If you found it at Globus (excellent company BTW) then you will purchase from Globus. The cork dealers keep their colour line-ups a little different. In your situation, you can use a floating floor to save some money...but the glue down tile (which is a Globus specialty) is the way to go. A properly installed glue down cork tile WILL COST the same amount as a STONE or HIGH-END tile installation. The TOTAL cost of the job will be equal. The 'issue' with cork is it is a STRONG yellow. Gold/brass is really it's natural colour. To get RID of those tones and create a gray, you MUST use a deeper gray. As soon as you go LIGHTER you go YELLOW. And I've seen it. It is DISTURBINGLY UGLY....like FUGLY type ugly. The COOL thing about cork, even with HEAVY STAINING is it LIGHTENS. Yes. That strong gold/brass turns BLONDE. As in Lady Gaga blonde! Marilyn Monroe blonde! Gwen Stefani blonde! Now imagine the deeper gray sitting on a very pale wood....it is LIGHTER. Globus is a company that is IMPRESSIVE. If I could afford Globus (I'm in Canada so I would go with Duro Design Cork = same type of product/line/colour options) I would go with Globus. A properly installed Globus cork floor = 150 years of service. Only STONE has that type of durability.

Thanks everyone, I actually asked the neighbor today who has been next door for 40 + years what he knew about the house and if he had seen the floors before they got covered over. He said that in the past 10 years a family came in and put down all the laminate. However, the man who lived here before lived here for most of his life and had everything covered in carpet so I’m hoping that’s good and it protected the wood. I also removed a piece from the first floor and found what I think is face-nailed oak strip flooring. I wonder why face-nailed flooring on one floor and t & g upstairs.

I didn't mean to completely do away w/the curve! It was hard to find the exact photograph. I posted those so you could see some styles of the stairs. All I meant was to lessen it a bit to where you have that landing spot over the side I think this is a waste, too bulky looking, and rather dated. keep the curve, but not like that. Like this. what's wrong w/this one? It's still curved. you don't have that funky ledge either. This fits almost all designs too. also too, it depends on the style of the house, the room, the design. If you have a very classical or traditional home w/classical furnishings, then this would be fine But both of these are rather fussy and on the 'grand' side. Not quite Gone with the Wind, but in that neighborhood. The staircases I posted are little more fitting to a regular home and different styles.

C² Solutions - Do you mind my asking where you acquired the wood piece? It does certainly look like it was used as a mantle. Have recently purchased a similar piece of wood for our outdoor fireplace (on screened in porch.)