2. From what I understand about floor and patin paint I don't need to prime the floor or apply a polyurethane coating after. Any experience with this?

Those area will get the same floor tile as well. One way to help with large rooms and the over all "pattern is to install some room "breaks" In this first pic this is the transition from the bedroom into the hallway. Switching to an "on point" install It is not necessary for the grout line to line up perfectly, the mosaic also helps break up the space.

this same mosaic will be used in the kitchen backsplash to bring in some room to room continuity.

Have you see the peel and stick tile lately? They have so many great options....and laid in contrasting colors in a diagonal pattern....it is a really amazing solution.

My brain seemed to remember seeing an episode of This Old House where they used a great little device to fix a second floor bedroom's squeaky floor.

After some research I found the floor repair kit and it's called Squeeeeek No More.

You can find it in most home centers for around $20 and the repair process is really easy.

The first step is to find the joist under your carpet. You can use a stud finder or tap a hammer over the carpet to find the joist.

The Squeeeeek No More kit also comes with a special joist finding tool that allows you to drill through your carpet without out ruining it.

Once all the joists are found in the area where you have your squeak you need to drill the special screws through the carpet & subfloor. This squeezes the subfloor against the joist and fixes the creaky sound.

For more information and a special surprise that you don't want to miss check out my blog post at http://www.homerepairtutor.com/fix-squeaky-f...

Hope this helps you with your home improvement adventures :)