Brownstoner Reno
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July 21, 2005
Garden Rental's Floor Get First Coat of Poly
A picture's worth a thousand words here. We are thrilled at how these have come out. To think that when we bought the house, these were buried under two layers of industrial carpet! In fact, it didn't occur to us that such nice floors would have been originally put on the basement level, so we didn't even look very carefully until a few months into the job. The first coat of poly on these was glossy. We're taking everyone's advice of doing a satin finish up in our living space, but are considering sticking with the glossy in the rental. Is that sacrilege?
Comments
Looks great! No one would put such gorgeous wood floors in a basement--the garden level is a totally different story...
Go with satin in the rental, unless the finish is more delicate for some reason. I'm sure your tenant will like it better too.
Posted by: clinton hillbilly at July 21, 2005 10:01 AM
And who did the floors? We're looking for a good floor company.
Posted by: clinton hillbilly at July 21, 2005 10:03 AM
Our GC did the floors...Garden and basement floors are the same thing. Two steps down off the street.
Posted by: Brownstoner at July 21, 2005 10:36 AM
Then what do you call that pesky subterranean level under the "basement?"
Posted by: clinton hillbilly at July 21, 2005 10:54 AM
Cellar. That's the technical DOB terminology. Even if the "Garden level" is 6 inches below street level it still is called the basement.
Posted by: Brownstoner at July 21, 2005 10:59 AM
The reason you have a nice floor in the front room of the garden level is that when the house was built as a single family home, that room was the family dining room. All the rooms behind this ground level dining room were for the help. The kitchen, butler pantry and any laundry room. Toward the back door there was probably a small bathroom for the maid and cook. The floors in the rooms behind the family dining room are probably just tongue and groove plank, which is actually the sub floor in brownstones. That was traditionally covered with linoleum. Since the owners of the house would never go back where the help was (exept maybe the lady of the house) there are no details there, just basic victorian construction. Up on the parlor is where all the good stuff was put to impress people. There might also have been a formal dining room up there. The big rooms in the middle of the house are for the owner. The small rooms off the narrow hallways were for the help. The dumb waiter got stuff up and down to the kitchen in the back.
Posted by: Tom at July 21, 2005 11:18 AM
Thanks, Tom.
Posted by: Brownstoner at July 21, 2005 11:33 AM
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