pghsteelerfan,

I've had a honey oak 3" in my current kitchen for 21 years. I've had DW "explosions" and a life full of 2 kids (plus friends) and always a minimum of 2 dogs at a time. With 5 herniated disks in my back in the last 10 years I've been very happy with wood in my kitchen even enough to have it in our new home (no question about it). So this time we're putting in a white oak 8" plank with tung oil (no stain).
How I picked my cabinet color was based on the "knots" coloring of the white oak. I had a friend who owns a paint store do a stain that matches the knots and darker streaks of the oak. Then we did a similar (but much lighter) "match" for my alder ceiling. Our flooring should start at the end of next week. Hopefully I can post some pictures for you at that time.

I think the flooring needs to contrast somewhat with the cabinetry. I have a couple of pics, but I'll have to check back in later to post them for you. I've found the hardwood really easy to keep clean!

I am also in the camp that contrasting cabinets and floors looks quite nice. My hardwoods in the kitchen now are a dark gunstock stain, and my cabs are honey oak. I think it looks great and hopefully someone else does too since it will be on the market in 6 weeks!!

New build I'm doing off white perimeter cabs and a very dark birch island. My flooring choice throughout the first floor (most of it) is Ipe. I made this choice because there is such a variation in colors it will hopefully look nice with many different species and colors of wood.

Go to the kitchens forum and look for the finished kitchens blog. You can specify your search to include wood floors, and that will give you a variety of different ideas and looks. I think it comes down to personal preference, but your research should help. You will find that you gravitate back repeatedly to what pleases you. That should be your choice regardless of what anyone else thinks. Good luck!!

Amy (aka, cleveland browns fan:-))

I always wanted hardwoods in the kitchen--with our retirement home I finally got them. What a difference it makes in my back and legs as opposed to tile! So many people told me I would be sorry because they couldn't stand the traffic, water, etc. In retrospect, most of the people that said that were people that had never had hardwoods in their kitchen! They are easier to care for than any tile I've had in the past.

As my goal was a simple, functional kitchen without fussy details, I went with cabinets painted a cream color, and solid walnut floors--no stain, only tung oil finish. To me, the contrast is the interest.

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Thanks for all the quick replies. amyks - I'll be sure to visit there to check on ideas. I love the way your kitchen looks, demifloyd - a very clean look with the white cabinets. If anyone else has pics, I'd love to see how you took care of this situation.

demifloyd- there is nothing about your kitchen that strikes me as just "simple, functional." It's absolutely stunning! It may be very functional as well, but it would fit right into a dream kitchens catalog!

There really are no rules about what colors go together, just personal preference. Some people do suggest going one or two shades apart for contrast. Have you scrolled through the Finished Kitchens Blog? You can get lots of good ideas from there. I'll link it below. We have just been clipping photos out and going to open houses to see what appeals to us. We ended up with Brazilian Teak Floors and Alder Cabinets with a medium brown stain. (both are unfinished so no photos to show you yet)

I think the colors you chose sound good together but without seeing the Whiskey Glaze, I'm not sure. Do you have samples of each that you are holding up next to each other?

As for the upkeep, I've had tile, travertine and wood before. All have their pros and cons but the upkeep on the wood was not a big deal at all. I used my built in vac for quick dusting and damp mopped once a week. We had plenty of spills but never any damage.

Here is a link that might be useful: Finished Kitchen Slideshow

Here are a couple of photos, as I promised. Lindy's correct that there are no "rules," it's all personal preference. I find it best to get samples of as many elements in a room that you can (paint, flooring, furniture or cabinetry, fixtures, etc.) and put them together to be sure that they will flow. I took photos of my groupings so I could refer back to it when considering other purchases. Good luck!

demifloyd, I would love to know about your tung oil finish. How often does it have to be reapplied? How do you clean it?

Thanks, pghsteelerfan and dixiedoodle.

emmachas, the floors were installed in August of 05, at which time four coats of tung oil were applied, with a light sanding between coats and drying time. We have not done anything to them since, but plan to resand and apply another coat of tung oil later this year because they have seen a lot of wear with my DH tracking in dirt from doing the landscaping and from furniture deliveries.

They still look good, just not pristeen. I love the tung oil finish because you can see the grain of the wood better than with a poly finish and it's easy to repair a scratch--just lightly sand and apply a little tung oil with a soft cloth. I've had no problem with water; you just wipe up any water spills.

We vacuum with a bare floor attachment, or dust mop, or sweep occasionally and mop with a slightly damp cloth when needed in spots; generally, we mop the entire floor about twice a month.

I hope this helps.

Thanks, pghsteelerfan and dixiedoodle.

emmachas, the floors were installed in August of 05, at which time four coats of tung oil were applied, with a light sanding between coats and drying time. We have not done anything to them since, but plan to resand and apply another coat of tung oil later this year because they have seen a lot of wear with my DH tracking in dirt from doing the landscaping and from furniture deliveries.

They still look good, just not pristeen. I love the tung oil finish because you can see the grain of the wood better than with a poly finish and it's easy to repair a scratch--just lightly sand and apply a little tung oil with a soft cloth. I've had no problem with water; you just wipe up any water spills.

We vacuum with a bare floor attachment, or dust mop, or sweep occasionally and mop with a slightly damp cloth when needed in spots; generally, we mop the entire floor about twice a month.

I hope this helps.