View Full Version : Aging & household chores
Soooo, my family is out of town, and I decided to strip the kitchen/dining room vinyl floor & re-seal it. It was pretty disreputable!
OMG. After moving all the furniture out, & 5 hours on hands & knees - with knee pads - scrubbing a stripper by hand with a green scrubbie, I was trashed last night. Today I did another pass with a scrubbie under my sponge mophead.
It looks great, and I just got the first coat of sealer on it, but not before slipping and falling rather hard... Thanking goodness I didn't hurt myself. More ibuprofen...
I have officially decided I am too old and in too bad of physical shape to do this again. Next time, it is being hired out. Sheesh.
Well, you are a better woman than I. I'd probably just pull it up and start anew ( hiring it out, of course unless DH took on that job.) I didn't know that you can strip any covering from vinyl.
I do, though, regularly spend hours laboring in the garden, bending and pulling and yanking and shoveling and digging and hauling. And I fully feel the results the next day.
And, you could also replace your floor with something dark and impervious to dents and scratches like I did... I had vinyl (1970s style) and HATED it for years and years because it NEVER looked clean, no matter how much I scrubbed. A couple of months ago, DH and I laid down Pergo flooring, and it may not be super eco-friendly, but it gives me peace of mind. Today I simply wiped it down with diluted vinegar, water, and a few drops of rose oil, and it looks great.
And, you could also replace your floor with something dark and impervious to dents and scratches like I did... I had vinyl (1970s style) and HATED it for years and years because it NEVER looked clean, no matter how much I scrubbed. A couple of months ago, DH and I laid down Pergo flooring, and it may not be super eco-friendly, but it gives me peace of mind. Today I simply wiped it down with diluted vinegar, water, and a few drops of rose oil, and it looks great.
Believe you me, I've definitely considered it! The floor is only 12 years old, and I cannot bring myself to replace it yet. I used Armstrong New Beginning, then their low gloss sealer. Just got the second coat on, and frankly, the floor looks new. We'd like to put in a carbonized cork floor at some point. I am waiting till DH gets back to move the furniture back in!
That sounds great. I would have gone cork but DH doesn't like it. Anyway, I'm sure the fruits of your labor are very apparent!
Sounds similar to our experience of deciding to spread the sealer on our driveway. DH had asked if I thought that we both were up to doing it and I said yes. Nine large pails of sealer later after sweeping and washing the long driveway, I won't be doing that big a job again. We were totally conked out for two days.
I've slowed considerably, compared to the (old) younger me. There are just some things I simply do not do anymore...
I feel better shape than anytime in my past 51 years, having said that there are things that I would have gotten done in a heart beat of moving here three years ago this september. I look at bushes that need to be removed and think of the energy and time and work ans sweat required. I paid to have one removed last month, the others I cut off and did not remove the roots ""yet"". Perhaps it is not old age, but really the thought of what is the difference or what will be gained in the big picture of life if I do something terribly hard like that.
Oh I hated vinyl flooring in my kitchen. Just looked nasty from day one and I was mopping and scrubbing on hands/knees about 3-4 days a week. When we could afford to replace it I went with a snap/lock wood look laminate and I've been so happy with it the past 8 years - It just doesn't grab and hold onto dirt and I find I sweep every other day or so instead of twice a day and I lightly damp mop maybe 2 times a month (or less if I really want to fess up to the truth). I still have vinyl in both bathrooms and would love to replace it with something but I'm not sure what. I put tile in the laundry room and am considering that for those room.
Good job on taking on such a project when you've had the house to yourself. I too had no idea you could strip/seal vinyl. I do remember my mom waxing the kitchen floor in the old farm house - she hated doing that so much that when they built the new house (when I was in 5th grade) she even had them put some sort of flat carpet in the kitchen. A few spills of flour and eggs and that didn't last long either. Now you can find her or dad in there several times a day with the little hand held vac or a mop cleaning any speck of dust off the vinyl.
domestic goddess
7-23-12, 11:31am
I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way! I'll be 60 on my next birthday (oops, that's next month!) and most days I feel every minute of it! When I do a big job, it takes me a long time to recover from it, which discourages me from doing big jobs. Added to the arthritis and fibromyalgia, I would be perfectly happy to just sit on my fat, lazy a$$ and watch others do all the work. What a slug I'm going to be by the time I get to retirement age!
All this work is why we keep questioning even keeping our current house. It seems like there is always something to be done and it just keeps getting harder. We used to do it all ourselves but the last few big jobs like remodeling the bathroom and putting up a wood fence, we hired out. It isn't just the physical aspect but also realizing how much of our time and energy we give to the house. At this point, I would rather do something else.
And, you could also replace your floor with something dark and impervious to dents and scratches like I did... I had vinyl (1970s style) and HATED it for years and years because it NEVER looked clean, no matter how much I scrubbed. A couple of months ago, DH and I laid down Pergo flooring, and it may not be super eco-friendly, but it gives me peace of mind. Today I simply wiped it down with diluted vinegar, water, and a few drops of rose oil, and it looks great.
Did you have to remove the vinyl first? Some people I used to know told me that the vinyl in my kitchen would have to be ripped up before laying anything else because otherwise the stove and dishwasher would be blocked in. (However, they were wrong in a lot of their how-to advice.)
I have a solid white kitchen floor (chosen by previous owner) with a pebbled finish and little green diamond shapes between the "tiles". I detest it, but it isn't worn and it's hard to justify spending thousands replacing a floor that's basically okay. I've read that vinyl flooring can be painted, but I'm afraid it wouldn't last long.
Jemima,
No, we laid it right on top of the vinyl, which despite its worn look, was stuck down pretty good. But, I would take out the fridge and the dishwasher and then lay the floor down and put the appliances on top of it.
If you DIY, it's not all that expensive. We actually used ceramic tile in our kitchen--cost for that was under $500. We laid down the click/floating floor type of engineered wood flooring in our family room and hallway, and we got the top of the line Pergo and the whole thing was only $1200. You could definitely get something decent for even less (I think mine was $2.78 a square foot).
Getting back to the original topic, I understand just where you're coming from. I bought some redecorating supplies a few years back that I now may not be able to use, such as wallpaper which is going to be very difficult to hang with the muscle deterioration I have in my arms from Lipitor. I'm hoping that physical therapy will get me back in shape enough to do it.
I'm trying not to give in to my aches and pains because I think that's the road to immobility and health problems in old age. It's important to keep moving, and so I struggle and strain as much as I can stand. I am inclined to hire some things out now, such as a thorough, top-to-bottom housecleaning, but that may be because I'm no longer saving for retirement (I'm retired).
goldensmom
7-23-12, 2:33pm
The OP is referring to physical aspects of aging and household chores but as I age I see a mental change in me in that many tasks or the frequency of those tasks are just not as important as they once were. Example, I used to vacuum the living room (only carpeted room) twice a day (dog hair) and now I vacuum once a day. Maybe next year I'll vacuum every other day or as needed. I will still replace a window myself rather than hire it out due to my frugality and will do so as long as I am physically able.
My body is strong but cantankerous at 50. I can still lift, carry, cut, stack, scrub, paint......but it seems that if I just go 5 minutes too long on certain tasks, I am paying for it for days. I have to really, really listen to my body and take it seriously when it starts to say, "Uncle," rather than trying to squeeze in just a little bit more like I used to do. For example, I garden in the biointensive way, and deep-digging is about 3 years away from being beyond my ability, I can tell...three days on my back and I've learned my lesson this year. As for vacuuming, even with two dogs I'm lucky if I get around to it once a week. People who visit us know that we have dogs, and know to wear light-colored clothing :D Of course, we don't have kids crawling in it either; that makes a difference.
Gardenarian
7-23-12, 3:54pm
I'm finding that I have to consciously stop myself when I'm doing hard work and give myself a break - every 20 minutes or so - or I just feel awful. I'm 54 and the decrease in my strength and endurance in the last 10 years is pretty scary. I'm active and exercise and all that, so I don't know if there is anything that will help. I really enjoy fixing up the house, gardening, and all sorts of outdoors stuff and I wonder how I can be happy if I am not able to do these things.
I feel like I need a personal trainer!!
Our entire interior needs painting, and I wouldn't have thought twice about doing it in the past - but I'm going to hire it out. And I feel kind of guilty about that.
puglogic - I've always called that "back-intensive" gardening. Double digging is not for me - my soil is pure adobe clay.
Funny, the Stanley Steamer guys just left. While my dw is in DC I decided to schedule the carpets to be cleaned I have man handled the rental machines for the last time!
Check that off my list. When dw wife is gone -- I know how to party! Carpets shampoo'd, ovan to be cleaned, rear gutter to be cleaned out, Comforter to laundrymat to be cleaned, wax her car, yard clean up, string the beans in the garden, trim the roses, clean the fireplace out, defrost freezer, etc. -- woo hoo I am on a roll. :D
Now dd and I are going grocery shopping...she has informed me we have NO CEREAL in the house -- her main stay!
Tussiemussies
7-23-12, 5:29pm
Funny, the Stanley Steamer guys just left. While my dw is in DC I decided to schedule the carpets to be cleaned I have man handled the rental machines for the last time!
Check that off my list. When dw wife is gone -- I know how to party! Carpets shampoo'd, ovan to be cleaned, rear gutter to be cleaned out, Comforter to laundrymat to be cleaned, wax her car, yard clean up, string the beans in the garden, trim the roses, clean the fireplace out, defrost freezer, etc. -- woo hoo I am on a roll. :D
Now dd and I are going grocery shopping...she has informed me we have NO CEREAL in the house -- her main stay!
Greg44 that is SO sweet that you did all of that work while your wife was away!!!
Wink wink nod nod! May have to get living/dining room tiles on floor done when hubbie is away! Great stealthy idea.
Gregg, you are a gem! I hope many & varied appreciations are yours.
I must say, despite the full day of recovery I needed today, I am happy to say that the floors literally look new. It's a good thing I like the house, because we got our tax appraisal on Saturday, and when I finally got around to sorting the mail last night, I saw that our appraised value has plummeted to below our purchase price!
I knew we were underwater due to a second we took out, and have been just fine with that, because we used the cash for some pretty important things (getting custody of DH's kids, braces, other medical & some home improvements), but below the 2001 purchase price?!? Sheesh. Of course, this means our property tax will go down, so woo hoo!
We're quite obviously here for the long haul, so I am über glad for the floor renewal. And, this weekend, DSD comes back to continue the interior painting projects, and in trade, we're covering her health insurance premiums. Nice deal, and she is really good! If ya can't be in the house ya love, love the one you're in. (Apologies, C, S & N...)
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