Shilpsb - Overall I like them (Garrison French Connection Provence), I like the natural color and the low sheen...but there are some areas where it does seem like there's a haze although it blends into the different planks. I probably am the only one that can tell! I haven't had problems yet with staining, I just wipe up water as soon as I see it and then clean with the Woca spray whenever I spill anything. I have done the refresher a couple times but have not done the re-oiling... is that a product you can buy? For the rugs, I have put a couple World Market small 2'x3" with the rug mat underneath... they were inexpensive and I just wanted to get something until I can do more decorating - they are too small but they do the trick. What do they say could happen to the floors with rubber backing? I know they say no blue tape, etc... I've been very conscientious with these floors, but they do have a lot of variance in color and look rustic so I'm just going with it. I would rather be eco-friendly anyway. I heard about some at Plastica which are pvc and can wiped clean...http://plasticastore.com/shop/home/moroccan-pattern-mat/

This is an old post so I imagine this has long since been resolved for the OP, but since I just saw it, figured I'd throw our experience in anyway for future searchers on this topic: We have an interesting case study in that the floors in our house and our neighbors' identical house were both redone about five years ago (before we were on the scene, so don't know specific products used). The floors are identical hundred-year-old white oak installed at the same time (same family built both). Both were sanded down, neither was stained, and ours was finished with a water-based finish, theirs with oil-based. Both still look fine five years out (if you ignore the scratches from our dog!) but the looks are different. As someone noted above, the oil finish is a bit warmer and much shinier. I think it's fair to say it looks newer as a result, though how much of that is the wear-and-tear we put on our house (significantly more than our neighbors!) is hard to say. Our water-based finish is more matte-looking and pulls out more browns and beiges than yellows and reds (if that makes sense). There are apparently some differences in how you can clean and touch up the two finishes as well. (We use Bona hardwood cleaner on ours, which seems to work fine.) Anyway, just food for thought on this!

I'm a fan of the Bona Traffic products. Seem nearly bulletproof and look OK. Used their amber sealer underneath to get a more oil-like color and pop the figure on our birdseye maple floor (I think it's a shellac formulated to be waterborne--that's the way it acts, anyway). In my shop I used the Traffic HD and I've been dragging 400 lb machines across it for the last three years without damage. The wood dents sometimes, but the finish doesn't break. It gets lots of wet boots and sand. In our prior house the "Professional" oil based finish wore away to the wood in high traffic areas in three years. The DIY Bona Traffic finish I put down after that still looked like new when we sold 10 years later. It's really hard to beat a high quality catalyzed polyurethane finish for durability. Oil will undoubtedly look better, but not for long unless you observe the no shoes in the house ritual. I'll give up something on looks to be able to walk in my house without thinking about my feet. Wood shop floor done in "mixed domestic hardwoods" finished with Bona Amberseal and Traffic HD

An update for everyone. Within six weeks the smell was MUCH better and we moved back in. And within two months it was gone. What an ordeal! We just kept airing the house out as much as possible, used air purifiers, along with other tricks, like activated charcoal and onions in bowls of water. Good luck to others who face this challenge -- happy to answer any questions. And if you're a migraineur, I'd suggest either moving out for a month or two, or using water-based poly. I never would have imagined it would be as bad as it was. So happy our remodel is over and to have our house back!