Literally, by the cost and that we actually did it!  We committed to hardwood floors for the majority of our home.  Approximately, 1500 sq ft of the 2700 sq ft.  We are placing them in all rooms except beds and baths.  I am nervous.  I am excited.  I am anxious.  I am stoked! 

We went with Virgina Mill Works 3/8″ x 4-3/4″  Handscraped Tobacco Road Teak which is really Acacia wood.  We went with it for a variety of reasons:

1. It is high on the toughness scale (Janka), like 2200, thus making it harder to scratch and dent

2. It is handscraped which means it is slightly distressed and not super shiny.  This will allow our kids to beat it up and it still look the same.

3. It has high color & striation variation.  Basically, it is multi-tone browns from light to dark.  I wanted to be able to have it blend with all furniture & cabinetry colors.

4. It is not super formal, but not everyday either.  I don’t think this is something you see a lot of.

5. I hope that it will bring some lightness & will open up the rooms a bit.  We don’t get a ton of sunlight and I was afraid the darker wood would make it almost too ”cozy”.

courtesy of Lumber Liquidators

We had a budget that got totally blown due to some things you don’t really think about; namely, glue, t-molding, and quarter round. 

Fingers crossed we LOVE it!  I never can really tell until it is all down.  I am concerned that it might not blend as seamlessly as I would like with existing cabinets & furniture.   I am also concerned that it might appear too “country” or ”rustic cabin”.  Worst case, I see lots of rugs in our future….

This means we have less than 2 weeks (this is when it arrives) to get our wall colors picked out, painters lined  up, and painting completed because it needs to be first in the mini-renovation.

Here is another shot.  This is not our home, but these pictures give a really good idea of what it looks like installed.  Thanks to the folks willing to post on Lumber Liquidators!