Threshold

Yesterday I began laying the floor in the breakfast room, but these boards run in the opposite direction (though I suppose it would be more correct to say that the breakfast room boards are perpendicular to the kitchen boards--not that it matters, but if the boards could be said to have a starting point and a direction, which in my mind they do not, the word opposite might imply that the boards would be running along the same line, like cars on the freeway, but maybe I haven't given this enough thought...)

Here's Willow sitting on the threshold between the kitchen and breakfast room . She and I have been discussing how best to design the transition from one room to another, and she is not in complete agreement with my design, but I can't fight with her about every single decision. The project needs to go forward or it will never be done.

Also notice the plastic. I spilled a drop of coffee on the floor yesterday and had to sand it out. Unfinished oak is like a sponge.

For some reason, when the previous owners remodeled the breakfast room they made the floor joists 1/4 inch higher than the kitchen floor joists. They compensated by using 1/2 inch plywood (instead of the standard 3/4 inch) for the subfloor. This decision caused the breakfast room floor to eventually sag and bounce around like a trampoline. I hope they can live with themselves.

Because I don't want to do this project again any time soon, I put a 3/4 inch subfloor in the breakfast room, making it 1/4 inch higher than kitchen, just enough to trip you if you are one of those people who just shuffles along, probably with bad posture and a bleak outlook. Please. Cheer up a little bit.

Here's a picture of the strip of oak I made yesterday to join the two rooms. I spent about 30 minutes making this piece, shaping just to fit the breakfast room (in the upper portion of the picture) and sloping down into the kitchen. I asked Cheryl if she thought I should nail it down (which might split the wood and cause me grief) or glue it down. I wondered if she would call me a wuss and dare me to nail it. But she recommended gluing it. Willow still refuses to comment.

Cheryl and I had an early anniversary dinner last night at a Brazilian restaurant. We had a very nice time. I remain the luckiest guy ever.