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It took all weekend, a load of creativity and much grunting on all fours, but we now have a floor! The sense of accomplishment and satisfaction is fantastic I think because things really look like they’re coming together.
On top of that, our appliance store referred a new installer to us who has, as of
yesterday, installed all our kick-plates! Not only did he show up, but he had all his tools ready and spent the entire day completing the niggly detail work that we are more than happy to hand off.
This is in contrast to another installer who repeatedly would not return our calls nor show up when promised. That’s what has been happening for the past 3-4 we
eks. So after those ongoing letdowns, it is so refreshing to post on a positive note!
So, in total, Chris and I installed the hardwood together for about 4 hours. He continued on his own for another 2, then the next day it was me on my own for 3, then my parents helped me out for another 2. That makes for 19 
person-hours, not including trips to the hardware store for rental equipment pick-ups and exchanges (the hose they gave us did not fit the fitting on the compressor).
Why did it take us so long? The hardwood I salvaged nearly a year ago and unbeknownst to me, was dirty both on the tongue and
in the groove (dirt and sticky sap) and anything but uniform. The boards themselves seemed to come in small, medium and large, which means they didn’t line up well. 
Also, some tongues were thicker and higher set than others.
Needless to say, I now know how to scrutinize hardwood based on how well it will
install! And, once we’ve sanded it down a fair bit and the finishing coats are applied, we will have one gorgeous distressed floor. Hooray!
