For several weeks I have been researching floors. Doing the research, reading reviews, visiting showrooms, and ordering samples online.

I have decided that we are going with a wood laminate floor. Yeah, I know, laminate is not real wood, you cannot refinish it, it sounds clicky, blah blah blah. I don't care. I already have real wood floors in my home, and they also make a clicky sound when my mom and dad's dog walks across it. It also has scratches and has changed color from the sun. I like it a lot. I just don't want it in my kitchen. I don't want tile--or the GROUT! I don't want vinyl.

I actually WANT laminate. I actually * gasp * LIKE laminate. ( I say this because some forums I lurk on seem to view "laminate" as some sort of thing only a troll living under a bridge would want in their dwelling.)

I spend waaaay too much time online researching every little detail on this kitchen. LOL. I guess you could say that I am TKO (totally kitchen obsessed, for those who don't know). I decided it would be fun to lay out almost all of the samples I have collected thus far. So this afternoon, I did. Then I took a picture so I could really disgust myself with all the money I spent on these!

Here is my collection, for your amusement and to my horror.



Pretty disgus--er-- impressive, wouldn't you say?

NOW, I am relieved to say that among this mess, I FINALLY found my floor. I knew the second that I laid it on my kitchen floor that I found IT! I am totally swooning over it. Yes, it's just a floor, but you have no idea how many hundreds of hours I spent agonizing over this. My DH could tell you this has been pure "torture"--for him.

All the samples that I liked in the least bit (read: did not look like plastic pieces of junk) were subjected to my experimentation and special testing. (cue the maniacal laughter of Dr. Frankenstein.) I took a screwdriver and scraped the entire surface--and not very lightly. If the scratches were obvious, it went into the reject pile immediately. I let water and kool aid sit on them, where they join together. Any change at all, rejectorama! From those, I did the soup can test. I dropped a soup can from chest height onto it. Any dents, dings, or chips--buh-bye. If you could see cat hair, crumbs, or dirt visibly--sayonara!

At this point, I was only left with about 5. The sweaty foot test elimated the high gloss Bruce laminates that I really loved. I was left with Berry Floors. The sample I had was OK, but I wanted to see if there were more colors in that line, so I took a trip to a little showroom that carries Berry. I ended up choosing something from a completely different Berry line. And I am ECSTATIC! Woo Hoo! It is the Castle Rock line, and the color is Red Oak. It looks completely different than the photos on their website. The photo I have taken is much more true to color, though it is richer. I just love it. Here I have it with my door leaning on it.



Now the only problem I have is finding a local dealer who can give me a reasonable price. So far, they are telling me $5-$6 per sq. ft.

I see it online for $2.76/ sf. Really, I would love to give my business to someone local, but they are going to have to come down a tad. A lot of tad.

Anyway, I was sooooo excited to have finally found THE ONE that I just had to share! *singing*

I actually made a decision, tralalalalalalala!

In any case, I can always play "Billy Goats Gruff" anytime someone walks across the floor with clicky heels or nails, Trip, trap. Trip, trap...

"WHO'S THAT WALKING ON MY BRIDGE--er--FLOOR?"