Before I get to showing you the kitchen demolition we did over the weekend with my parents I want to catch up on the new flooring and how we finished opening up the kitchen.

kitchen floor & drywall progress Here is where we left off with the layers and layers of old kitchen flooring coming up and the rough holes busted into the walls.

kitchen floor & drywall progress We had the new oak flooring laid to match the existing and had it laced in so you can’t see the seam…

kitchen floor & drywall progress and finally stained all of the wood a dark ebony color. As you can see, Pikku couldn’t wait to show off the new floors. More after the jump…

kitchen-progress-6Our original plan was to take down the entire wall that you see on the right that is halfway down (where the one post is still standing), but it turned out that the post was structural. (woops!) So, instead of having a weird support column (I really dislike an out of place column even more then a house completely bathed in yellow), I had the guys build that wall back up.

kitchen floor & drywall progress Et Violà. The doorway is still wider then it was before and more open because it is clear all the way up to the ceiling. We’ve been living with it like this for a little while now and already we can’t imagine having that wall that separated the living room and kitchen. Now I can sit and chat in the living room while Rupe unpacks the take-out. Perfect! 😉

To see the rest of the renovation progress check here.

  • Wow! What a transformation. The oak floor is absolutely gorgeous with a rich, dark stain. We can’t wait to see what you reveal next.

  • It all looks great none the less! x

  • Noelle

    Incredible change! Love the dark floors. Love the blog with the house renovation. You have such creative ideas!

  • Absolutely LOVE the dark stain! Great choice!

  • Ahhhhh!! This is looking so so soooooo good, Sarah!! WOW!! What a difference it makes with the floors and that kitchen-living room opening. Looks AWESOME!

    Again, I just love these posts and updates from you, your pictures and explanations go so well together and make for easy, enjoyable reading.

    PS – haha the part about take-out (love it). #keepinitreal

  • The floor looks amazing! Love how rich and dark it is.

  • Olivia

    Looks great. Are you not planning to renovate the kitchen anymore? (Typically the floor is the last thing to be done…after cabinets, appliances, etc.)

    • Hi Olivia,
      Thank you. Yes, we are/have been renovating the kitchen further. We had to switch up the “typical” order of things so that we could live in the house while renovating. We were able to do the major demo work and then finish the floors before moving day which was great because then we didn’t have to move everything out of the house when it came time to do the floors at the end. For the kitchen demolition we just had to put some padding down on the ground to protect it and cover it all with plastic… it is working so far. 🙂

  • It looks amazing. Love how you opened up the space – can’t wait to see more!

  • Meghan

    I love the dark floors! What brand and color stain did you use?

  • Hi Meghan, Thanks, it was “ebony” by Minwax.

  • Did you guys patch, sand and stain yourself or did you bring in the professionals on this one?
    I was so excited to see this post as I just recently ripped up my living room carpet to find hardwood underneath. Except that when they decided to tile and lay carpet they just willy nilly ripped out boards… yikes!
    Our kitchen is also hardwood and I would love to have it be a seamless transition. What a relief to see that you can patch in new wood, sand and stain to match and it can turn out so beautifully. Well done!

  • and my apologies… I just saw the other posts! got my answer. 🙂

  • Lauren

    Your entire house is incredible. You’re provided so much inspiration for me! I love the floors, but I’m wondering how the dark color holds up with the dogs…? I have two dogs also and am hoping for something low maintenance. I love the dark floors, but haven’t heard great things about the upkeep. Also, what type of finish/sheen did you use?

  • Lauren

    You’ve*

  • Christie D.

    Sarah, I love everything about all of your designs. My husband and I have just bought our first home and it is going to be a “fixer upper.” I am of course studying your blog for inspiration and advice. We have hardwood floors that we are going to sand down, stain, and refinish. I love your wood floors and know that you used minwax ebony for your stain but I would love to know what finish you used? Was it an oil or water based polyurethane, and what sheen did you use? Thank you so much!

  • Wow, this looks incredible! Great job!

  • katie

    Would you mind sharing what the exact floor stain color was? Love it!

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