Kitchen 20 x 26 or about 500 sq. feet unfinished oak regular do it all yourself flooring at Menard's last year $1.71/square foot but there were about two or three bundle-worth of bad boards so we bought about another 40-50 square feet later. Add to that the cost of feeding a work crew, renting the nailer, buying nails, etc. and buying the poly coatings. Haven't put in mouldings yet. Lobby area 10 x 26 was $1 square foot remaindered porcelain floor tile, plus cost of orange crack barrier, whetsaw rental, a few trowels, underlayment, thinset, grout, and silicone goo for perimeter.

My business partner and I have installed and finished/refinished flooring in multiple houses. We have invested in the supplies and equipment to get good results and have made our share of mistakes along the way. I know how the work needs to be done and I do not have the physical skills to do a refinish myself. A natural athete, with excellent coordination and muscle control, could probably get the hang of it quickly but not me. I can't keep the machine at a consistent speed forward and backwards and drop/raise the drum at the right moment. I can do preparation, cleaning, hand sanding and scraping and cutting in, but not the actual sanding. If the floor is virtually dead already or in a very low standards rehab, I might try but otherwise it just isn't worth the risk. Clean the floor thoroughly and buy a nice room size rug. Choose paint colors to complement the existing flooring.

clean the cabinets....the space looks as though nothing has been done over the years. When its time you'll have to do quite a bit ...probably a complete renovation. Save money and live with the floor and just use the space. I'd be concerned the appliances may cease to work any time so I'd be tuned in to a possibility they will need replacing and that is awkward . But this isnt the situation where i'd do small things one at a time. ...the result wont be satisfactory. Hopefully the older kitchen was factored into the price you paid for the dwelling.... look at it this way...you will end up with a great kitchen with everything to your taste/needs .

You will get more comments if you post some pictures. What is on the stairs? While the basement floor may be visible from the upstairs, where the stairs meet the basement floor is where you're really going to notice if the materials are different.