The Sparrow | Downstairs Floor

millpondfarmphotos
Apr 14, 2021
3 min read

THE SPARROW | DOWNSTAIRS FLOOR

April, 2021

Hi friends! Long time, no chat! Since we last caught up, much has been done on the restoration of our circa 1929 cottage in the heart of Staunton, VA. We have been steady knocking out projects as they come along, and are trying our best to make this place CUTE! Our most recent project is the downstairs level...dun dun dun!

Originally, we were planning on keeping this tile and covering it with tons of cute rugs, but as we have done more projects down here, we have decided against it and have purchased gorgeous waterproof LVT that matches the upstairs original pine. YAY!!

One of the biggest reasons we chose to switch out the floors is because when it was originally installed, they didn't put down leveler so the tiles were super wonky and not flat.

Also, while we have been fixing the stairs, putting in drywall, etc. many of the tiles got removed or broken and we didn't want to patch the floors and make them look even worse.

Once we scheduled the floors, we knew we would have to get down and dirty to remove the old tile and thin-set underneath. We rented a rotary hammer from CVR and got to work. We had to remove the tile from around the stairs, the tavern/library sitting room, and the master bedroom.

This project took two whole evenings to complete and probably has been the most extensive physically than all the other projects so far! Crazy!

Let's go back to when we first bought our little house to see what it looked like... SO MANY CHANGES!

Since these photos, the ceiling has been removed for more head height, updated stairs and opened up the sides for more natural light as you come down the stairs, replaced moldy drywall and replaced, ready for paint!!, new can overhead lighting, and added door frames for the bathroom and master bedroom for barn doors to be installed... and now the tile has been removed to make way for new floor, trim, and quarter round!

As you all know, when you begin to remove stuff in old houses...you find more projects!!! We always wondered why the floor sounded hollow when you first stepped into this room and it was super unlevel...here is the reason. When we removed the tile, this area didn't have concrete underneath it, just framed and a thin layer of concrete board over top. UGH. Needless to say, we have to add gravel, and then fill that place in with concrete and then a layer of leveler over the whole floor. Definitely an annoying thing to add to our to do list, but at least it will be done right and no longer hollow!

The steps still need to have the railings and spindles added to both sides, but that will come with time! This area next to the steps will be the place for the bathroom metal cart with additional bathroom necessities. The entrance to the bathroom is directly behind me in this photo. It will also have a gorgeous sliding barn door installed.

As the evenings passed, the tile started to get removed, and it seemed like things were beginning to come to a close! This is the master suite below and you can see the new door frame ready for the barn door! The door that is open to the outside is rotting and broken in half because the other owners had installed an interior wood door for an exterior door. The new one has come in, and will be installed before the new floor goes in!

Yayyyy! No more tile!!

The door to the left is a closeup of the yucky rotting door that will be replaced. As you can see, it is a shorter door than normal, so they flipped an interior door upside down and chopped it to make it fit the place.