When it comes to hardwood, trends are something to ignore! Why? Because hardwood is pretty much a lifetime purchase, and unless yours is damaged in some way, you're probably not going to replace it. So, light wood vs. dark wood, wide planks vs. narrow planks -- that stuff's all going to come and go. With that in mind -- as well as the very real concerns about cleaning dark wood -- I'll vote for a nice, neutral midtone every time. Not too much contrast, not too red, and (unless it's a beach house) not too pale. I think this is the wood that's most likely to give you good service and stand the test of time.

I have not heard of that brand but we purchased the Bella Cera Ruscello flooring and when the boxes showed up it said the dreaded "Made in China" on them. What could I do at that point? We had it installed and are very happy. There is not one piece in the 1100 sq ft that has a flaw. Now, it has only been a few months, but no problems so far... And we also did about 60 sq ft of LM St Laurent flooring in our vanity area almost 2 years ago, it was "Made in China", which I did not know until later, no problems with it either.

Laying the new floor in the same direction as the old floor is not the normal way to go about this. In the building industry, it is more common to see layers that are staggered or "bricked". In other words if layer #1 is laid in a North-South direction, then layer #2 (the top layer) is laid perpendicular to it in an East-West presentation. If you want to run the new flooring in the same direction as the old, you will want to use some underlayment (plywood) over top of the old floor so that you can maintain the "staggered" or "bricked" layering system. That is one way to maintain the North-South presentation. Please work with hardwood flooring professionals who have some experience renovating these old gems. They will have seen what worked....and what didn't. Their experience will be invaluable on a project like yours.

When you say "1-2 week project" what do you mean? You mean you want a project to TAKE (duration) 1-2 weeks (uhhhmmmmm....yikes....that's very short for a kitchen refresh)? Or did you mean you are STARTING a project in 1-2 weeks and you need to figure out WHICH project you should undertake? Sanding/staining your CURRENT maple floor to gray is a tough one. Maple flooring does NOT like to take stain. It can be done....but it takes a top level pro to do it. A top level pro = FAR MORE expensive than a new counter top. Painting your cabinets and changing the back splash will give you the MOST BANG for your buck. It can be (relatively quick) - painting will take the full 2 weeks. The backsplash can be done once the cabinets have been painted and are back in their places....or at least when the boxes are painted.