hi all. this is a fairly urgent question:( we just bought a house...a (mostly) cosmetic fixer-upper. well, we set the closing date to give ourselves a month to do what had to be done before moving in, but now it's not looking like enough time. the problem is the flooring. i had *thought* that it was hardwood flooring underneath the (extremely nasty, old) carpets, and we were just going to refinish them. well, as i've been ripping up carpets it seems the floors are simply subflooring!! what a %@*! shock that was! so now we have three weeks to get new flooring in. i'm becoming fairly broke as things go on, so i don't have tons of money to spend on this. we did have our hearts set on hardwood, but spending about $4000 now is not an attractive option. here are my questions: 1) i don't think i have the skill to lay a new hardwood floor myself, but someone told me i could...what do you think? (i'm handy, but no carpenter) 2) if i AM going to spend the money would i be better served by getting ceramic tile or hardwood? we have three dogs. 3) is parquet flooring very difficult to install? it seems much easier to me then hardwood. 4) does parquet always need a plywood layer beneath it or can it go right over the subflooring? i've seen both instructions... thanks SO much in advance.

Is there any kind of finish you can put on a prefabricated brazilian cherry floor? Also, what is the best way to clean it. Thanks