I use the search function from time to time. often I'll almost find what I'm looking for. my question will be partially answered, but I'll want more specifics. instead of commenting on the old thread from 2008 I'll just start a new one. it doesn't seem to ruffle any feathers. now I'll admit I get a little annoyed, briefly, when I see a bunch of new "can you identify my seedling" threads started in a row, but again, that's very briefly. and then I or someone else will go and help that person, and odds are they quickly or eventually become a knowledgeable and helpful member of the forum who posts interesting questions and starts interesting discussions. heck, my first post here occurred when I was about 2 weeks into my first year gardening. I was an idiot. now I feel like I kinda sorta know the answers to most of the really easy questions, and I try to make meaningful contributions here. key word there: try. and in terms of arguments, honestly I think I'm one of the biggest A-holes on this forum, that says something, and that's probably a good thing. compared to the stuff I've seen on many other forums this is one of the most friendly places on the internet (if you wanna see people flipping the f out over nothing, go take a look at martial arts forums, or better yet read some physics forums).

For your dog to pee in a 'new' home isn't that unusual. My male dog would be tempted to do the same but once he knows it's not allowed (or we're living in the home) it's no longer an issue. My current dog has never had an accident in the house, but when the carpet layers had to pull up new carpet (long story) they found a pee spot....left by my dog! They said it happens all the time with new carpet! I think the best you can do is buy a black light and look for old stain marks, then treat them with an enzyme cleaner such as Natures Miracle or Odormute. That will give you better results than any carpet cleaner. Accept that you may never be able to rid the house of hidden odors. If the previous dog had a problem marking the house, then there's a good chance the pad and subfloor are holding the odor. Give your dog a short course on house training, which is something any dog going into a new household should have, and watch for and treat any areas she tends to sniff more than usual. I don't think you'll have a long term problem if your dog was good about not going in the house. This post was edited by annz on Sat, Apr 13, 13 at 0:25

I am doing 1st and 2nd floors. Below the 1st floor is basement. I laid an 8mil vapor barrier before the basement slab was poured... overlapped, seams sealed... my basement is VERY dry. Within 1-2% moisture content reading of 1st floor. Are you saying that hardwood floors are affected by moisture from below predominantly? How much impact does moisture on the finished side of the floor have compared to from below? With the very dry basement, it seems to me that Bostik's Best with a permeability of 5.9x10-4 is going to also give ma an additional layer of protection... in addition to filling any voids and eliminating any possibility of squeaks caused by board movement from walking on it. Jeff

Maureen, your question made me realize I have no idea for my own kitchen. I actually looked up every single color mentioned in your thread-- it was really helpful. I'll have to check out the old house forum as well. I think the accessories, hardware, & paint will be critical since dark shaker-style cabinets can often look very modern. Kelleg, Downstairs is all a cream color (almost white, really). Upstairs, our bedroom is yellow (previous owners had painted it that color and it actually worked really well w/ our art, furniture, etc). One kid's room is BM Northern Sky (almost a wedgewood blue color) and the other children's room is lime green (previous owners' choice, but we really like it). Our art is really colorful, so we were thinking of leaving the walls white in the kitchen and then hanging on of our larger paintings in the eating area....