Parquet? Hardwood!

Time to remove the carpet in the Cave (Andrew's office room) and in the living room, revealing the parquet floors to buff and coat with a new finish. Large cracks, loose pieces and buckling showed the glue had dried up, wood had shrunk - floors not worth the repair.

H.  caught my dismay - "Mom, you can't repair this - you burn it."
"Parquet...?" I echo weakly.
"Mom, 'parquet' is what you get in the Louvre! This is kindling."
"I never actually liked this 'parquet'; I just thought we'd use it anyway... New floors aren't in the budget..." I feel myself falling into the abyss of renovation surprises. A classic case of "This Old House"... Where's Bob Vila, or Mike Holmes, when you need him?

Wait - who needs them? We have Hugh! "Mom, I could get you T&G [tongue and groove] maple and install it for free, then have Mike finish it. It wouldn't cost you much more than you'd spend cleaning this up."
" I'd need an estimate of the cost and durability, vs. the repair and its durability..."
"Sure, Mom. No problem."

Home Depot's sale flyer has an ad for T&G birch, with a cherry finish. H. is duly impressed. "That's a great deal, already finished!" Andrew and I compare the finish to our favourite antique pine chest, and the colour is lovely - warm, honey-colored hardwood. It's a deal! Mike O'Neil started shovelling up the 'parquet' - after all, this is not the Louvre! Hardwood, here we come. Round One for Hugh.  Lesson: seize an opportunity to embrace change!