After 3 bad years...all of a sudden in 2007...Guardian Angel came out nice, beautiful and big...very attractive...so go figure. Looking forward to next year to note how it will come out. Abba Dabba Doo has amazed me tremendously for the last 2 seasons. Even today when almost all others have tired...and started to decline...here's my Abba Dabba Do still how it was in June...not a slug hole...no other insects have attacked it...simply an excellent performer. That would get my vote. Wolverine, Blue Mouse Ears, Morning Light and Sun Power all have been excellent growers for me. They also would get my vote. Papou

spring-meadow - yeah, it's weird. The scale in that picture is way off. That's a 9x11 rug and the curtains are 108", but it looks more like a 5x7 with regular 84"ers. I don't know why it photographed tiny. How come my hips never photograph tiny?!? May I ask where you got the corner TV stand? I'm so glad you posted the pic it helps me visualize better. vcheethi - We got the stand at a store called Nebraska Furniture Mart. They also sell online: NFM.com. It's a cheapy -- that TV was in a home theater room in our last house, and was surrounded by a large entertainment center. I wanted something that would "disppear" and keep the wall from showing between the side piers. The stand is actually open with glass shelves, like this... ...I made a black "curtain" the same height as the stand opening and mounted it on a tension rod flush against the opening. The curtain hides the ugly inside, but doesn't block the remote controls. The neat thing about the stand is that it has a recess on the top, with a lip. The TV goes down into the recess, then slides in under the lip, so it essentially "locks" the TV to the stand. Very very secure!

I agree with everyone's advice here and I am someone who usually likes gray. I think gray hardwood only looks good if it looks like the wood naturally aged. Wood is a thing found in nature, so embrace its natural warmth. I really like suzyq53's inspiration photos for your floors, but you could probably do a custom mix that is a medium cool brown if you think those are too warm. I just think your current stain color samples are too grayed out and because your floors are red oak, the lighter you go, the more pink it will look. Also, you should choose a stain color you LOVE and not worry about the dog hair so much in influencing your floor color. They are floors, meant for us to walk on, and are going to get dirty regardless of your shedding pup's hair color. Instead of trying to hide dirt and hair on the floor, just come up with a good cleaning schedule -- maybe get a robot vacuum that can clean the floors everyday while you're out.

I have not used Hurst, so cannot comment on it. I do like beveling. What is the length of the planks. This makes a huge difference in my opinion. I prefer at minimum, 72" lengths.