I didn’t tell you this, but when our hardwood floors were refinished two weeks ago, some of the finish sloshed through the heater vent in the floor,

out the heater vent in the ceiling of the basement,

and onto our new dining room table that we thought was well out of harm’s way.

Just let that sink in for a second.

The poor guy came out and tried to fix it last week. When he couldn’t, he took it to his friend who refinishes furniture professionally, and we got it back today.

It. Isn’t. Good.

The matte finish on the right is our leaf, which wasn’t refinished (although it was spilled on). The shiny finish on the left is the table top. (The legs are still matte). The new finish ran down the sides of the table, so when you pull out the leaf, there are drips showing along the edges.

This is a spot in the center of the table that rubbed off almost immediately when we were examining it.

On the edge where there’s some finish missing in a big, broken streak, there are rub marks in the finish that run perpendicular to the grain of the wood. It really stands out, although probably not in the picture so much.

The bottom of one side edge is all chewed up from being moved/transported/whatever.

I think the worst part is that on the entire tabletop, there are what seem to be little pin prick bubbles or something that you can both see and feel. Everywhere.

I want to cry. This is our first nice table. Ever. We’ve had it for three months. It represents the most $$$ we’ve ever laid down for any one piece of furniture.

I’m not yet sure what we’re going to do. I’ve called the furniture store for ideas and they’re mulling it over. I’ve called a reportedly reputable refinishing business, and they ball parked $1000 for the top and leaf over the phone, and it’ll be at least 3 weeks from the time they receive it until we get it back. A salesman will come out and give us a more exact figure if we go that way.

All the while, I’m feeling bad for the hardwood guy, who didn’t take the remaining 40% payment for the job and said if it costs more than that to fix the table, to let him know.

I hate this. He deserves to be paid for the great job he did on our floors. At the same time, we shouldn’t be stuck with a messed up table that’ll NEVER be like new again through no fault of our own.

Dangit.

This is our bathroom. The prep is almost done, I think. The whole project was supposed to be finished by Friday, and that’s SO not happening. Our tile guy has personal problems, so he keeps not showing up and not calling. And now, I hear that he’s concerned about our shower structure supporting the weight of the travertine. Or something. I don’t know.

I once read an article in the paper about an older couple that bought a cool old building in Seattle and were their own General Contractors on its renovation. The wife said something about how it was THE hardest, most trying experience they’d ever had to go through in their life. Based on my life experiences at the time, (car accident resulting in permanent injuries and treatments, marital therapy, seemingly incurable obesity, childhood family disfunction), I thought that was completely pathetic.

Well, it’s still kind of pathetic, considering where a home renovation figures on the scale of things that really matter in life, but I have to say that after the last four months, PLUS the nightmare we went through in January and February trying to get our old house fixed and ready to sell, I’ve at least gained some respect for what she’s talking about.

It’s a legitimate pain in the butt.