I think Sophie's comments is where things should be looked at much closer. There must be an imbalance of moisture from the basement to second floor. In other words, there are higher Rh levels above the basement causing the crowning. It's usually the other way around where most people complain about cupping that's caused from higher moisture levels from below. (wet basements and crawl spaces) The second level in my view is not as affected as greatly as the first. The two levels are closer in moisture levels, but there's still an imbalance. Of course all this takes time for floors to behave this way, and we're now going into a different season, where the AC will be running. My guess if the RH levels were monitored the last six months or so you’d probably be seeing something like this. I'm using larger numbers just to get a point across. Basement: 15% Rh First Floor: 40% Rh Second Floor: 70% Rh For hardwood floors to function like they’re supposed to or less susceptible to funky appearances, all house levels have to be in some kind of consistent zone of moisture. In Sharon’s case it could have been a matter of plywood sheets separating (a drying condition) and moving in different directions. I’m not the smartest rock in the creek, but after attending an educational session this past week that was put on by the American Plywood Association that looked at issues with solid hardwood floor failures over wood sub floors, I feel smarter. Why doesn't it happen in older homes? Because they’re not insulated to the teeth like the way today’s homes are being built. Moisture is more balanced.

Thanks everyone for your help. My dog is a west highland white terrier, so the scratches are not even just surface scratches. She has run over the same places so many times that there are large slivers of wood missing now. I should have specified that the tile I'm looking at is vinyl. It looks like wood and it even feels like wood. No grout as it snaps together. It's about $5 a sq ft for the one I've chosen (that's Cdn $$). I would definitely redo the hardwood if someone could guarantee a finish that wouldn't scratch, but it doesn't exist (at least not with my dog!). You know the cartoons where the dog runs and runs in one spot before taking off like a bullet? That's my Sophie. Eat my dust (and my wood splinters!). I don't mind the cold at all and I hear the vinyl isn't too bad. I just hope it doesn't scratch!!!

My home has had floating laminate plank flooring for nearly a decade. The finish is still flawless, and I love it. It is very easy for the care routine, just vacuum and spot clean with water.

The 'bubbles' look to be debris that has been trapped underneath (a few layers of) the finish. I could be wrong but from the photos it looks more like debris then finish failure. As to removing the 'sealant' (which we call the finish = polyurethane) there is no way to remove just the finish without going past the staining. The work to do this should be pretty easy because most of the work has already been done. If you have debris trapped underneath the finish (again this is just my assumption based on two photos) you can negotiate the price of the redo. If this is adhesion failure (horror of horrors) it will cost you NOTHING. Adhesion failure is 'paid for' by the refinisher. Right now, we know nothing for sure. If you want to change the colour, you will need to negotiate the price. And you will have to FIND OUT what the finish was (Bona is a brand...it isn't the name of the line...we need the name of the LINE of finish) and make sure it is NOT used again. I have a sneaking suspicion the finish is the Bona Mega which is helping turn your floor orange. You will have to confirm this when you speak with the refinisher about the lumps and bumps in the finish. The refinisher is responsible for 'knocking these down'.