Laurie, This is the Rocky Mountain Oak. It is not shiny and there is some variation in the color but not much and no beveled edges. I think that's what you were asking about. We stained the steps as best we could to match the floors. First we painted them a color that was something like the floors and then put the stain and poly. over it. We're happy with the way the steps turned out since we aren't very handy. This picture was taken at night but I think it shows the true color of the floor better than the ones I took during the day.

Never tried a Roomba. Does it hold a lot? Would it pull dirt out of a rug? I think of these as useful for crumbs, other loose debris, but don't know. No, it doesn't have a big reservoir -- expect to empty the "pan" every time it runs. Yes, it pulls dirt out of a rug; it is a good vacuum. Pretty much every time I run it, the pan is full of dust and dog hair. Because my daughters and I both have long hair, the Roomba beaters do need "cleaning" about once a month -- I suspect that in a house of short-haired girls or all guys, this wouldn't be an issue. I sit down on the floor, remove the beaters, and use scissors to snip off the hair; it takes about 10 mintues a month. What I like about it, of course, is that it requires NO effort on my part: We "live" in our family room, so I run it 3-4 times a week in there. I close off the door to the hall, close off the door to the office, move the trash can and a bar stool to prevent it from running into the kitchen, then push a button. When it's done, it returns to its charging station. I must disagree that hardwoods are easier to care for. I know it's not the current trend, but I do think 60s housewives were on to something when they covered up all their hardwood floors with wall-to-wall carpet. I prefer taking care of carpet too. I don't think 60s housewives chose carpeting IN SPITE OF the extra cleaning it requires. They chose wall-to-wall carpeting because it was a new trend, because it is warmer, and more friendly to sit upon. You haven't said whether or not you have children, but two people could be quite comfortable in less than 1700 sq ft. The smaller the house, the less to clean, it costs less to build, less taxes, less for utilities; the HVAC system will cost less because it is smaller, etc. As scone911 said, you could save enough to pay someone to do the cleaning. The goal isn't to have a small house; rather, the goal is to have a right-sized house. You need adequate storage and space in the right spaces ... but not wasted space that'll just be -- as you say -- more to clean, more to build, more to tax, more to heat and cool. The house in which I live now is a study in where not to place space. We have a giant master bedroom -- but the empty space at the foot of the bed isn't particularly valuable. At the same time, our master bedroom closet is cramped. Likewise, we have a giant kitchen, which means that replacing the counter tops was very expensive, but our combination walk-in pantry /laundry room is too narrow for comfort. I wish I could move some of the space around!

Hello there! Well, Cancork, we finally prevailed. The inspector stated many things done incorrectly and offered no remedy. The contractor refunded our money, removed the flooring and hauled it away. Although the insurance company could not actually "make" him do it, he is in danger of not getting paid if we did not sign a certificate of satisfaction. Also, most of his work comes from the ins co. Now, that we are walking on that old tile AND concrete in the dining room again, the anxiety to committing to a new floor is awful. Do we try vinyl again or just do a laminate or bamboo.....very hard to decide. I think since the whole thing was started by a water leak, the water issue is steering us back to a vinyl. We just got a quote and the installation is more than the product. You warned us all about that, didn't you? That being said, we live in Texas and it seems everyone's house moves to some degree here. That being said, is a glue down vinyl an option for us? As a reminder, we have an old vinyl glue down floor in one large room and concrete in the other right now as a subfloor. That hard board in a laminate will damage easily in a if wet too long. We are paranoid that even a cup of coffee spilled on it would mess it up. You mentioned putting back carpet in an earlier post but to be honest, that would be a detriment to resale here and I am tired of the dust and cleaning. Your best recommendation?

So let's talk the about the difference between an engineered hardwood and a vinyl plank. And there are more than just the difference between the two flooring options. There are many differences within each type of flooring. For example: engineered hardwood flooring can come in different thickness overall and vinyl planks can come in different plank styles (glue down, WPC and SPC). Let's break this down for you guys a little further. Engineered hardwood is an incredible option for an authentic with longevity in mind. Typically is worth less than it's hardwood counterpart (hardwood) but in some instances, depending on the wood species, a high end engineered hardwood veneer could be worth more than a low grade hardwood such as your North American (domestic) species. Engineered hardwood is more often on the 7/16" side of thickness and that is your more price friendly thickness. You can special order a thicker 3/4" board, but that will come at a heftier price because it's added layers. The added layers create a more stable plank that expands and contracts at a lower rate than it's 7/16" counterpart. Engineered hardwoods always should and for the most part come prefinished with an aluminum oxide coat. This very coat is your barrier against everyday beatings from walking traffic and dropped items. This coat is very tough but no floor or finish is indestructible. You will have dents and scratches pop up over the years. Depending on the company, you can buy "refinish kits". Although, technically you cannot refinish aluminum oxide, the kits just help you hide the scratches until you decide to do a professional refinish to your floor. Lastly, let's talk about refinishing your hardwood floor. Please have a professional do it! And it is very expensive to do this job. Depending on your floor size it can cost well over $3,000 USD. At this rate, you are in the market for a high level LVP. Which brings me into the luxury vinyl plank spectrum. As you all are aware, LVP's are dominating the flooring market and they should be. They do a very, VERY good job at imitating a hardwood or stone surface and multiply the longevity all the while. Vinyl has come a long way in the last couple of decades let alone the last few years as far as planks are concerned. There are plenty of options and so, so many different brands all wanting you business. Luxury vinyl planks can be divided into two different categories in the market right now: glue down or floating. The first generation of vinyl planks are your glue downs. They are still very popular and serve as one of the friendliest DIY repair floors. You simply heat the old damaged plank, peel it and put a new one down. The floating aspect of planks gets a little more complicated as you can have a WPC (wood polymer composite), SPC (stone polymer composite) or a loose lay style. And you can look those up to see the complete difference in each to see what's your most needed. I'll lightly go over each to explain what they are. While all three styles are virtually waterproof, you really can't go wrong with any and will have a good product in each one. WPC's are a click based plank which does not require an underlayment, hence being labeled a "floating" floor. The foaming agent in the core of the plank helps with sound absorption and makes the plank a little more friendly to stand on. It's a thicker overall plank and you should think about how the trims will be affected. SPC's are a click based plank which also does not require an underlayment which helps reduce the installation cost. The core is limestone based and makes it very rigid and tough. It's extremely dent resistant but for the most part is lower in wear layer for some reason. You can however find plenty of SPC's with a higher wear layer, nearing 28-30 mil, but it will cost you more because you will have a high dent and scratch resistance. And finally you have your loose lay planks which are the ultimate form (as of now) in easy maintenance and installation. They do not require an underlayment, do not use a click system and don't need any adhesive (although some installers recommend gluing the perimeter). They have a friction backing which let you lay the plank adhesive free without any movement on its end. The plank itself is waterproof and pretty dent resistant. While engineered hardwood does cost more and is less maintenance friendly, it does add value to your home with the hardwood veneer. The ability to refinish gives you a long floor life but the cost of a refinish is a setback in itself. Luxury vinyl planks are a low cost and long lasting floor option but adds little to no value to your home. The endless options of styles and colors gives you endless customization to your home at a far less price. Either option can last a while but at this time vinyl planks are a better option for any household with multiple members, both human and furry alike. I hope this little bit of information helps in the short and long run. Just a flooring dude.