(Mostly) Better Luck Today

By 11:30 this morning, the floor sander had been returned to the local Lowe's store. Chad went immediately and picked it up. It wasn't without trials, though. First, one of the pads on the sander had lost its hook and loop piece that kept the sandpaper on there. When Chad would start it, it would kick off the sandpaper. So, I went to Home Depot and bought a round piece of hook that was adhesived on the back. That seemed to do the trick.

Then, when Chad was using the rented sander and I was using the MultiMaster for the edges, we blew a fuse. We searched and searched for the flipped breaker and couldn't find it (we checked our large panel in the basement and a small one on the second floor). As a last resort, I asked if we might have another electric panel in the attic. Sure enough - there's one up there we had forgotten about and it held the flipped breaker. That event set us back about 45 minutes.

In the end, we got the floor sanded - first with 36 grit, then 60 grit, then 80 grit. We used the rented sander from Lowe's for the majority, but the orbital palm sander and MultiMaster were used for the edges. Tomorrow we will apply one coat of stain, then three coats of polyurethane.

Thankfully, the floor hasn't been our only accomplishment. With the exception of some touch-ups, the walls and trim are completely painted. The ceiling light/fan in the shower half of the bathroom is installed. Both of the shower fixtures are installed and working (no leaks!), and the shower doors are also up.

We are nearing the end (finally!), so what's left, you ask?
1. Stain and poly the floors
2. De-haze and seal shower floor
3. Install and paint shoe molding
4. Install toilet
5. Install vanity
6. Stain and install closet doors
7. Organize closets
8. Install accessories (towel bars, toilet paper holder, robe hooks, etc.)

The list may still seem long, but several of those items should be finished by the end of the day tomorrow. I would think that in one or two additional weekends, this project should be done! Yea!