The Dining Room
Old World Charm
The dining area is rather small, but the kitchen is huge. The table is from my grandfather's house, a hand made primitive pine table. We try to keep fresh flowers on it. The still life oils on the wall are my own. A squirrel robs the birdfeeder outside the window every morning, giving us a show as we eat breakfast.
The crystal chandelier was brought back from Italy. I built the shelf for my wife's prize dishes.
The kitchen floor was a job. When we bought the house it was covered with roll linoleum. I decided to take it up, see what was underneath, and paint it if it was a wooden floor. I got started one Saturday morning when my wife and four year old daughter were at the store.
Little did I know that underneath the linoleum was five other layers, each held down with tar. I was working with a hammer, chisel and propane torch. When my wife got home, I had a two by two foot area taken up. My four year old daughter put her hands on her hips and screamed "What are you doing?!!!" She ran out of the room. "Mommy! Daddy is messing up the floor!"
It took me about a month, but I persevered. I laid out the harlequin squares with a framing square, and painted them freehand. After the paint was dry, I took a belt sander and added a few years of wear in appropriate places. I then sealed the job with waterbased satin polyurethane.
Return
[ Artifacts ] [ Our Garden ] [ Money Pit Home ]
