Our initiation to the world of homeowners couldn't be more exciting than our first major project, the floors! As this house was a foreclosure, we had no opportunity to talk with the previous owners about why they did some of the things they did. For instance, the wood floors and tile throughout the entire house are painted over with a dark brown. Portions have chipped off, revealing a mix of pumpkin orange and charred black/brown wood and gray tiles. It is like seeing a little tear in the wrapping of your Christmas present, except in this instance, the wrapping is super-glued to a present you're not even sure you are going to like.
Our first attempt at removing the paint involved a heat gun. We were encouraged when we found online advice recommending the use of heat guns as it would be a chemical-free way of tackling this problem. About 10 minutes into burning the paint as well as the floors underneath, we decided to scrap the idea.
After opening every door and window, we brought on the Zip-Strip. The goop works wonders, however the clean up is painful. My parents, Dom, and I spent 5 hours in various crouching and sitting positions scraping the now bubbly paint off the floors.
Fortunately, the tile was relatively easy. No chemicals were needed, just fingernails and patience, as each piece pulled up in little strips. The outcome, however, was striking. Thanks Mom!
The rest of the floors are not going to be so simple. 5 hours of 3 people scraping yielded us the majority of the kitchen and perhaps a quarter of the dining room. However the wood that was revealed inch by inch kept us motivated. It will never look perfect, but we hope it will someday look beautiful!
-Nick
Wow.....The tile really is beautiful! I wonder why they did paint over it? Seems pretty funny to me.
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