Oh happy day to arrive at the house to see this sign on my front door, courtesy of my builder. The hardwood floor installation began yesterday.

When I walked in the house last night, I loved it immediately. Like couldn’t stop looking at it loved it.

I picked a mix of random-width (2″, 3″and 4″) red and white oak, #2 (character) grade. That means it’s got knotholes and wormholes and darker staining and random colors and grain patterns, including beautiful tiger and bird’s-eye designs. Each board is unique and they are all beautiful.

The plan is to run the hardwood absolutely everywhere in the house, including the kitchen and bathrooms. I wanted the floor to create a sense of flow and openness in a pretty small house, and I didn’t want jarring disconnects between spaces with different flooring. When it is all installed, I plan to finish it with a German oil/wax product that’s big in Europe (Pallmann Magic Oil) that will impart a very, very subtle white liming effect to the wood to just highlight some of the grain. It’s also nontoxic, unlike traditional stinky polyurethane.

Next up—the rest of the house, including the kitchen. Cabinets are set to be delivered tomorrow, to join the growing stash in the garage: