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I think Max might go kicking and screaming if you take his animal printed rug away.

" but our floors are a little lumpy" what is our substrate?

Until you know that is would be hard to say which way to go besides carpet which I hate too!

There are many plank wood flooring products that are forgiving to bad substrates. If you go concrete you really need to know what you are doing, hair line crakes are normal but if the foundation substrate is poor, poured concrete can be problematic and can be a very expensive endevor.

I had an underlayment less grade plywood in my house and I ended up using slate tiles. They looked great easy to clean, miss them.

i recommend a flooring contractor professional.

i think Lori's answer sounds like the best idea.

Max is beautiful!

We had stained concrete floors installed in our home (very nice but they do need regular repolishing). Since it is poured on top of your existing floor, it should be easy for them to even out your floor when installing it (assuming that your flooring substrate will accept it to begin with).

If you want to go with some other floor, why could the installer not even out your floor prior to installing it? I can't imagine you are the only people who have ever had uneven floors in your home. There has to be a common solution to this problem.

Either way, I agree that it sounds like you need a pro to give you advice.

your options will be greater if you get a reputable flooring contractor, and you may be pleasantly surprised at both the options, especially "green" options, and prices.

Ditto, LoriSF.

Pull up your carpet and see what's underneath.

I installed bamboo -- it installs a little bit like Pergo laminate, but is real (not laminate) and it's less expensive that hardwood.

I used Morning Star bamboo. They have floating and glue-down. You might choose floating for your subfloor type.

You say that you're over a garage - so what's your subflooring?

If it's wood, I'd probably stick to wood, laminate or tile...
...but if it's concrete, you could go with Skimstone.

Vinyl tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms?

My neighbors had a cement slab that was uneven. When the hardwood floors were installed, the installers came out first and leveled the cement. I don't know what they'd do with wood, but I bet there's a solution.

Floating wood floors I believe have some sort of a foamy layer between the floor and the wood (or Im sure you could do laminate like this!) Go to a flooring store and talk to the staff there. You arent obligated to buy, just say you are exploring your options and check out a few places. Employees should be used to questions like yours!

We just installed Pergo flooring (we got it at a STEAL) in a room that use to be a garage. It did just fine with minor floor abnormalities. We didn't have anything major with them. There are leveling compounds that you can purchase for your floor.

We have a lot in common! I also have a cat named Max who is rather grumpy. And I have some other floors in my house that are weird, uneven and currently have the grossest carpet I have ever seen. Good luck with your floors! I can't wait to hear how they turn out.

Install wooden flooring.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!

The subflooring is concrete, and we have vinyl in the kitchen and bathrooms. I pulled up some of the carpet near the kitchen and apart from some carpet nail holes, it looks like the concrete underneath is in excellent shape.

We really considered laminate and would still love to put it in, but we have the undulating floor - and we've heard so many horror stories about the mess and hassle of leveling compounds - and we have stairs. Laminate on stairs? I'm not sure how that would work.

Bamboo is a no-go because it dents/scratches easily. I have two large fish tanks (120 and 55 gallon) that would have to sit on top. So the flooring will need to be fine with a few splashes now and then, and support the massive weight.

Would there be any problem with just pulling up the carpet and staining the concrete subfloor? As long as it isn't crumbling or cracked, that is.

How often does a stained & clearcoated concreted floor need resealing?

If bamboo or wood is glued down you need a flat subfloor. But if it's nailed down it's more forgiving of the subfloor condition. Before I went with concrete I'd be mighty sure your structure will support it. A couple fishtanks are light compared to a concrete floor!

I think a consultation with a pro is in order -- perhaps paying simply for a couple hours worth of inspection and advice, even if you want the solution to be DIY.

Just stick to the concrete and be done with it.

Lori's suggestion another ditto. Get professional help and most important when you get a contractor GET TESTIMONIALS, go see what they have done before.

This is coming from experience. I also had floors cemented on a slab and did do my home work. I learned the hard way. Go see for yourself the work they do. Make sure you see what the contractor did before. I went that route with a deck I had installed and I was very pleased with what the contractor did before and went ahead with it.

Not sure where you live, but in my area, concrete floors would be pretty miserable in winter. And I like carpeting. (There are beautiful carpets, you know... I have a nice Shaws sculptured pile made from recycled fibers...)

You can probably find out about the process of staining existing concrete with a phone call. (I think I have seen it done on HGTV pretty much like painting.)

We're in California, and we're on the second floor so our house is more often too hot than anything approaching cold. I don't think we would have too much of a problem with the concrete being cold. Plus, we like rugs. :)

I'll definitely keep in mind the tip about looking at a contractor's previous work. And the HGTV tip, too!

Thanks everyone for your help!