I totally rock

Despite an 11 :30 PM rush to the computer to g**gle "polyurethane in the eyes", I would have to call the afternoon's home improvement projects a big success. I wish they were done, but due to the Kraken's insistence on helping me with anything I have to do, they have to be undertaken in sections, while she is sleeping. But, I do have enough done now to see how fabulous they are going to look.

First - the foyer floor - the only hardwoods in the house. Left for 15 years by the previous owners under a giant oriental rug, without ever refinishing, or cleaning, best I can tell. By the time we got them, the refinishing was easy because there wasn't any old finish left to strip off.

Before:


And after:


Ooooh. Shiny.

And, the kitchen cabinets. Never refinished, never wiped down, and much too dark a wood for the new floors and pretty red walls.


So, a little paint, some pretty hardware, and voila!


Alas, the section of refinished floor and the upgraded cabinet are the only ones I have done. The kitchen cabinets suck paint and require 3 coats for full coverage. And the foyer is the only way to get to the upstairs, where the bedrooms are, so it has to be done in sections (and then barricaded with board games and photo albums to keep the stinking cats from stepping in the finish). I am thinking I'll be done sometime around January 2010.