After a LONG month of prepping for and laying the hardwood -- we FINALLY finished the dining room!!!  We can't begin to tell you how satisfying it is to sit or stand in that room and know it's complete.  We now have two completely finished rooms after 6 months worth of work.  I can't wait to move in and convert this newly finished room to a music room/study!

The steps we took from start to finish are:

• Removed the HIDEOUS light fixture
• Removed the popcorn ceilings
• Sanded, spackled and textured a new ceiling
• Primed and painted the ceiling
• Installed a new light fixture
• Removed the bead board that covered the ENTIRE length and height of the long wall
• Spackled, sanded and prepped all walls
• Primed and painted all walls
• Primed and painted the door ways
• Tore up the old floor
• Prepped the subfloor and laid Aquabar
• Racked and laid the new floor
• Painted, cut and installed the baseboard trim
• Figured out curtains

The hardest part of this room was laying the floor - no question.  Last weekend when we were spending the 6th full day on it and the first swing of the nailer damaged the board -- Lee decided he had had enough and went out and purchased a nailer that runs off a compressor.  We should have done that a long time ago. Although more expensive, swinging the hammer once instead of four times really speeds up the process.  Not to mention preserving the finish on the boards.  We are REALLY happy with our decision to pop for the second nailer.  We still have another 900 sq feet of floor to lay and the new nailer will be worth every penny!

For photos of the entire process - check out the photo gallery