This is definitely not a finished project, but I’m in the process of renovating the main office located on the first floor of my fixer upper. I only call it the ‘main office’ because it’s where the wifi router is, and it’s the only room in the house whose sole purpose is office work.
With any room, I always focus on the walls, the flooring, and the lighting. Addressing those issues can instantly transform a space.
Sometimes, when you’re working on a fixer upper, you luck out. You spend an entire day pulling up old carpeting and linoleum to reveal a beautiful hardwood floor that just needs a quick cleaning and a coat of polyurethane. Sometimes, however, you dig up the very reason that previous owners covered the floor in the first place. Sigh. This is what I uncovered in the main office.
For reasons that I can’t begin to understand, at some point linoleum was all the rage. Homeowners basically just poured tar directly on hardwood, put some kind of paper on top of that, and then finished it off with thousands of tiny nails, and then linoleum. Like, seriously, I’m not making this up.
There are ways to painstakingly remove all that crud and refinish the floors. Unfortunately, most of these ways involve floor steamers, small putty knives, and hours upon hours of work. I decided to just cover it with self adhesive tile for the time being…without tar.
I gave the walls a fresh coat of paint, and let the natural light from the windows work it’s magic on brightening the space. I also made that cute wall calendar out of paint swatches! No need for applause. I just lifted the idea from the internet…right before I lifted the free paint swatches from the store 🙂
My main goal throughout all of my projects is to maintain function… and eliminate clutter… oh, and keep the cost as low as possible. My three main goals… I’ll come in again! Hats off to you if you get the reference without having to follow the link!
I’m pretty happy with the progress of this room so far. Remember guys, sharing your stories and any words of encouragement are greatly appreciated!