Wednesday, when we walked in, it was easy to see after drying for two whole days under commercial fans, with a dehumidifier, the subfloor was ruined. Wood prices were not in our favor, but it was unavoidable to not replace the floor that day. With an impending move on Saturday, the large amount of cleaning, and so few hours left in the week, a trip to the hardware store was the plan.
After David measured the floor, we headed to Des Moines. Bought the flooring, some Popeye’s and screws. We sat outside to have fresh air for our mini picnic before I went back to ripping out trim and he started pulling up the floor.
I had to go wait tabes for the evening and he got to work pulling up boards, carrying in the new sub-floor and making everything fit just right. It is quite humbling to see ground two feet from the floor, no basement, no block foundation…just dirt and rocks. David rocked that room out, pushed through dust to the eyeball and sweltering heat. I got updates throughout the evening. Here was the floor by the time I was off work at 9:30 pm.
When I got done for the evening, we put in three more hours; David cutting around walls built on top of the flooring, myself ripping out carpet tacks, trim and both of us becoming exhausted. All the sweat, the long hours and effort paid off the next morning when the majority of the smell was gone, the air was less humid and the fresh wood shone in the sun.
Henson Collective 