under construction: den update

so, i realized it had been a couple of months since i'd posted an update on our den. since my last post, here's what has happened...

once the floor completely dried, T worked with our contractor to seal it. at first we weren't sure if the solution was to tear up the floor and re-do it since it had cracks in it. but, our contractor assured us that as the ground moves and the concrete ages, this is typical. plus, none of the cracks were large enough so, the best solution was to seal them up. this involved deep cleaning the floor, letting it dry, applying the sealant and keep it damp for four days to let is set properly. after that, it was primed and ready for the next step.

prior to tiling, T and i cleaned the floor of any excess sealant residue so it was ready to go. then, the hiccup came...our floor wasn't completely level. thankfully, our contractor again reassured us that this too is common and there is a very simple way to fix it (see the blue and orange plastic tags above). it just meant that it would take a little more time to complete since it had to be done in stages. 

then, once the tiling was complete, came the grouting. we found out T is pretty great at it but, it is incredibly tedious and messy so, there were lots of expletives used in the process. afterwards, we cleaned the concrete residue, our contractor sealed it and....drum roll please...here's the finished product (below)!  

i mean, how great is that?! we love it so much and couldn't be happier with how it turned out. and while i initially thought carpet was the best way to go, i'm happy T and our contractor stuck to their guns on switching to tile.

now comes decorating :)