Friday, August 3, 2007

More Floorz: Two Hundred Forty Plus Square Feet Down


The hallway got completely finished today. Bruce and N. glued down the last six rows. That's 51 feet long by 18 " wide, plus a little in the corner.

Well--their job is finished. When the glue had dried--probably Sunday morning--it is my job to take up the tape and clean the floor. I have ordered a special vacuum attachment to dust and polish hard wood floors. And you thought it was only the guys who get new tools for each project! ;)

Here are the guys gluing in the hall between the kitchen and the living room. Bruce is spreading the Bostik, and N. is putting in boards.




Here they are 'finageling' boards at the edge of the living room and the hallway to the bedrooms.

Finageling is a term that in this context means using force to push the boards as close to each each other as possible once they have been put down on the glue. Once the boards are in place according to engineering (read "perfectionist") standards--that is 'finageled' into place--then the blue painter's tape is put on in order to hold them there until the glue has dried.

We will use our stocking feet in the hall until then.





Here is the corner where the last hallway board will be laid. Bruce had cut the last rows on Sunday and Monday.
But the gluing takes a good long time and must be done in one fell swoop, so he waited 'til today to do it.

N. has been a tremendous help with the gluing. It is going faster with his small hands contributing to the job.

My guys do a lot of talking about life, the universe and everything while they work. It is fascinating. When they are seated at the table, for example, facing each other, the talk is all joking and teasing. But when they are working side-by-side it becomes the deep, heart-to-heart talk that women do at the table. It's another "guy thing" that I can't even pretend to understand.



Since N. has been such a trooper--today's work was over six hours total--he got the honor of laying the last board for the hallway.

Viola!

That's one corner board for the boy, finishing about 240 square feet and one "room." At last.

And just in time for Shabbat to start. We'll have a prayer of thanksgiving tonight. One room down.








This is the completed hallway looking from the bedrooms toward the dining room. The living room is on the left. The blue tape is temporary and will be removed soon.



Here is Bruce checking the work for the last corner near the master bedroom door. We are looking from the dining room toward the bedrooms. The living room is on the right.
This is sure taking a long time. Bruce thinks the dining room will go faster because the room is regularly rectangular and he won't need to make so many strange cuts.
The guys deserve a pat on the back. The hallway is done.
And N. has earned money for his camp fund. He doesn't know that yet.
Keep it under your hat.
That's a surprise. His staying power has been astonishing.
SHABBAT SHALOM!

1 comment:

Melora said...

Beautiful floors! My Daddy is a perfectionist and a woodworker, and he finagels. Ed and I have more of a big hammer and full caulk gun approach to home construction, most recently with the bookshelves. Sounds like your guys are really enjoying their work time together!