Probably one of the toughest decisions we had to make, next to the counter-tops, was what to do with our flooring. We had a wood floor with a beautiful painted surface. Unfortunately, it was a real challenge to keep it clean and the paint was wearing off. Plus the lighter blond finish didn’t really go with our cabinets.

We were tempted to go with a tile finish but we overall really like the warmth of wood flooring.

We have a large, flat coated retriever and our new neighbors have one too (which means we basically have two dogs hanging out in the kitchen). Not to mention, I’m a messy cook – our kitchen gets a lot of lovin’ wear and tear.

Admittedly, we let our floors get pretty bad knowing that we were planning on having them refinished. Below is an area in the living room which gets a lot of traffic.

So we decided to refinish our kitchen (and living room) wood floors. I’m not a fan of all the chemicals and waiting that goes along with a traditional Swedish finish. I was pretty pleased when I learned about plan based wax finishes, like Rubio Monocoat.

We hired the pros Dallas Watson Flooring in Seattle to refinish the floors and apply the wax. We were able to stay in our home that night. No stinky fumes! I also like that we can repair scratches on our own (which we do have thanks to our Hitch). And I personally prefer the mat finish over the high shine for our home.

What really prompted me to write about the floors is that today I pulled out the carpet to do a deep clean and I’m just so impressed with how they’re holding up after our abuse.

By the way, if you’re considering remodeling your home located in anywhere in Washington state, we have several mortgage programs that may be helpful for you! I’m happy to review your available options for financing.