You need to do a little more archeological digging still. You need to know the whole construction of the floor before you can decide how best to install something new. I'd take up that plywood piece in the kitchen and see what's under it. It's higher than the surrounding floor, so needs to go. You should also be able to see from there what subfloor is under the original kitchen hardwood. It's too bad the space under your entryway is finished, but I'd still do some exploring from below to see what's under there, and to figure out the fix to stop it from squeaking. Is it drywall below or a drop ceiling? I know it probably seems like a pain to tear out drywall, but if you cut out a clean patch, like 2' x the width of the joists, it'll be relatively simple to repair. Just make sure to cut it down the center of the joists so that there's room to screw the patch piece to it later. Cut the hole under the area that squeaks the most, if you can. Have someone walk on and watch the floor from below to see what's moving. It might be as simple as pounding in a couple shims from below, or face-nailing a loose board from above. You want to find out what's underneath the hardwood. It might be laid directly on the floor joists, or there might be 10" wide boards that the hardwood is nailed to. Another thought is to take out a board in the hallway, since that's not original and you want to replace it. See what the subfloor is there. I am a bit puzzled at why, when you've stripped the kitchen down to the original hardwood, it's still higher than the hallway floor. Is your current surface perhaps not the original kitchen hardwood? Peeling back the plywood area will help determine that. BTW, I haven't heard of that stop squeaking product you linked to, so can't offer any personal opinion. And don't pour self-leveling compound over top of hardwood. It needs to go over plywood.

Wow, thanks! Moonshadow, the pictures of your floors and stairs have convinced DH that he likes Golden Pecan (yes, we are easily swayed!). We have decided that we want the grain evened out a bit and the Puritan Pine does have a nice color, but the grain stands out more than we like. I agree about getting lighter floors, although I love the look of that English Chestnut. We have two pugs (shedders--- one black and one fawn) and two teenagers. Teenagers seem to be harder on things than little ones ;) Honestly, I think I'd be happy with anything that didn't look TOO brown or gray. I lean towards warmer colors. This is SO tough. Thanks, PennyLaney

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.

Your cabinets are quite warm in tone. I worry that a "cement gray" wood is going to clash with the kitchen elements. You've already stated that the original hardwoods have faded. You MUST expect the same to happen to the next wood floor you install. This fading tells me the windows do NOT have the UV blocking protection needed to prevent the fading. So... you may want to pick a floor that looks good as-is as well as what it will fade to over time. Sadly (in my case) the gray will stay true to colour much longer than any other of your choices. The mid-tone brown will probably lose as much as half it's colour. The SUPER DARK floors (ebony, etc) will maintain most of their colour as well. For these reasons, I would highly recommend a natural colour (no stain) white oak or even European Oak (which will turn silvery-gray over time) over any of your choices. Your windows will give you headaches with mid-tone stains. Only SUPER LIGHT (like the gray) or SUPER DARK (like ebony) will maintain their colours. That's quite limiting. So the suggestion for a natural finish (I would stay away from maple as it turns a STRONG margarine-yellow) is a great one. If you want a floor that is more modern, then have a look at European Oak (it naturally turns silver-gray when exposed to sunlight). It is the SUPER START of hardwoods right now.