My oldest son was here a good chunk of the time and was a TON of help with the project. He was a real blessing. It was a bit of a challenge as we had to tear down all our Christmas stuff and start the day after, had company and my in-laws 50th anniversary party. Plus, I was NOT off work for the week so climbed over boxes to get to my office and work over the noise of shop vacs and power saws. (In between hammering in boards on the straight stretches)

It's gorgeous and changed the whole look of the house. Kind of makes me feel a bit like we have one of those "uppity" houses. lol Ignore the house, because nothing is put back (see the empty bookshelves?)and the tables have junk all over them.(It's not 'orangy' like that first pic makes it look where the light is hitting - I'm using my old one)

After scouring the two larger nearby towns and much debate we went with an engineered hardwood with a distressed finish. It's real wood, but clicks together somewhat like a laminate. You have to hammer each board in, so it's not an easy "click" but much easier than nailing down. And the floating floor allows for some flaws in the surface.

Anyway, I LOVE the floor and the sore knees and "back-end" muscles are well worth it. Dh deserves a real treat for all this work! He's finishing the entry now. Whew! What a project! I finally feel like I have a "real" house.

I'll try and remember to post about my DOG during this whole undertaking. Oh my!