New Project: Nursery

In the midst of our bathroom reno, we have begun another project - Project Nursery. We're starting at the bottom and working our way up, and what's closer to the bottom than the floor? A previous homeowner covered the hardwood floors in both the nursery and guest bedroom with a thin sheet of laminate, vaguely reminiscent of wood:

The reason for this travesty cannot be fathomed. Regardless of the reason, it is what it is and something must be done. We were originally going to carpet over it, but I'm not a huge fan of carpet. Allergies, difficult to clean, and expensive. Then we were considering a nicer laminate wood. After the hubster took a peek under the laminate, however, we've decided to give refinishing a go. So out with the trim, out with the laminate, and in with the...black adhesive?

That's right, a lovely layer of black goo graced the hardwood oak flooring beneath. After doing some research online, we determined that the best plan of active for black goop removal was to soak it with boiling water and scrape. While the hubster boiled some water, I ran out to buy a deck mop, and the soaking and scraping commenced:

After a day of soaking and scraping, half of the floor has been freed from the clutches of the black glue. One more half plus a guest room to go! Hopefully sanding will take care of the rest. Wish us luck!