When I said level I think I actually meant flat, unfortunately. I have stopped filling in cracks now, however. My fingers are numb from pulling out those inch-long staples in the plywood in the kitchen -- must be 75 of them per board (I use a little nail puller tool and hammer and pliers and it takes forever). The store said it would be easy to remove the kitchen vinyl and underlayment but I do NOT think so. Each sheet is glued down AND stapled with all those horrendously long staples (and sometimes nails as well). I wish I had left the kitchen alone for now and I hope at some point the result will be worth all this effort and expense.

Thanks, bus-driver. I showed this to my son & he did try this rope method on one of the spaces. He used filler on the other spaces & we have pretty much readied the floor for finishing. I appreciate you help. sahsah

Thanks! @hollysprings, we are planning to extend the kitchen into the breakfast room, although between stairs and entry it's not as much useable space as it seems. @klem1, the main sewer line is located just behind the washer/dryer in the utility room, so about 5-6 feet beyond the kitchen sink drain. No one has suggested tunneling, or given me many details at all; we were all set to start with a contractor in September whose firm then imploded. So now we're waiting for a bit more warmth to start fresh. I wanted to get an additional quote on the cabinets, which is when a KD insisted that I was crazy to consider cracking the slab.

When it comes to "trends" vs. "timelessness" you want to look at your personal timeline for selling. Are you planning to sell in the next 5-7 years? If so, go with the trend and ignore your own tastes. If you sell in a few years then you are not buying/constructing the home for yourself. You are creating it for the NEXT buyer. If you are in it for the long haul (7+ years) then you put in the floor that makes YOU happy and that makes YOU smile and that makes YOU feel better about your choices. If you want flooring that can be "extended" into other areas for a later remodel (like in 10 years time) then work with the 3" product. It will be around for a long, long, long time. Wide planks are trending HEAVILY right now. They come and go. And if you are in there for 10+ years, you will want to have the option of refinishing so that when it comes time to sell, you can update your floors for $5/sf instead of having to pay someone to rip out and replace the floors ($10+ per square foot for a job like that).