We will be doing some much needed redecorating during dh's vacation next month. Included in this will be removing our yucky carpet in the living room and dining room and refinishing the hardwood floors underneath. Has anyone done this before? Tips? Hints?

We did it the week before we moved in here. We pulled all these ancient carpets and vinyl floor mats. It was a horrible mess. It took 2 twelve hour days with a rented belt sander to do 5 rooms and a hallway. They are beautiful now. Make sure if you rent a sander that you buy lots of extra sanding sheets-in each roughness, you can return any that you don't use, but I went through a lot-one little nail not set properly and you will trash a full sheet, go over the floor with your hand to reset any nails before you start. Ask for a video to show you how to run it, by the time I got home I had trouble remembering every single thing the guy told me about it. I also rented an edger-it was hard on the back but really gave a nice finish. I also needed a scraper to scrape under radiators by hand. This was a project that I was able to work on just as easily as dh-it was pretty easy once you get the feel of the machine and doesn't take strength. Expect lots of dust and do not leave a floor stripped, you need to immediately put a new finish on it or it will stain really bad. Good luck.