What a difference 5 days makes

This week, Graham came round to do our floors. He was an absolutely lovely man with an obvious passion for his work, and I can't recommend him highly enough

Having said that, I have found the whole process a bit stressful. I am not great with dealing with setbacks, and this project was full of setbacks. Day 1, Gray's car broke down, so he couldn't bring the sanding equipment. He brought all the filler he could carry, but it only covered 3/4 of the living room. Day 2 was all fine but day 3 brought a complaint from the downstairs neighbour and day 4 I learned that downstairs neighbour works shifts and sleeps during the day, so sanding upstairs was not ideal. He was pretty angry. I grovelled. Then I paid for him to go to a hotel for the day which thankfully seemed to keep him happy.

Because I thought G would only be working a maximum of 4 days, I only got a permit until Thursday, so yesterday frantically called the council to get it extended. They agreed, but didn't deliver it. G had to go round first thing this morning to pick it up. I was so so nervous that everything wasn't going to be finished by the weekend. We have been living in a building site this week, with most of our possessions piled up either in the hallway or the kitchen. Accessing the fridge and stove (and washing machine and sink) was pretty much impossible. Even making a cup of tea was a bit of a palava.



But now it is done. And how! It looks amazing. I can't believe this is the same floor. I can't believe this is the same flat! The colour on the floor is light and bright and it makes the whole flat feel brighter. We had planned to carpet the hallway, but after seeing what a difference the sanding can make, we might have to get the wood just treated in there as well. It'll be a heck of a lot easier without having to shift all the furniture around...