Before and After: Our Open Concept Condo Gets a Flooring Makeover

We’ve upgraded our flooring to this awesome Luxury Vinyl Plank that’s waterproof, scratch resistant, assembled by snapping together, has a gorgeous variety of dark to light tones, and will hopefully last a while!

I had an amazing 30th birthday, and one of the best presents was my stud of a husband made my home renovation dreams come true with beautiful new wooden floors! I seriously can’t even. I am so happy just thinking about it. I wake up in the morning, peer down this hallway, and feel like I’m in a dream—a beautiful dream that my husband built me. It’s adorable because when he asked me to marry him, he said that he didn’t have much, but he would make me a beautiful home. I’m so proud of him. Are you ready for the before/after photos?

In the Beginning

Two years ago we snatched this place up because it had great potential. There were a bunch of things we wanted to change, so Jer and I made a list with things that had to be done first, which we could live with for a little bit longer, and which projects we could save for eventually. Cost, time required, and the fact that my husband is only available to work on this kind of thing during summer were considerations.

The first thing we did was paint the walls to allow the gorgeous natural light in, and to enjoy 3-tone paint with our vaulted ceilings. It made our place feel larger, and more importantly it felt like a home rather than a rental or an apartment.

This summer my friend was redoing her flooring, so I asked Jer about looking at our flooring options. Our lineolum floors in the kitchen and 10+ year old carpet were beaten down, with several spots where unsightly stains and dried paint splatters remained even after several cleanings. Things came together to allow us to start the flooring project, so we went all in. Not only did Jer do a bonus project of repainting cabinets, but I also finished the massive project I didn’t think would happen this year of reorganizing our pantry.

My husband’s grandparents have been married for over 50 years; they told us that a marriage that survives a renovation can survive anything. There were definitely days that Jer had to push through issues that came up, and there were days that my slightly OCD self was screaming inside at the chaos and disruption that comes with home projects. Everything was everywhere. My darling stayed! And he still liked me!! I guess we passed that test 😉

What a test it was! It took over a month to complete with our busy summer lives still flying by. There was a ton of planning, measuring, going back and forth to home improvement stores, cutting pieces, cleaning messes, tearing things out, borrowing equipment, trying to fix parts that came loose, installing and painting trim, solving problems unique to a floating floor, calling the experts in, installing transitions between the carpet and hall… It certainly was a labor of love. Truly I think the kids had it the worst because for a while they were confined to their room to watch movies and play, with all their things that used to be in the front room stacked and shoved in there somehow, with Dad and Mom busy. They’ve survived the renovation, too.

I have a lot of people to thank for this project. Our best friends helped out with babysitting and giving us a sanctuary when the floor was being ripped out and unsafe. They had their time in helping install, lent us equipment, gave us advice, and shared our joys. My sister was a friend to my children when I had nothing left over. My children were flexible and supportive. My husband is my hero. And finally, this is me thanking the last piece of linoleum in our kitchen for all the years it served us well.

Before

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Behind the Scenes

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After the Flooring Update

Most of the units came with the same builder grade finishes, so it’s been fun to see how people have changed theirs. When we showed the After Photo to friends who live in the community, they immediately asked us, “You’re not selling, are you?” Everything has gone up in value in our area, so there has been a lot of people getting ready to sell recently. We have a high rental rate here, as most of the units are being used as investment property rather than owner-occupied homes. People in the condos don’t really fix their places up unless they’re ready to move on. I’m pretty much in love with what Jer has done here, so we are here to stay and enjoy it!

Update: for those wondering about the exact floor we purchased, here’s the details. We saw and purchased in store, but there is the info online. For those wondering about the cabinets, check out the Repainting Kitchen Cabinets post here!