I'm a failure!

[aztecan]

I am loathe to type this, but I must admit failure. It isn't something I do lightly, but I have no choice.

I have been trying to restore the floor in my kitchen. It is oak. It would be beautiful. I am heartsick.

First, a previous owner had put linoleum on top of the oak. They used some type of asphalt adhesive that looks like road tar. Tar would have been an improvement. Apparently, according to several restoration people I spoke with, it probably also contains asbestos, so I'm not supposed to sand it.

Too late. But at least I was wearing a dust mask.

I have used a heat gun to remove some of it, spending endless hours on my hands and knees scraping and heating, heating and scraping.

Then, I tried every chemical known to man trying to dissolve it. I used so many chemicals  I made myself sick.

Then, while scraping the other day, an odor crossed my nostrils. MOLD. There was a water line break in the kitchen in 2004 which sent 70,000 gallons of water cascading through the house - primarily the kitchen.

The water removal people sprayed a mold inhibitor on the floor. I guess my constant barrage of chemicals and water reactivated the mold.

I simply cannot continue with this. My body aches, my head aches, I have mold stinking up the kitchen and, to top it off, I discovered some of the underlying oak flooring is water damaged and would have to be replaced.

I have begun laying a new subfloor and will be putting other flooring on top. I already sprayed for the mold and then used the substance of the gods, Kilz, so it should not be a problem.

But, I feel like a failure. I had every good intention of having beautiful oak floors in my kitchen. Those dreams are now just a memory.

I guess I'll have to be satisfied with the oak floors in the rest of the house.

HUGS,

Mark

(Who hates to admit there is something he cannot do.)

[bear60]

oh cum on....u arent a failure!!! Its the darn floor thats the problem.

[Basquo]

Hey, man, you can only do what you can do.  You tried, and realized when you reached your limit, and are now rectifying the situation.

[anniebc]

Hey Mark

I don't think you are a failure at all, there are not many men I know that would even attempt to do a job like that..as far as I can see the only failures here are the idiots who failed to see the beauty of the oak floor before coveing it with lino...don't be too hard on yourself.

God loves a trier.

Hugs
Jan

[RapidRod]

Mark, now you are set to put down you're new hardwood floor. You do know that you didn't have to do all the other, you could have put it over the sheet goods.  I don't see any failure there. 

[Gary85741]

Mark,

It sounds inordinately frustrating.  Yet one doesn't know until one tries.  I mean I could never attempt such a thing as I don't have that kind of aptitude.  Your scenario would have had me running for the Valium and/or Marinol.

Anyway maybe at some juncture you'll be in a position to have the flooring completed by professionals.

Gary

[Lwood]

If you have hardwood in the rest of the house, Tile might  be an option for the kitchen, however thats got its own set of headaches....