Finn McSpool Tries His Paw at Some DIY

With his Venetian vacations, his brush with royalty at the Highland Games and his hobnobbing with giant pickles, you might think Finn McSpool has quite the out-and-about lifestyle. Recently, however, Finn was homebound as we (me, Finn, and Mr. Husband) rolled up our sleeves and tackled a DIY project: renovating the old and ugly bathroom floor. Of course, I’m not sure how big a help Finn ended up being (his not having any sleeves to roll up should have been a clue).

Being a little afraid of working around all the little nooks and crannies (and toilets) of our loo, we had originally thought of hiring someone to do this project for us. But after an estimate that was four times what we expected, Finn said, “Pshaw! Save that money for beer!”

“But Finn, we don’t know how to do this sort of thing.”

“That never stops me!” said Finn, who really will dive into anything. “Besides, we’re talking beer money here.”

“I suppose you have a point, but—”

“Great. Let’s get to the home supply store!”

Since Finn was already running off with the car key and since he will try to drive our Prius even though he can’t reach the pedals, Mr. Husband and I thought we better go along with him. Plus, you do NOT want to hand over your debit card to a monster.

Finn had a great time picking out flooring and a helpful employee gave us loads of tips on how to work with the material. From the flooring department it was off to the plumbing area where we opted for a new toilet since our old one was having some serious issues. Finally, we needed some new baseboards…which required cutting to length. Finn was eager to try his paw at sawing, but when it looked like he’d cut his arm off, I thought it best that he just watch Mr. Husband measure and cut.

Finn however, was a big help pushing the cart (okay, not really, but give him credit for trying).

Materials in hand, it was time to start ripping off the old vinyl base boarding and start laying some flooring. While Mr. Husband and I did the removal, Finn (since he loves to read) opted to peruse the instructions on the boxes of flooring.

Oh wait, one more thing before the flooring goes down: old toilet removal. Um, no Finn I think it’s a bit heavy for you. Yes, I know you won the caber toss in your weight division, but this isn’t quite the same.

With a curious monster around, having a gaping opening in the floor is a bit dangerous, but once Finn saw how absolutely disgusting it was, he stayed clear of the Hole of Horror.

Clearly, we had some deep cleaning to do before the new flooring went down. To be safe with the cleaning products, I got out some gloves. Finn, not having fingers and never needing gloves since he’s made of wool, didn’t quite know how the gloves worked.

Finally, it was time to do some measuring and get some flooring down. As ever, Finn was there ready to lend a paw.

This type of flooring “floats” over your old flooring (okay, it doesn’t really float, it just lays there on top). It’s supposed to be simple to install, which it mostly was, but the tricky part was that the bathroom isn’t a perfect rectangle and many shapes (especially in front of the tub), needed to be cut out and fit in as snug as possible.

Once you get a few pieces down, you use a mallet to tap them into place to make them super tight. Finn, um, no that mallet isn’t a caber. Ah well, I tried to warn you.

After a very long day (during the start of the heat wave, no less), we had only one piece left to go. This piece was a nightmare of template making, cutting, fitting (or not), cutting, fitting (nope) , cutting and actually fitting (yay!!).

But wait, where’d Finn go? Finn!! You lazy monster! Get out of your pool!!

“What?! You said something about floating.”

We (okay, SOME of us) were exhausted, but we figured covering over the Hole of Horror would be nice, so we installed the new (ooh ahh) toilet. Never one to be shy, Finn thought he’d show us his Manneken-Pis impersonation.

This was enough work for one day, so we decided to tackle the baseboard the following week. Of course, when the time came, Finn was there casting a judgmental eye over the icky mess left by ripping off the old baseboard. He’s a bit judge-y for someone who can’t even put on clothes.

The new baseboard needed a coat of paint, so down I went into the garage to paint away. Hmm…I have a feeling I’m being watched.

Okay Finn, since you’ve got your paintbrush with you, you can help. Just don’t make a mess.

Unlike the flooring, the baseboard went on lickety split (thanks to Mr. Husband’s meticulous measuring and careful cutting) and we were DONE!!!! And we were all still speaking to each other!

And even better, we still had beer money!

How about a little side by side comparison?

Finn will be back next week with another home project…one with a higher alcohol content, so much more up his monstrous alley. And next Wednesday, well, I haven’t quite decided on that post yet, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something. Thanks for stopping by everyone!!