I have refinished the hardwoods on-site in one area of the house, but the main living area did not have any to refinish, so we put handscraped prefinished from Lumber Liquidators down. Hands down, prefinished was the way to go. My DH was able to do it himself and we didn't have to move all furniture out of the rooms because we could just move it around as needed, didn't have to deal with the mess and fumes, etc. To make it even better the handscraped look is varied and distressed enough to mask the little scratches that WILL accumulate no matter what you do. The refinished hardwoods, which are in the bedroom so don't even see as much action, look like h*ll already and it's been less than 3 years. I have two 80lb dogs though and got a matte finish on those so you will probably not see that happen quite so quickly as I did :) I'm linking LL for you, hopefully it is in your budget. Good luck! edit: I have no affiliate with LL, BTW! Here is a link that might be useful: Lumber Liquidators Handscraped flooring This post was edited by tracie.erin on Tue, Jan 22, 13 at 11:31

I never said anyone MUST have done anything. I'm saying "check" to see what you used....just in case. Here's my own quote: 'Check to see if the bottle says "Cleaner" or "Polish"'. Now...the question becomes why is Bona Cleaner doing this? Bona Cleaner is a chemical with precise properties. If it is over used it can have deleterious effects. Hazing is the most common presentation. Over use is not the ONLY way to get the haze but it is the MOST COMMON. I've seen people have great experience when they used the cleaner sparingly (1-4 times per year). I've seen people have decent results with the proscribed use (1 per month). But even then, it can have hazing results. Over use would be considered: 1. Too much cleaner used at the time of the application (too much chemical)....the application being 1 per month (which is the proscribed rate). 2. Too much cleaner can mean too many days of application per month. Anything over 2 days per month (24 applications a year) is considered 'over use'. 3. Too much cleaner can mean (and often does) a mixture of both #1 and #2. A little bit too much cleaner used too often. That 'snick' of over use can be part and parcel of ANY wood cleaner that produces a haze. Armstrong and Bruce cleaner also have this issue. So it isn't just Bona....it's just the one with the BIG name that people choose to complain about. What is interesting is, the haze does not develop if the floors are toweled dry....which is to say...the CHEMICAL is wiped off BEFORE it can dry onto the floor and create product build up. Can Bona Cleaner produce a haze on the first application with the right amount of chemical? Hell to the yah! For this to happen, there are many things that have to go very wrong...it it can happen. The most common reason it causes haze on the fist application: it was applied to the wrong TYPE of finish.

When it comes to hardwood, trends are something to ignore! Why? Because hardwood is pretty much a lifetime purchase, and unless yours is damaged in some way, you're probably not going to replace it. So, light wood vs. dark wood, wide planks vs. narrow planks -- that stuff's all going to come and go. With that in mind -- as well as the very real concerns about cleaning dark wood -- I'll vote for a nice, neutral midtone every time. Not too much contrast, not too red, and (unless it's a beach house) not too pale. I think this is the wood that's most likely to give you good service and stand the test of time.

Just finished cleaning the kitchen floor (on my hands and knees). I need to correct my ratio posted above. I used a couple tablespoons of white vinegar to 2 quarts of water. Did a section at a time with a well rung cloth followed immediately by drying with a soft towel. I've been doing this for the past eight years. The floors have a satin finish, so they have a slight shine. That has not changed. There are scratches from the cats' claws (even though I keep them trimmed), but that's part of the patina. Those of you using steam mops on wood floors might want to reconsider. Clearing up confusion about wood floor maintenance from the National Wood Flooring Association