Houston, we have a dark walnut bedroom floor...

Alternate title to this post: Tack Cloths are Tacky (and Other Things I Learned While Refinishing our Bedroom Floor).

Here she is, before and after (not including when she was carpeted, which we had to remove when we took out the closet):

She's not made of the same high-quality wood that our downstairs floors are (and we are floor-refinishing novices, obviously), so she's not perfect. We're just going to say that the knots and dents "Add character!", though, and move on with life, because we're perfectly content with it in all its imperfection.

Dear Owners: Please put up my trim ASAP so my edges don't feel so unsightly. Love, Your Bedroom.

Our process wasn't fancy, but here is our basic method (again, we're novices, but it worked out alright in the end):

Step One: Sand the floors. We rented an orbital plate sander. I am a lame blogger and have no photos of this. However, I can let you know that when Rick first turned it on and tried pushing it around, he looked something like this:

Sander image courtesy of here.

It was a mash-up of a dancing Elaine from Seinfeld and what those kids looked like on homecoming when they had to spin around on a bat and then run around for a relay race. I don't know what that particular game is called, because I was always the one hiding in the bleachers.

In all seriousness, Rick found that he had the most control over it when he kept it upright as opposed to tilted back at a slight angle. I found that I had the most control over it when I didn't use it and instead was in charge of Dust Control by following Rick around with our shop-vac (whom I lovingly refer to as R2-D2). Here's a post-sanding photo:

Rick first used 20 grit sandpaper, then 60, then 100 to get the smoothest finish possible. The 20 grit cleaned off all of the paint and grossness, but left the floors feeling slightly like when I don't shave my legs for days at a time. (I mean, when other people don't shave their legs for days at a time...) The 100 grit made it like those commercials where the model's legs are all sparkly and shiny after using some fancy new razor.

Step Two: Clean the floors. We used R2-D2 a shop-vac to get the dust and other residue from the spaces in between the floor boards and tack cloths to clean the surface. Now, am I the only one who had no idea that tack cloths were tacky, as in they-leave-a-sticky-residue-on-your-hands? Don't ask what I thought "tack" meant, because I really don't know. The things I've discovered since owning a house. At least now I know that you use a circular saw to cut out circles. What? That's wrong, too? Sigh. Apparently I have a lot to learn.

Step Three: Condition the wood. We used Minwax brand and needed 2 quarts for our 12'x18' room. It was stinky.

I guess this step is actually optional, but we read that with soft wood like pine (which is what we have) the "pros" recommend conditioning it first so that your stain goes on evenly. According to the directions on the can, you should stain within 2 hours after applying the conditioner.

Step Four: Stain.We used Minwax Dark Walnut. It was stinky.

It went on a lot darker than it appeared on the can, so Rick wiped it off after about 10 minutes. It's still a little darker than I envisioned, but that's okay.

Step Five: Seal. We used Varathane oil-based sealer (because the stain was oil-based) in satin and applied two thin coats. It was--guess what?--stinky.

I've found by trial and annoying error that when working with polyurethane it's best to re-touch your application as little as possible, because after even just a few minutes the finish is already tacky and re-touching it will give it a matted, uneven look. In between coats, I gave the floor a light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper to help get a more even finish.

Step Six: Wait. We could walk on it/give your cats free reign of the upstairs again after 24 hours, but as soon as the three days curing time have passed, we can move our furniture in. Happy day!

Our self-imposed deadline for making our bedroom "livable" started out as the end of July, but that was a bit ambitious, so we changed it to the end of summer vacation. Summer vacation, for me, ended yesterday. (Yes, as you read, this, I am off being enlightened about Common Core Standards and Accessing Success for Every Student, Every Day.) I'm ready to go back, I think. Of course, it will take only one student giving me attitude about her assigned seat to make me once again pine away for the lazy days of summer, where the only thing giving me attitude is my cat. And occasionally the dishwasher.