Carpet has come under fire because of the allergy/asthma reactions. Carpet can hold dozens of pounds of human skin/dust/mites in it. It can never be fully cleaned nor can the dust be completely removed. Because of this, many people are looking for solid flooring options which reduce allergens, reduce asthmatic events, are easier to clean and last longer. High end carpet (the stuff that is worth more than hardwood) still has its place in high end homes - often times in luxury bedrooms/luxury appartments (noise issues have to be taken into consideration) but on the whole, the general public is shying away from wall-to-wall carpets. Cork flooring is seeing a huge increase in sales because it "takes over" for carpet. Soft, quiet, warm, easy to clean, hypo-allergenic, antimicrobial, instect resistant. It is the "go-between" type of flooring for people used to carpet who need to move to solid surfaces for their health. As Canadians, we love this flooring because it is so warm.

Do you want to keep the wood floor? It is rare to see wood floors as garage floors. I've seen homes like this moved onto pour basement slabs (same concept as pile foundation...but with a basement instead of dirt. If you want to keep the wood, then there has to be a way to keep the wood off of the concrete. An 18" crawl space (dirt covered with 6mil poly sheeting or cement) is always an option. The 18" crawl space would have to be cross vented/heated properly. This is for "keeping" the wood. Flooring. I'm not sure what has to be done to remove the wood floor and have the building sit (joists and all) on concrete. Remove the joists and you have plenty of stability problems. You would need to speak with a local architect/building engineer who has some knowledge of what you are trying to do, soil conditions, etc. to get this right. In theory it can be done (we've just landed a small car on a comet...we should be able to put an old building on a cement slab)...I'm wondering about the expense to get it there (excavation + soil stabilization + concrete + piles, etc).

We are a little biased, but wood floors are versatile, durable, clean, and timeless. Whereas carpet will eventually need to be replaced, high quality wood floors can last forever. You can install radiant heat under the wood floors if you are worried about them being too cold during certain times of year, and you can easily install area rugs over the flooring. Wood flooring is also more versatile than it has ever been so you can create any look. As an added bonus you can easily sweep and mop your wood floors, whereas with Carpet you don't always know what is lying below the surface. Good luck!

We had the same issue in an old kitchen, we went with Coopers, There is a stripper then wax that will soak in. The stripper is in spray bottles, but I'd send the dogs on holiday or keep them outside while you're doing it. It'll take some elbow wax, but will look amazing when you're finished. Good luck!