We plan on replacing our carpet in our living room and hallways with
hard wood flooring. We have found a 3/4" solid Manchurian Walnut which
is hand scraped and distressed at HomeDepot for $4.99sqft. My wife and
I really like this specific flooring. We looked at Bruce, Anderson
Virginia Vintage, et al but like the HomeDepotDirect floor by looks
better.

I have read all the horror stories about installs with Home Depot. We
plan on having someone we know that has been doing hard wood floors for
10 years install the flooring.

If we don't do the install through Home Depot, what do we need to be
aware of? So far all I've read have been install issues, not issues
with the actual product.

Thank you.