Hey friends, and happy Hump Day! It’s the first day of school for Little Miss… and her first time back in a full classroom in almost 18 months! Last time she saw most of these friends they were in 8th grade… now they’re 10th graders!
Remember growing up how much high school friends changed over Summer break? Imagine the change after a year and a half! I’m excited and anxious, and can hardly wait to hear how it went.
But today I’ve got a huge house update for you, so prepare for Before & After photo overload!
You may recall Texas had a beastly Winter storm in February, which resulted in us going without power for three days in single-digit temperatures, and with no water for a week. Then things got even more fun when two pipes burst flooding our kitchen, and caving in the garage ceiling (among other things).
We were without hot water to half the house for over a month due to a shortage of water heaters and parts, but fortunately, we were able to stay in the house while waiting for a contractor to become available.
The list of damage was long, but the floors were the main concern. They swelled and buckled throughout the kitchen and butler’s pantry, and since it was the same engineered flooring throughout the entire downstairs, the only way to repair and have them cohesive was to replace them all.
We actually installed the original floors with LL Flooring (formerly Lumber Liquidators) when we bought the house six years ago (see that big Before & After HERE), and were so happy with the product, ordering process, and customer service, there was no question we’d use them again for this project.
I knew replacing the floors would be disruptive, but the silver lining was we had the chance to do something different, and I knew I wanted to go lighter this time around. LL Flooring has a wide range of options, including solid and engineered hardwood, bamboo, laminate, vinyl, and even a tile that looks exactly like wood!
I hopped online and ordered an assortment of free samples in several different materials and colors, then spent weeks looking at them in every room of the house, against all the baseboards, and under every rug. I finally narrowed it down to two… the Barcelona White Oak, a bleached wood with slight blue undertones, and Monaco White Oak, a warmer wood with minimal variation and neutral undertones.
Both have the wide plank I love, plus a durable core, and premium, fortified finish that is resistant to stains, scuffs, and scratches. And just as important, both are fully stocked and available for fast shipping!
Ultimately I chose the Monaco White Oak, for a lighter, yet still traditional style that fits the bones of our house. Here it is side-by-side with our previous dark floors… which we loved, but the dark finish literally showed every dust fleck and dog hair!
Sugarplum Tip: Make sure to look at full-room photos of your flooring, not just samples, to see the color and pattern variation. Some samples I loved for the color, but when viewed in a full room, showed to have a rustic or farmhouse pattern. LL Flooring even has a super-cool visualizer tool that allows you to see the different flooring options in your home!
We used LL Flooring professional installation on the original floors, and they did an excellent job, but since we had damages beyond the floors, we worked with our own independent contractor for this project. He worked directly with LL Flooring to get the order placed and delivered quickly to the house (see their delivery and shipping options HERE).
I won’t sugar coat it… pulling up existing glued-down flooring is a loud, messy job… and it definitely got worse before it got better! But as soon as the beautiful new floors arrived, I knew we were on the home stretch and it would all be worth it!
Okay, now for the fun part… the Before & Afters! I even dug back in the archives for before the Befores… photos of the house when we first moved in so you can see the full evolution of the rooms! Each time with new LL Flooring!
Dining Room //
Can you even believe it’s the same room?! Sadly, we found mold in several areas of the Dining Room, which resulted in losing the wallpaper… so this room got more than a floor update.
We replaced the wallpaper with some simple trim pieces and a fresh coat of paint (SW Aqua Sphere), and that really makes the drapes and light fixture pop. And the lighter Monaco White Oak floors change it completely, giving it a more modern, updated look.
Living Area //
Crazy, right?! Since they had to remove the old baseboards to pull up the floors, we replaced them with a taller, cleaner moulding that makes a huge difference in updating the space. Then everything got a fresh coat of white paint (SW Pure White) for a clean contrast with the Monaco White Oak floors.
Breakfast Room //
Formal Living Room //
Don’t worry, the stunning Dara Burris art is going back up… the unpacking and redecorating part has just taken a back seat to back-to-school! I can not get over how much lighter and brighter everything is now with the new Monaco White Oak floors!!
Kitchen //
Pretty incredible what new floors and paint can do, right? The unpacking and decorating has taken a back seat to the back to school craziness for now, but here’s a peek at how the rooms are coming back together. I can hardly believe it’s the same house!
I couldn’t be happier with these floors, or our experience with LL Flooring! The customer service was top-notch every step of the way, and delivery was super fast. The huge selection of in-stock flooring was such a relief, and made the project go so much smoother and faster.
Working with them definitely took out some of the stress of a project this size!
Exclusive Discount Code!
I was so pleased with the whole LL Flooring experience, I reached out for a discount code just for Hi Sugarplum peeps*! They’re offering us 5% off regularly priced products (excluding the Everyday Value Collection) with code HISUGARPLUM5! That’s a hefty savings when you’re talking about floors! Shop them HERE.
You can watch the full flooring transformation HERE, and stay tuned for Part 2 of the house renovation… we also tackled the stairs, fireplace, and even enclosed a ceiling!
*Disclaimer: Discount applies to new orders placed from August 2 – September 30, 2021. Cannot be applied towards existing orders or previous sales. Applies to in-stock, regularly priced product only. Cannot be combined with any other discounts or coupons. Excludes Everyday Value items. One coupon per person per order. Coupon must be presented to store employee or entered into promo box and applied during online checkout at time of order. Coupon is not redeemable for cash. Void if altered, copied, transferred, or sold. May not be applied toward installation services, freight, or taxes. Void where prohibited.
*This post is created in collaboration with LL Flooring and ShopStyle Collective, but all product selections and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Hi Sugarplum sponsors!*