I briefly owned a Bosch FLer that caused vibration problems. My laundry room is on the first floor, over a basement. The placement is such that the two rear legs are directly above the main support beam in the house. As it turns out, my floor is too flexible for a Fler. As I was unwilling to spend the kind of money that would be needed to fix this and still look good, I returned it and got the Whirlpool Cabrio HE. So far I love it, I have not had any problems with the laundry, and there are no vibrations even on high speed spin. I was afraid to get this at first because of stories I have read, but I am so glad I tried it. My salesman wanted me to try the Duet FLer to see what would happen, and said he would change it out again if that caused vibrations, but I was getting really tired of waiting for deliveries and pick-ups (my first front loader had a problem and had to be replaced). Good luck, let us know what you decide and how it works out for you. Just make sure that the store you purchase at is willing to exchange if there is a vibration problem, and that they will not charge you for restocking or delivery of another machine.

Wow, I was thrilled to find this thread. We have just refinished our hardwood floors, and after the cost and what we went through to get them refinished, I am determined to keep them looking new! We raised 3 boys on them and they were pretty beat up, particularly in front of the refrigerator with water damage. Now, I am contemplating what, if any, rug I might place in the kitchen. I'm thinking a runner at the sink/prep area, and a 2x3 in front of the fridge. I'm interested in the comment by one that the floor/finish is not showing wear and tear after 7 years - I would hope for that! If I get a rug, I want something easy to clean/throw in the wash or hose off. Has anyone used polypropylene on hardwood? Crate & Barrel has some indoor/outdoor rugs made of that in a neutral color, I just want to be certain that product wouldn't scratch the floor. I tend to be an all natural gal though, cotton and wool. I would prefer to have nothing, if I felt certain the prep area wouldn't show wear. I'm thinking all cotton, with no pad or backing, is a good choice to try, throw in the wash, and if I don't like it I'll go back to nothing. I wanted to comment on rugs placed for comfort - I have always worn house shoes with great support for long hours in the kitchen, which are far better than any rug/gel rug can provide. Back in the day it was Birkenstocks, but a few years ago I discovered Fit Flops, and they are the best!! Got that cushy support under your feet with every step. :-)

You can't nail or staple to concrete. So your options would be to glue or, yes, forgot about floating. Not sure I'd want to float a floor with potential for liquid spills. Research slab installations for limitations and requirements, but the specific flooring documents will tell you how they need to be installed and cared for. It looks like the linked floor is 3/4'. Glue down is typically 3/8', some can go up to 1/2' but I'm not sure it's a best practice. Can't remember floating specs either but they are usually thinner, maybe up to 1/2' and need to be at least 3 inches wide, as I recall. They are certainly easier for install and removal. These new floors just do not hold up like the solid wood ones of the past. Engineered can be better than solid depending on the weather in your location. Beveled edges are often if not always used for prefinished floors so the boards can fit together as a flush surface. With square edges on solid unfinished, they install, sand flush and then finish. There are micro bevels that are less noticeable. Be aware of the board lengths of the floor you select, if you want a traditional random length look. The cuts today are often shorter and sometimes even all the same. Note how much variation in color/grain there is. There is a scale for comparison. Also be aware of the way floating floors sound and feel under foot, with or without underlayments, before you commit. They have a different hollow sound and feel. One I walked on in a show room, supposedly professional install, squeaked like the devil all over. Unfortunately, you need to do your research quite a bit on this! Make sure you know how they will install it so that it will meet specs. Avoid the mass production stair stepping method and H joints. Make sure the wood is acclimated to your house for a number of weeks; stored flat, only two or three boxes high. Floor must be flat and level; checked for moisture content and be in equilibrium with the flooring boards moisture content at install . Etc! And verify anything I've said, lol. Installers are not necessarily diligent (or even reasonably careful) with this stuff. Here's a link with some pointers: Here is a link that might be useful: Hardwood installation tips This post was edited by snookums2 on Wed, Jul 31, 13 at 20:11

Thanks for all the suggestions. Where the entrance widens is actually where to kitchen begins (appliances are hidden to the left), I've added a wooden bar table and black chairs that go up against the right wall in the kitchen. The length of the entrance before it widens is actually 10ft now that I'm measuring it with tape. I'm picturing a 6ft runner at the entrance and then a 3x5 area rug in the kitchen (where it widens in the pic). Do you think the runner and area rug should be a set that go together? Any help with that would be great!