You need to do a little more archeological digging still. You need to know the whole construction of the floor before you can decide how best to install something new. I'd take up that plywood piece in the kitchen and see what's under it. It's higher than the surrounding floor, so needs to go. You should also be able to see from there what subfloor is under the original kitchen hardwood. It's too bad the space under your entryway is finished, but I'd still do some exploring from below to see what's under there, and to figure out the fix to stop it from squeaking. Is it drywall below or a drop ceiling? I know it probably seems like a pain to tear out drywall, but if you cut out a clean patch, like 2' x the width of the joists, it'll be relatively simple to repair. Just make sure to cut it down the center of the joists so that there's room to screw the patch piece to it later. Cut the hole under the area that squeaks the most, if you can. Have someone walk on and watch the floor from below to see what's moving. It might be as simple as pounding in a couple shims from below, or face-nailing a loose board from above. You want to find out what's underneath the hardwood. It might be laid directly on the floor joists, or there might be 10" wide boards that the hardwood is nailed to. Another thought is to take out a board in the hallway, since that's not original and you want to replace it. See what the subfloor is there. I am a bit puzzled at why, when you've stripped the kitchen down to the original hardwood, it's still higher than the hallway floor. Is your current surface perhaps not the original kitchen hardwood? Peeling back the plywood area will help determine that. BTW, I haven't heard of that stop squeaking product you linked to, so can't offer any personal opinion. And don't pour self-leveling compound over top of hardwood. It needs to go over plywood.

T&G flooring is nailed through the tongue, so you want to start at the wall /edge which the tongues face. The last boards would have been nailed in from the face with finish nails. You will no doubt spoil these first boards in getting them out. A cat's paw nail puller and a flat bar will be useful in getting the flooring up. The fewer tongues you spoil, the better. 600 sq ft would be a very long day. You would not be able to get the wood ready for transport in that time. You will need to carefully pull all the nails so that they don't damage the face of the wood. If you let the flooring get wet, it will be quite ruined, as it will warp, and the nails will stain. If it's nice wood, it could be quite a nice project, but by the end you alone can judge whether your time was worth it. Casey

Good link to provide amysrq, that explains a lot! We have engineered Mannington Hickory floors in our home, and I have been very pleased with how well they've worn. We have had four dogs, three cats, grandchildren and regular family foot traffic with shoe and heels without any noticeable scratching or wear. Most of the flooring was installed ten years ago, the remainder was put in two years ago, so our entire lower level is hardwood. A hammer dropped once left a slight ding in the kitchen. The ice maker on our frig broke one night and left a 4 x 5 foot puddle of water standing on the kitchen floors overnight. We mopped up the water, opened up the windows, kept a fan blowing and allowed several days for the floors to dry, and you can't tell now where the water stood. This flooring was not the premium line of hardwood that Mannington carries, either, it is probably considered mid-level. One feature I liked is that I was able to match the newer flooring exactly with what had been installed initially - something to consider if you're only doing certain areas at a time. Although hickory isn't way up there on the hardiness/harness list, ours has held up very well. My son just had Brazilian cherry installed in his house, and has already seen dings and scratches. Consequently, he doesn't let his dogs come inside the house anymore, and asks everyone to leave their shoes at the door. I'd hate to have something that sensitive that you couldn't live life as usual inside your own home! I do think it's imperative that you purchase from a well-known reputable manufacturer, even if installing it yourself. Mannington Hickory in Nutmeg finish

Chisue: Thanks for your comments. I am not sure about the lengths that prefinsihed comes in. I need to work that out. Good point if we lay the hardwood across the hall (rather than the length of the hall) it will lnot look chopped up at the bedroom door, closets and living room as that direction would just continue in to these rooms. The other door ways (laundry and bath off the hall) switches to tile. Yes diagonal is more modern. Probably why DH likes it better than I do, as I prefer a more transitional than he does. Amberm: Hope you are enjoying your Ontario visit. I would love to see a photo of your hardwood transitions when you get back to AB (Calgary right?). Thanks for the guidance on joist strucuture if we have plywood (vs the subfloorless days of yore). Our old subfloor is only unlevel in a few points (a few sags). A 1/4 inch would make it taller than the new subfloor. It seems the framers lowered the new floor so it would be on the same plane as the old subfloor. It may be that DH can use 1/8 inch plywood in a few low points instead of the messy leveling compound. Thanks for that suggestion. Do you happen to have a vote on best hardwood direction in our floor plan? Carol