ready to finish

Okay, so the whole project isn't quite ready to finish, but the flooring is now ready for finish. We had a few nice days of work this weekend. We confess that we had a hard time getting back in the swing of things after a lovely Christmas break (including a family trip to Hawaii...), but it actually felt pretty good to get back in the project.

Josh came with us on Saturday, helping get the stairs all ready.The floor looks pretty lovely. Just no one touch it until it's all sealed up...
While Josh and I were inside sanding and vacuuming, Matt got to work on the step up to the front porch.
And we moved the kitchen range into the t.v. room so we can finish the floor underneath. Matt and Josh had a deep conversation about electrical voltage standards in USAmerican houses. I learned that it's a good idea to wear gloves when lifting heavy appliances that have sharp metal edges. We all discovered that carpet scraps, carpet-side-down make a nice slide to scoot heavy things across precious flooring.
And finally, just because they're lovely, I thought we should show off the stairs. Matt finished installing the risers on Friday, and we got 'em all sanded and ready for finish on Saturday!
For the time being, you should know that there's a very strict "no dirty shoes in the house" policy. Actually, as far that goes, I think it's a "no one in the house at all, unless they're putting down wood sealer" policy.

Soon enough, we'll be able to entertain guests...