MarkRG said:When we moved into this house we had the opposite. There was already carpeting down in what the previous owners used for a living room. Our intent was to dump the idea of a living room and make it the dining room as there was a prefectly good completely finished rec/living room in the basement. And the fact we have an excellent formal dining room set that was from Field's(not bought by us tho-longer story).
Pull up the rug to discover... a near perfect oak hardwood floor! Not veneer, real oak tounge in groove. Only problem was a number of drywall screws that had been shot in to quiet squeaks. Backed them out, countersunk and put them back in, covered with wood filler. They look like pegs in the floor now. Then I refinished it myself, proper sanders and all, What a dust mess that was! Two nice coats of polyuerthane later and it really looks great
Makes you wonder why someone would cover that up.
An area rug to define a space or add some color maybe.
I love hardwood floors and now that Nick was tested again for allergies and reacted to Feathers, mold, & dust mites hardwood floors will be a big consideration when we go to look for a house.
It's a good thing the kids wrapped your presents yesterday while you were at work. 
