaper,
or a heavy duty, rented drum sander.

I bought an electric disk sander on sale at Menard's for $20.
And a few pkgs of course and medium grit sandpaper for another $5.
The rest of the cost was in sweat and knee work.

Rylee did the honors of taking photos of me working,
rather than vise versa.

I started in one corner and worked my way around the room.

Here's what it looked like less than half the way done with the first pass.

This is where I had to stop.
After all, the girls had to get back to spend another evening
scaring people at the haunted house!

Farmer's Wyfe said to make sure I got all the "shiny" off
so that is what I am working at.  I still have a ways to go.
It helped that the finish was very worn to start with.
I am not sure what I will do after the sanding.
I always need time to research and ponder.
I like how she painted diamonds on her floors, but I am not sure
how that would look here.  Hmmmmmm.