Hypothetically, let's say you have a friend who is renting a house with old hardwood floors (19th Century, Pine) and the friend has a couple of dogs. And the dogs behave themselves fairly well, but they still have toenails, which leaves scratches in the flooring (or at least the polyurethane coating). What can your friend do - on the cheap, if possible - to deal with the scratches well enough to get back the security deposit?

You know you've made a mess in your bathroom when you have to vacuum your tub before you can use it.

So, sadly, the growing season is winding down and harvest time will soon be here. I expect many of us will be very busy. But after the last of the cans and dried herbs have been put up, it'll be time for me to return to the indoor project list. This year's first job: putting a proper floor on a 10x12 concrete basement surface. It's my office, and it's damn cold in the winter. I'd like to change that.

Consider this an open flooring thread, I want to hear any stories and suggestions and environmental correctness concerns you have, as well as ideas about how to do it cheaply. Let's assume I've got a budget of $500.