Hi there, it's been awhile since I checked this thread. I think I was completely discouraged after the flooring contractor came out. He told us that this was completely normal, and since we weren't seeing the raw wood under the stain then the Bona (Oil based) is doing it's job. We still disagree but I don't know what else to do, the cat's still run around and dig in during play and you can just see where they get it everytime. Really a waste of money for us to see our poor floors destroyed. We even had some left over sealer that we went back in a closet and painted two more coats on (thinking mabye the flooring guys got lazy and didn't seal it enough times) you can still mush your finger down into the wood. I do cut the cats nails weekly and I tried the glue on nail caps but ran into real problems with the cats not shedding them quickly enough and it gave them thick calcified claws that I had to go in and cut away with the cap still on. It's a lose lose. Our saving grace is rugs everywhere. For those of you interested in the color, it's a mix of the Bona stain 50% Ebony and 50% Driftwood.

Your cleaner will be a pH neutral hardwood floor cleaner. Bruce, Armstrong, Bona, etc all make hardwood floor CLEANERS. Do NOT purchase the "polishes" or any product that promises to REVIVE or REJUVENATE your hardwood floors. These are to be avoided. They are polishes without the word "polish" in it's name. If you are concerned (while standing in the cleaning aisle) go ahead and read the back of the bottle. You are looking for the words "Does not leave a residue". That is the definition of a cleaner. You will want to use a microfibre mop. You will apply the cleaning solution to the MOP HEAD and then swish the mop around. The amount of cleaner is VERY SMALL. Here's how your cleaning routine *should look like: 1. Vacuum/sweep 2-3 times per week (turn off the beater bar if you use a vacuum...suction only) 2. WATER ONLY damp mop 1 per week (microfibre mop that is almost dry) 3. Use your cleaning product 1-2* per MONTH instead of the water-only damp mop I prefer to see the cleaner used 1/month...with the occasional 2nd application done after a particularly dirty month (like in winter or after a pool party). That means your cleaner will be used 12-18 times per YEAR! Yep. Per YEAR! The sweeping will be your biggest form of cleaning. The water-only damp mopping is the NORM...And when I say slightly damp...I mean JUST THAT. The amount of water in the mop will be so little that it will feel 'almost dry'. The only way you will 'feel' the water will be the fact that the mop will feel a little cooler than the air. That's it. That's how LITTLE water you need to care for a hardwood floor.

NOOOOOOO! No steam! Never ever use steam with wood. The steam 'cooks' the polyurethane causing it to haze and crack. If you REALLY want to make these look better, bring in a hardwood flooring professional to attempt a 'buff and coat'. This is the ONLY option for these types of dents/scratches. And remember: factory finished hardwoods are NOTORIOUSLY difficult to get a buff and coat to 'stick'. It could make the problem worse (as in ruin the floors). If you are so desperate to make these issues 'look' better, then please do it properly = buff and coat. Which may not work. For $3/sf.

We had an addition put on our last house. We had white oak floors. The new floors were stained to match the existing and it was very difficult to tell where they met. We didn't even have the existing ones refinished, which is recommended. Our contractor was a wizard as far as coming up with a custom match stain for the new floors. I think in general you get better results when you do refinish the existing. In any case, you need a competent contractor. If there are some damaged boards in the existing have them replaced during this process. I think a medium brown (leaning light, not dark as people complain about dark floors showing dust too much) is the best choice for a color that isn't trendy. You're looking for a color that is neither too warm or too cool (less orange than what you have - but definitely not leaning gray). It shouldn't be too hard to find something that goes with white cabinets. The flooring contractor should be able to put sample spots of stain on the floors after they're sanded so you can see a couple different options. After the floors are done look at countertops.