D-I-Y Wood Floors

Problem
We had oak floors under our old carpet and our son has bad allergies...

Solution 
Pull up the carpets and redo the wood floors.  It took many hours of labor and lots of sweat, maybe some blood and a few tears.  BUT it is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L.  We are sooo proud of how it turned out. 

What I would do different next time 
Get a pod or storage unit, clear everything out and do all rooms at once instead of having to do it 1 room at a time.  That is a huge reason why it took so long for it to get done.  We should have sent the kids to Grandma's for a week and stayed with her while it was drying and airing out.

Cost 
Hugely cheap compared to hiring a company to do it for you.  Sander rental (my husband got for free through his work) $40 per day + stain $15 + can(s) of polyurethane $20 each + miscellaneous tools/sandpaper $50 or less = $115 to $200.  A company charges $2 per square foot which could cost you $1000 just for 500 square feet!!!  Redonkulous I tell you!!!

Rewards
It will also give you a great sense of accomplishment and what better reward is that?  You can add tremendous value to the worth of your home as well doing this without having to pay a great amount.  AND, our son's allergies are greatly improved which is the most important outcome.