Replacing my old hardwood floors was supposed to take four days. Instead, I ended up living on exposed subfloor for months while the flooring manufacturer argued that defective flooring was due to "the beauty of natural wood."

Driven by envy, deteriorating carpet, and one very yellow oak floor, I decided it was finally time to replace the flooring throughout my condo. In this post, I’ll cover how to choose hardwood flooring without losing your mind, the selection mistakes to avoid, and why you should never let a flooring salesperson rush you through a major purchase.