You could find a contractor who will adjust your floor so that the new product will lay flat. Yes...this may cost $$ to do, but if a flat result is what you want?... Why anyone in this day and age would choose outdated and old technology oil based polyurethane is beyond me. Now I can understand a DIYer going to a big box home improvement store and selecting polyurethane off the shelf...but some professionals still use the stuff and it makes no sense at all, except for the fact that it usually is the 'cheapest' floor finishing material available...so they can make a bit more money per job.

Forgive me for hijacking the conversation, but there usually is no valid reason for a customer to move out of their house during sanding and finishing work. It is mostly now something for the convenience of the contractor and not to protect the homeowner from finish fumes. Of course, those still using explosive and noxious smelling products and products that take a long time to dry and cure will still insist that customers rent a room for the duration. Quality, two-part, professional use waterborne polyurethane is durable and will certainly last a long time in a residence. My lower quality waterborne polyurethanes are lasting ten years on average before anything has to be done to restore their appearance; the two-parts will give even better and longer service. Get a professional in to assess what you have and what can be done to restore them...sometimes the restoration results in a floor that is better than new. In my opinion, don't bother inviting professionals who are refusing to move with the emerging technology.

With the right tools (like say a RightAngle screw-driver, etc), good instructions, and lotsa patience/time, it should be doable... You should be able to practice one set first. Then the rest will be easy to do. Apart from books, DVDs, etc., what may also help is to get a cabinet from say some place like IKEA, see how it all goes together, and replicate the process. Return the cab after that. The only gotcha that I can think of, is if you are working with particle board boxes/drawers - if a mistake is made wrt holes drilled, it could a little painful to rectify the mistake. It is little more invloved to "fill" with wood-fillers (pastes made from quick drying water-soluble powders) and then relocate the holes/screws. Best, /venkat

We don't have any plans to put a rug in where the transition area is. The area rug we had in there before was on the old wood side. There really won't be anything covering that space. On the step up area (which you don't really see in the picture), we also had some new wood laced in with the old (from the removal of a pony wall). The wood flooring extends from the end of the tile in the kitchen through the rest of the house. There are 2 boards width plus the step down edge and they actually blend a bit better. I assume part of the problem is the large space. @Jan Moyer - this is a great room, and other than the tile kitchen, the rest of the house is wood flooring (sans bathrooms). The step does suck, but we're living with it. The potential to change the stain on the great room floor would accentuate that there is a level change. There are, what I believe, are sander marks anyway, so re-sanding probably needs to happen. Going with some test stain patches is the best way forward I think. At least we'll have a better idea of what we'll have to live with. I'm just hoping we can get some warmth in the floor color without the more dramatic transition change (it is a bit more than what the picture shows but the picture does demonstrate the change).