COLUMN: It’s amazing what you can learn ...

Four years ago, almost to the day, my wife and I closed on the first home either of us has owned, a stunningly Pepto-pink house in Ephrata with what we thought of at the time as “character.”  

It turns out that character is really, in many ways, a lot of work. Work I hadn’t done much of since helping my dad out when I was a kid a few decades ago. Still, though, all of the work I had to relearn or learn – thank goodness for the folks at Ace, Lowe’s and experts on YouTube – has been incredibly rewarding.  

The house has come a long way since we first got the keys. Gates were installed so the backyard keeps the pups in. A large, elevated flower box is ready for planting in the spring. A rose bed bloomed like crazy until late November this year. The house is now green with gray trim. Every room but one inside has been repainted – that guest bathroom is going to be a lot more involved than the other projects we’ve done.  

Recently, we had one of our biggest projects come along. The carpet in the dining room was awful and just had to go. So, after getting a tutorial on laminate flooring from my father-in-law, we picked up some LVT and were ready to lay down some new flooring.  

My wife was on the phone in the upstairs guest room when I started pulling out the carpet. As I pulled back the industrial carpeting and underlayment, my heart stopped. I suddenly felt just like those folks on HGTV when they discover a hidden treasure in a house. I rushed upstairs, doing what she refers to as a “happy dance” and shared the news: We had hardwood floors under all that ugly carpet.  

The flooring was in great condition – though the 300-400 staples used to hold carpet down were, in my mind, excessive.  

I’d seen floors refinished hundreds of times on TV but hadn’t tackled it myself before. I knew the concepts involved, but I knew I needed more info.  

So, I hit the internet and watched several videos on how to refinish a floor, asked some friendly folks at Lowe’s in Moses Lake a few questions, and eventually got advice from one of the managers at Ace Hardware in Ephrata.  

The process was simple, if time-consuming. We started by pulling all those staples out of the floor. Once that was done, we spot-sanded various places to make sure the wood was in good condition, where a few moisture stains were. We crawled around putting wood filler in the few dings the floor had accumulated since the house was built in the 1950s. We let all of that dry. We mopped.  

Honestly, the next step was one of my favorites and was fun for me. We rented a floor sander from Ace and got to work taking off years of grime and old polyurethane. Afterward, we each grabbed an electric handheld sander and went around the edges of the room that the big sander couldn’t get to.  

That’s when we found the first and only real complication that we had. From the bottom of the drywall, about 2 inches above the floor, to the floor itself was a wide open area. No insulation. Direct access to the crawl space under the house. ... This is also when I realized why we’ve had more spiders than I expected over the last few years.  

So, I installed insulation throughout the edge of the room, trimmed it flush and got to work staining the floor, which was easier than I’d anticipated. We chose a stain with a rich, reddish color that is dark enough to hide flaws but still has a bit of shine. I hand-sanded a few spots that didn’t come out right and applied a new stain.  

Once it was dry, we laid down three coats of polyurethane to make sure the wood is protected, replaced the trim around the floor and the room is really coming together.  

I learned a few things while I was at it. First, I learned that most things are more intimidating in concept than they are to execute. I learned that I’m maybe a bit more out of shape than I suspected. I learned that my wife is WAY better at color selection than I’ll ever be. The primary lesson, though, is that home improvement doesn’t have to be as intimidating as you might think. You can do it. It’s okay to ask for help and advice. Just take a step forward and use care as you prepare for the project.  

Your friendly home improvement associate at your favorite shop is a huge help, and they’re great conversationalists who will laugh at your awful dad jokes, too.  

So, take the plunge. Pick up a brush, a hammer and do a bit of research. If you make a mistake, you’ll learn how to fix it along the way, too. The improvements to your quality of life are worth it. Make sure you don't take anything on outside of your comfort level and get expert advice, but don't be afraid of a little DIY.