Laminate Flooring

Today has all been about the flooring for Debbie’s new office, although I did pop out to Caffe Nero and walk along the prom before I got started. 

Jennie and Jon cleared the room yesterday, leaving me to get on with the flooring today.  I chopped the carpet up into raised-bed-sized rectangles which worked very well, much more robust than the cardboard that they are now on top of.  Then I cleared the underlay and gripper rods away and hammered in all of the nails and pulled up all the staples.  Then the big job of repairing the floor started.  I had to take up about a dozen boards and refurbish and refit them, screws instead of nails in most cases.  Then down went the new underlay and then the even bigger job of laying the boards started.

I’m not a big fan of laying laminate, partly because it can be tricky to fit adjacent boards, without dislodging the ones I’ve just laid and sometimes getting them to fit is incredibly frustrating.  Quite a few of the boards had defects that I finally learned how to spot.  The real issue though is cutting, my inability to visualise anything really counts against me, but in the end I figured out a system.  I’m just pleased they most of the edges will be invisible and the rest will be covered by edging strips.  I’m happy enough with the results, even if it took a few growls to get there.

As the day wore on I set myself various end-points, lunch time, nap time, making dinner time … I skipped them all, I was making good progress and in the end I decided it would be better to finish the job today, because my knees might not be fit to do any more tomorrow.  I made it and with some help from Tess (peeled potatoes) and Jennie (serving up) I managed to make bangers and mash for Tess and Ann and fist pies for Jennie, Thom and Debbie.  There’s enough fish pie for tomorrow.

Debbie and Thom arrived really late, Debbie because the M65 was closed, Anna because of parents evening, so I picked my meals well, both easy to warm up!

I’ve decided to make one last attempt to loose the 8lbs that’s been annoying me for years, using the only technique that’s worked in the past, alternate day fasting.  I started today, so all the work was a good distraction from hunger.  I managed well, eating only 600 very nutritious calories.  Thankfully I’m not hungry now.