Why did they put carpet over this???

This weekend we removed the existing carpet in the entire first floor of the new house. That meant 3 bedrooms, a hallway, a dining area, and the living room. Underneath the carpet was a beautiful oak wodden floor. We have no idea why the previous owners would cover up the wooden floor, it looks so much nicer than the plain, grey carpet they put over it. See how good it looks! Now all we have to do (=Steve) is refinish it, which will most likely take a week or two... In the meantime, I will wash down shelves, closets and walls, and perhaps start some painting.

The picture series below is from the master bedroom. Steve removed the carpets and the stripping along the walls, while I removed the staples. There must have been hundreds in each room. I can tell you more about the blisters I got another time.