I have a kitchen that sounds a lot like your living room as far as wear goes. It's the hub of the house, largest & brightest room. The garage door and backyard sliders open into the room. The floor gets the heaviest traffic and toughest use. We're also on a slab. We had a flood over two months ago and are currently without any type of flooring over the concrete slab while we 'negotiate' with our insurance company. I'm in my 50s and hope whatever flooring I choose will be the last flooring I have to put down. I'm sick to death of 28 years of cleaning vinyl. I thought I wanted tile. I decided porcelain was my best bet due to the hardness rating and best durability. Why I don't want tile: I am usually barefoot. The cement is COLD and HARD and my back and hips now hurt if I stand in the kitchen long enough. My 2 year old grandson has fallen twice on the floor--the thud was sickening and he really got hurt. Tile is too hard and cold a surface for me. Same for etched concrete. I considered laminate. Kitchen=moisture and spills. I am a decent housekeeper but not a slave to it. I worry that the traffic will be too tough on the surface or water will lift the seams. I also don't care for the artificial look of it or the sound it makes when walked on with shoes. A weird kind of clicking. After doing a lot of research and shopping around, I'm going with engineered hardwood in a distressed style. It will be warmer and softer under the feet (and grandkid's head and limbs). The distressed style in a matte finish won't taunt me daily to "come clean me . . .I'm not shiney anymore." I've been told a daily Swiffering keeps it mostly happy and presentable. I like that the finish is baked on in the factory and won't need on site finishing. We really can't afford to have the room out of commission for days while it cures. I'll use mats or area rugs at the doorways and sink. That said, I raised two boys in this house with vinyl in the kitchen and carpeting throughout the rest of the rooms. Where there are children, there is cleaning and upkeep and repairs to be done. You're smart to try and minimize your work.

Funny you posted this today ! I was just meeting with a man for my new home flooring and we discussed the moisture level in slabs. I too am on a slab and he suggestes that I have a test done before we determine the appropriate flooring. He did tell me there is a moisture barrier that can be put down (sorry, I can't remember what he called it) he did say it was expensive around $3.00 sq. ft.

Bottom of the siding should have a starter strip, not the undersill trim. Unfortunately, for some reason it looks like they did not start at the bottom with no full piece down there. Caulking the bottom of the wall behind the house wrap (or WRB) is desirable, but caulking the bottom between the siding and concrete is not. If water gets behind the siding in any scenario it needs somewhere to go. This is also the reason they put a WRB behind the siding. So what I see happening is water gets trapped in the undersill trim, then some goes behind and is stuck back there due to the caulking at the bottom. Repair: Take siding on bottom off move house wrap up, and address sheathing if needed. Replace areas if rotten. Use a waterproofing paint on the sheathing of the exposed areas followed by quality concrete caulking between the sheathing wall and the concrete. Reapply the housewrap and siding. Mildew smell more likely coming from somewhere else. Usually due to carpet on concrete. However it is possible the walls are getting water damage and possible mold/mildew in the wall cavity with what you have going on.

Hi @Lynn Morford, I hate to jinx things, but now three months in, I LOVE the floors. I fact, I admire them many times a day (good distraction from current CV craziness). There are about a dozen spots where there were dings or tiny cracks, which freaked me out at first, but I'm pretty sure it was just from the movers. I do take care of them like a newborn child, though--sweep, vacuum, wipe, repeat. Overall, I'm very happy with them! @everdebz, we ended up gluing down. Definitely harder on my body that floating but I've learned to wear slippers or socks and I have yoga mats in most rooms to give my feet a little vacation as I walk through the house, lol. In the end, I trusted @joseph_corlett's comment about letting the contractor make the call on what is best for the situation. Granted, I still pine for the perfect floating feel of my old Junckers flooring, but apparently theirs were unique and most other flooring can't float the same way, so... Anyway, the sad fact is, you can't remove glue-downs without destroying the boards. So fingers crossed you never have to! (I put fake wood in my laundry room and we've already had three floods, so thank god for that decision.)