The floors that wouldn't end

To make a long story short, the floors are a big part of the reason the blog hasn't been updated in awhile - they started the stress train. They have been the most frustrating part of the reno to date.
Pro tip: if you move into a new house and you think you're going to want to re-do floors, ALWAYS do it before you move in. Always.

However, after four loooooong days of no furniture and dust an inch thick on every wall on our first floor, we have absolutely stunning new main level floors.  We went with laminate in a "pecan" color made by Hampton Bay, which I think will look incredible opposite the light entry tile and the white and light gray kitchen. I think I mentioned at some point that hardwood doesn't do well in the desert - apparently it needs the humidity. Major bummer, but laminate is almost impossible to scratch plus really easy to clean.  And I am amazed after having hardwood floors in DC how you can hardly tell the difference!

A before and after sampling below: