I need to install laminate flooring near a slanted floor (currently an empty 2' x 3' plywood board) that goes over a stair case ceiling space. There are a couple design questions I've got: [list=1] [*]How should I end the floor? My gut instinct is to use a reducer, but that might look silly if there's just a curved edge that goes up against it. [*]What other options do I have to do with this space that can be easily integrated with laminate flooring? A few ideas I have are: [/list] [list] [*]Don't even treat it as flooring, put in some drywall, and add shelves. But then how would we transition it... do slanted baseboards exist? [*]Add carpeting and use a reducer (the previous owner had carpeting everywhere, but we're trying to avoid it because cleaning up carpets after pets isn't fun) [*]Stick another piece of plywood on top, add Velcro to the top and add cat scratching pads (the litter box is also planned to go into this room). In this option we would also use a reducer, I think but there might be a noticeable sharp edge between the second plywood and the reducer... maybe sand down the corner. [/list] Either way we can't move on with the installation until we figure this out, because the laminate piece needs to be cut to fit the option that we choose.

I have a 4 bedroom house with all 4 bedrooms upstairs. One bedroom has new wood floors - the other 3 already had them. When the contractor finished laying the floors, he sanded the new floors and the hallway so they would match. Remaining 3 rooms were left alone. They put down one coat of finish, and then proceeded with other stuff (painting, etc). The smell was AWFUL. I live in a cold climate, so keeping windows open all day/night isn't an option. They've now finished all other work and are getting ready to sand/apply another coat of poly. A couple of questions: 1. Is there ANY product I can use that won't produce such strong vocs? We've got small kids and nowhere else to stay while this off-gasses. 2. If yes to one, will the color be obviously different than the other 3 bedrooms which were finished with an oil based poly? 3. If no to 1, are there any products I can buy (air filters, etc) to help pull the vocs out of the air? We plan to stay downstairs while the upstairs is uninhabitable