Thanks for the comments. I'm going with some Bruce on sale at Home Depot for $3.98/sq. ft. It's the same as the original samples our guy brought over, but after looking at various different models at HD it somehow doesn't seem like the bevel is that pronounced anymore :-). Anyway, I figure if I just can't live with it I can have him refinish and that would fill in the bevel gaps, right? The finish looks like gloss whereas my current floors aren't, so I might need to do that anyway if the difference is too obvious. Are there down-sides to putting another layer of finish on pre-finished flooring?

My younger dog is allergic to dust mites so the carpet in the bedroom had to go. I have an older dog too and she tends to slip easily, so I wanted something that was soft and non-slip like carpet, but easy to keep clean. Money is very tight because of all the vet bills, so I needed something inexpensive that I could do myself. As an experiment, I put down EVA foam tiles. I went with really cheap ones from Walmart (sporting goods department) and did the whole 12x13 room for less than $150. I cleaned the slab well and filled the tack strip holes and other imperfections with a premixed product from Home Depot. The tiles were very easy to lay. The whole room took about four hours with about 2/3 of that time spent cutting along two walls and two doorways. Just used a utility knife and straight edge. The tiles are loose laid except for two strips of carpet tape in each doorway. I'm kind of embarassed to admit that I actually like the floor. It's well cushioned, non-slip, and very easy to keep clean. I was concerned about things leaking through the seams (older dog is incontinent), but that has not been a problem so far. One drawback is that the floor is ugly. I'm considering replacing it eventually with better looking EVA foam tiles that I've found online.

Many of the contributors here also happen to overlap on the other site that you received more feedback. You can probably expect similar sentiments... Nothing to write home about on your list. A higher end product would be recommended for long term satisfaction and performance.

You can have a runner on the stairs stop at the top of the stairs and not continue into the upstairs hallway. There's also no reason why you can't have something different on the stairs than what you have in your bedroom. There are certain kinds of carpet that hold up better on stairs. Stairs get much more use than carpet in a bedroom. I would definitely not get as light a color as you have now, but after 20 years, nothing is going to look good. If you live in an area where you have carpet stores, visit them and look at what they have. Ask them what they would recommend for stairs in particular and bring sample boards home. Keep in mind the colors found in adjacent rooms and the style of your furnishings.