When I first started my design business officially, I was doing entirely e-design, and those projects were furniture and decor only. It sprung out of requests I was getting on Instagram for design help as I was sharing my own furnishing adventures. Then, as I navigated my own renovations, both at the cottage and here in DC, my design inquiries in the same direction. Now, at least half of my projects are coming in at the beginning to help client pick paint, finishes, and all of the little aesthetic details that make a space feel intentional.
Yet, when I share with them my personal experience with renovations, my biggest lesson isn’t how to pick the right paint finish or where to get the best reproduction hardware.
Instead, it’s a warning about the biggest renovation mistake we made.
One which, not to get on my high horse, but wouldn’t have happened had I been fully in charge.
The Biggest Renovation Mistake We Made in Our Historic Rowhome
When we first looked at the house, I loved the original floors. So did Adam. They’re 130 years old, and the plan was to refinish in a less orange color (see the top left image for where we started).
But, when it came to the initial renovation, Adam insisted on using the contractor my parents use in Richmond. He came in and immediately said the floors were in terrible condition and couldn’t be used. That our best bet was to use them as a subfloor and put new hardwood on top (can you even imagine?!).
I knew that couldn’t be right, so I punted the decision. We had too much going on to fight with both him and now Adam on this — I needed to focus on getting a functioning bathroom and kitchen so I could quit urban camping.
Eventually, after we’d parted ways with that contractor, I brought in two different flooring companies, Angel Floors and Universal Floors.* Angel Floors came highly recommended from several friends, as well as people I didn’t know via Instagram, and Universal Floors is a well known historic restorer in town. Both said the same thing — these floors were actually in great shape given the age and should absolutely not be removed. Angel Floors even added, “taking these floors out would significantly impact the value of your home.” You can see in the photos post-sanding — these floors were in great condition.
I felt validated but this is where the biggest renovation mistake we made comes into play. Refinishing your floors after you’ve moved in is one of the worst decisions you can make. I cannot tell you how awful the process was.
Now, the floor refinishers make it as easy as possible on you. They move all large furniture. They go room-by-room to avoid having to move completely out. I don’t even know how they took our bed apart, and I don’t need to ask because it’s back together. But, even though I think of myself as someone who doesn’t have a lot of “stuff,” there is so much that you don’t necessarily consider when moving out of a house. The clothes in the closet. The servingware in the china cabinet. The liquor cabinet. The books on the coffee table. Everything in my desk. While we luckily had the kitchens and the bathrooms to store items, it added up quickly.
And moving back in? Even more awful. I should have taken photos of each shelf and vignette because I couldn’t remember where anything went.
Then there’s the dust and the touch-ups. Neither company covers touch-ups after, and those are extensive. While Angel Floors did an impressive job not getting the stain anywhere it shouldn’t be and they had the rooms with our stuff locked completely down with plastic tarp, the reality is, there will be dust and some stain on the bottom on the baseboards and trim. The light fixtures they needed for actual light have a layer of dust.
Lastly, the smell. We moved down to the basement initially, where the only issue was the noise of the sanding, but, once the staining and poly started, I had to leave. We left for the weekend, then Adam came back because of work, and I went to Richmond for the week. It took several more days after I got back but, eventually, the smell dissipated.
All of this could have been by refinishing before we moved in. And it’s a lesson I won’t let slip by any of design clients.
*For reference for those in the DC area, the estimates for the two were not that far off from each other. I expected a significant difference, with Universal Floors coming in much higher. They came in about $2,000 more, which was enough of a difference to go with Angel Floors, but was less of a gap than I expected.
