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.

Get the professional sander guys in to repair the living areas and kitchen but don't go too dark with the stain as it will kill the lovely grain in the matai. I'm thinking a couple of tones richer than the timber knots showing in your photo, definitely no yellow tone at all. In NZ stepping on to carpet especially in a kiwi winter is so much nicer than a cold floor board shock!!! A nice area rug for the lounge and you're done.

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!

after watching my daughter and her husband agonize over the way their expensive timber floor has not held up well after 3 years, I would recommend tiles/wood look tiles with under heating. Their beautiful warm expensive floor looks like it always needs a clean and polish, not from neglect, they have cared for it well. One of the boards now has a slight and painful moan when it's stepped on :-( I grew up in a completely wood floor home and although it looked wonderful, my Mother hated it. ....and the mats ! Wood is a lot harder to maintain than tiles ,(no matter what the die hards say) the modern wood finishes are much better than they used to be.... But a piece of wood is rather arty no matter what it's used for and it does demand to be loved and cared for.....and if something goes wrong it's a lot more expensive to fix than sand and cement. Ultimately you have to be happy. BTW underheating tiles is warmer than timber :-)