glennsfc - Thanks for your replies. I was so despondent last night when we got home that posting on this forum felt like crying out for a voice in the wilderness. Things are looking a bit brighter today. My husband was able to contact a person from the flooring company who assured us that all is not lost. Our GC contacted a pro floor installer from our area who is coming in tomorrow to sand the floor. It's a more delicate process than DIY'ers like us should attempt at this point. The stain should take well after that, and though we won't have the same milled finish we would have gotten had there not been a problem, one look at those beautiful planks indicates to me that we will have lovely (though glossier) floors in the end. We took your suggestion about finishing all the treads and risers for the stairway before installing. Another tip the pine guy told my husband was that instead of wiping down the floors with a dampened tack cloth, he uses a rag wrung out with mineral spirits and goes over the surface with it before staining. Supposedly this helps remove any dastardly glue spots - or at least lets you spot them so you can gently and discreetly sand them down before staining. They are nearly invisible buggers that bond with the wood in an instant. Wish we'd known that one day earlier! Again, thanks for your responses - I appreciated that you took the time to offer an ear and some help.

We used a product called Rubio Monocoat on our hand-scraped walnut floors. I am pregnant, it was still too cold to keep windows open for good ventilation, and we didn't want to move out for multiple days with a bunch of kids. The HUGE benefit of Rubio, besides the fact that it looks great, is that it is zero VOC, takes ONE coat, and is only about 24 hours of no traffic. It has a bit of an oily smell, but not too bad. As long as I kept the exhaust fan running, it was hardly noticeable (and I am very sensitive to odors, especially when pregnant). It can be touched up at any time by sanding any area that needs it. You don't have to refinish the whole floor. It is a fairly matte finish; you can get a satin sheen, though. A friend of ours who does high end custom floors recommended the product to us.

I did get an sample for the "original" (carlisle) and it wasn't too bad. The other vendor would be a custom order, so no sample). I'm ok with knots and character, but I dont want the boards to be loaded with them. Here's a picture of what I like. Would #3 fall into this category? Or would I be looking at way more knots?

Living with my Karndean Warm Ash 9" planks for 2 months. Its very pretty, love 9" and the color. I was going for exactly whT the OP was goung for and the look is right. But. Has no bevel. Not Into cleaning, the idea of any bevel sounded gross with my not so often cleaning. Wish I had done a micro bevel if it was avail. Didnt even consider and wish I had. Prof install, Karndean is not maybe the best but decent brand......the ends of the planks stick up just a tiny bit. Most noticeable when walking down the hallway as the planks are laid Ling. Really distracting. And of course I can't imagine it not chipping. Really sad, super expensive small new build. Other thoughts, I hate the grain in lvp. although I went with a very minimal grain, again the idea if dirt building up in the grin was gross. But even with minimal grain you notice if you Re sweeping with or against the grain. You have to sweep with the grain. I have soft spots that you can feel give. Drives me nuts. No noise, just give. Btw that and the flex in in the trex I feel like I'm living in a fun house mystery spot. Wish I had gone glue down but assumed it was some cheap way to go. It can be fixed, click cannot. No give.