New Kitchen Floor

Oh fake parquet flooring..... how I haven't wanted you since we moved into this house many moons ago (approximately 5 years ago...). How I've hated watching your ugly, icky peel-n-stick fake tiles bubble and chip...... how I've tried and tried to clean you but you still looked dirty after my hard work... enough is enough! Out with the old and in with the new I say!!!

this was our kitchen when we purchased the home... I have to say we have not done much, just changed out the fridge, dishwasher, and the knobs (who really wants green nobs/handles AND hinges?! Weirdos....)

Isn't Mango pretty?! (not the ugly flooring....)

We began by ripping out the old.... we found that they had linoleum flooring underneath the peel-n-stick tiles. I was worried we were going to have to rip up EVERYTHING..... the glue from under the linoleum and all..... But since we were installing what they call a "floating" floor... we just ripped up what we could and laid the nice blue foam stuff down and started snapping in the new "wooden" floor! I know easier said then done... and while I am great at ripping stuff up, I am not so great at measuring and all that. So I left the meticulous part to JDub. :)

slow going at first.... and w/o a stove for a couple of days...

I am fortunate enough to have VERY picky parents :) Since they've redone practically their entire house.... they took out their old flooring in part of the house to put all new hardwood floors throughout part of the house and kitchen (they had linoleum in the kitchen previously and couldn't find the same color of flooring so they just took it all out and put in new..... which meant practically free/slightly used flooring for me!!!) Pain for them... SCORE for me!!

JDub hard at work!! I'm so lucky he's so handy :)

We hit some bumps along the road... while ripping of this nasty baseboard on some cabinets... I ripped of the wood as well!! Underneath the cabinets we found this little goodie..

yep that's right.... expires December 31, 1985!

We were almost there Oscar Sunday......... but had to stop due to it being the boys' bedtime and the banging and sawing required was just too loud....

Mango was ready for this project to be done!!

I am posting this a little premature..... The baseboards are not installed..... and obviously we are NOT keeping all that nasty wood paneling up... (just a little too many different wood grains going on right now with the floors, table AND paneling :) ) But they look so good!! JDub did such a great job!

here's that gaping hole I was referring to earlier!
We still need to get some kind of board up!

We removed part of the paneling under my spice rack below... Now we'll just have to paint!!!

My counter tops are still cluttered with tools at the moment... we have one last board that needs to be installed right by the side door. JDub still has to figure out how to install that one (seeing as there will be no baseboard to cover the edge of it....) But at least I have my stove back! I'm thinking pancakes for breakfast :)