Rent a good edger (a big drum sander isn't necessary for such a small area). The edger is good, its aggressive and can finish well too. I would recommend for finish: 3 coats of duraseal (minwax makes this) for color and build. Top coat of street shoe (www.basiccoatings.com). It's tough stuff that won't wear through. Thats what I do...not a dissatisfied customer yet.

Hi there, We have solid hard maple floors (4" planks, grade 2, which has character variations, but no knots). The floor is finished naturally in a satin finish. I believe the product used was called Traffic finish or something. First, let me say that they are VERY forgiving. While dark wood floors are very popular right now, I can tell you that natural maple does not show dust and dirt easily. They always look quite clean, even when surface dust is present. Second, northern hard maple is well, hard! I have two boys and a clumsy hubby, and it takes something very hard and heavy to leave a mark. Third, the dings we do have, from a variety of mishaps, are nearly invisible, as the wood tone variations in the maple make them very hard to see. And, as mentioned, solid hardwood can be refinished many times to keep it looking great over the years. I hope this is helpful. Jan

Thank you all SO MUCH! I don't seem to be able to directly comment-on-comments and questions, so I'll do my best to thank you and also to respond to some of these super helpful comments you shared... -- Slate and cork were totally off my radar. Never thought of them as options. So that's something for me to think about. SJ McCarthy, The Cook's Kitchen, thank you so much for your professional input. -- Hard floors -- Jennifer Hogan, ljptwt7, and Beth H., I lived abroad for 16 years and had hard tile floors (called "granite portzelan" -- harder than ceramic tile) throughout the house. Skippack Tile & Stone you're reminding me that I raised seven kids in that house and loved the durable floor that never aged, was light and bright, natural material, and was a cinch to clean. So: I like tile (at least, that type), although I understand it's kind of expensive. That said, I'm heading into middle age, and have already damaged my feet by working too many hours in current kitchen (very thin linoleum over concrete slab foundation) without adequate arch support. Like, really really hurt my feet so I couldn't stand for days, then had to wear Dansko nursing clogs for two years! I often cook for 8-10 hours in the kitchen once a week, so I do take floor hardness seriously. I don't worry about stuff breaking. It either does or doesn't. -- I'm somewhere in the middle re tolerance for my home showing that it's lived in. I like things to reward me with looking clean when I clean them, but my house is more family-comfortable than sleek-modern-shiny. -- jhmarie, yes! Toddlers do grow up quickly! Thank you for sharing your experience with wood floors. My first batch now have toddlers of their own :) and I have my own little one again. So, for the foreseeable future, I expect/hope to be blessed to have babies around underfoot. Yes, kids should head out to the backyard, but until they are about 4 years old, they need to have an adult right out there with them (versus keeping an eye out from the kitchen window), so if I have a ton of cooking to do, they're going to be in the family room/kitchen until someone is available to watch them outdoors. -- Wood: I love the look of wood more than any other floor. I only wonder if it's unrealistic to expect wood to be able to stand up to the stress of a kitchen. skmom, your pictures are very encouraging (and your kitchen is beautiful!). skmom, jhmarie, Eli Mo and A S, I really appreciate your sharing your experience and preferences. I've had real wood floors but never in the kitchen. JAN MOYER, the rest of the first floor is engineered wood in the living-dining area and a guest room, but it looks really awful (it's about 10 years old). I don't expect to be able to change it out at this point. To be fair, that room has an enormous amount of foot traffic, plus we are constantly moving chairs and tables around to reconfigure eating areas, which is hard on the floor. It's also possible that the owner who installed it chose something low end (judging by the quality of the installation, it's likely). So maybe a better quality engineered wood would hold up better. I should probably check on the possibility of refinishing it at this point. Much as I love the look of wood in the kitchen, I think you all here have helped me focus, and also feel less confused. I think I could put in wood and it would be a non-crazy, responsible choice. :) I also think that I am reminded by you how much I loved my old "granite portzelan" flooring, and am likely to go that route for practical reasons, and will be happy with it, even if I don't love it as much as wood. so: THANK YOU!

Sigh...it sounds like a low-end finish to begin with. A duration of 5 years is abysmal. Do you have photos? I prefer a HIGH END 2 part European finish. The toughest of the tough come with serious protection. The gold standard is Bona Traffic HD (the HD is SUPER important). It is easy to find (harder to finance...but you want tough/durable not cheap/useless). One that I worked with on CORK (yes... the softest most difficult hardwood to live with) is Loba 2K Supra AT (the AT is SERIOUSLY IMPORTANT). It is harder to find and even harder to finance but SOOOO worth it. It has a velvety silky feel to it, it is extremely tough and it has some of the best 'low slip' ratings in the industry. No matter which high-end 2 part European product you work with (should be $150 - $220/gallon...) you really want to work with 3 coats of FINISH. A sealant coat can be used...but the TOUGH stuff is the finish = the expensive part = 3 coats to get you a commercial grade finish.