jrzygrl,
Rather than try to use Poly have you checked into using Waterlox? Takes 3 coats and is easier to fix scratches as opposed to haveing to re-sand a area if there is a problem in the future.
Good luck in all your renovations!
Elaine

jrzy..I'm interested in hearing the responses...I've read several differing opinions....I am staining my wood floors in English Chestnut (very similar to yours) by Duraseal...I am only going to put one coat of stain (some put two...so maybe just sticking to one coat of stain might not be as dark as what they're thinking)...down here a refinisher will put on 2 coats of poly buffing between the two...I want a Satin finish but have heard that the resins in the high gloss finish actually promote a harder surface so some one here I think recommended putting down 2 coats of high gloss then 2 coats of satin...3-4 coats is supposedly desirable but it gets more expensive the more coats you have.

I'm going to put on one high gloss coat,then two stain coats...and be done with it...mine will be done in 2 weeks, will let you know how they come out!
Tara

Elaine and Tara thanks for your input. I have not looked into Waterlox. How does it differ from Poly? I will check into it with my builder.
Tara-is Duraseal much different than MinWax? Is your house on the smaller side or do you live in a high ceiling larger home? Like I said, I am so afraid that my husband will be so mad if the floors are too dark for the house. He wants me to keep them natural oak. I think darker floors will look better because I have light walls and medium cherry cabinets in my kitchen. I hope I don't regret my decision. The floors are being done now so I don't have much time to change my mind...Thx Tara and Elaine!

Jrzy...I've read up on the waterlox, I think it's a great product for countertops made of wood...but I'm not sold on its use on flooring, I read a post here from January from a lady who used this and feels it has ruined her $13,000 investment in flooring, granted she had pine so some of her issues could be related to the wood species...but they've been refinishing wood floors for a long time, I'm more apt to stick to a tried and true method. I've read way too much information on the resins and water v. oil based...I'm thinking of just going to my floor wholesaler and following a couple of jobs that have done it different ways and see which one I like....not that I have time! :)

My house was on the smaller side, but I opened up a wall and it looks larger than it is...once I get the cabinets in my kitchen I'm sure it'll look smaller...here's a picture of the wood floors installed...I like the stained look...I'm actually going for a light brown finish, the English Chestnut stain is the lightest "brown" color I could find...Duraseal I think is actually made by Minwax, they say it's usually reserved for professional wood layers but I just walked in and bought it...I'm staining it myself and then laying the first coat of finish and having my sander come back and lay the final 2 coats.
Some issues with leaving the oak natural is that with white oak, it can take on a greenish hue...and with red oak it can take on a pinkie hue...so the stain kind of neutralizes the potential...plus if you use oil based finish, it will definitely have an amber tone to it and water will show through the greenish tones with a clear finish...

{{gwi:1547125}}

Another comment on Waterlox...talking about tried and true, tung oil finished floors have long been around...it definitely ambers the finish...it soaks into the wood and provides a good protection from water but it doesn't "build up" like poly does..poly is more like fingernail polish over a surface...waterlox is a hybrid of waterbased with some tung oil in it...with true tung oil you can simply buff a small area and be done with it..whereas with poly you have to resand and reapply the whole area...hope that's not confusing! :)

Tara

Thanks for all of your help! LMHall I think I am with you on the darker floors and now that my floors are stained I can actually confirm that they look great. So no worries about staining them brown.
I definitely understand the difference between the waterlox and poly finishes. I will have to mull it over but I am thinking I will go with poly since I want a real hard finish that will protect in some way against surface scratches. I does not sound like the Waterlox product will do that effectively. Am I wrong in that assumption? I do love the idea of only having to refinish a small area if damage is done but in the scheme of things I don't want to take a big risk on a product that won't give the protection that I want.
Thanks for all of your help and suggestions!

lmhall2000,

Are your floors finished? I'd love to see a picture if they are... my wife and I are thinking of doing our whole hose in English Chestnut (MinWax) and would love to see what it looks like on an entire floor, and hear your opinion... we also have white painted trim and baseboards and contrasting wall colors, similar to your unfinished pic.

Jeff

Can someone post their Minwax stained floors??? I am trying to decide between Special Walnut and maybe English chestnut, maybe....too many decisions! It is so hard to make a decision for my whole house based on a tiny sample so I would LOVE to see some pictures!!

We stained the new red oak floors in our 1400sq ft 1 1/2 story country house in SE MN. We went with Gun Stock stain, but I'm not sure what the manufacture was. We LOVE the stained over the natural because it keeps a more traditional look. I'd post a picture if I knew how.

Gunstock (was Fruitwood for years) is a minwax product. Look at the "post pictures of your stairs" to see what it looks like.

jillie - we had both the english chestnut and special walnut samples put down on our floor when deciding. The english chestnut is a good bit darker and had too much red for me. We ended up with dark walnut,which is darker than I thought I wanted to go. I'll take pictures soon, can't walk on it yet

Thanks for the responses....I don't want red either - I was thinking the gunstock may be too red. I will check it out...Thanks

trying to revive this thread...any one have pictures they can post. I (think) I have decided to go with special walnut but I have nightmares it may be too dark.

Don't forget that it also depends on the type of wood you have...some take stain better than others...I have red oak...

I decided to do English Chestnut. In theory I love a dark floor but I worried about dust and maintenance and scratches showing. Another BIG factor was that I always do very dark funiture...so I wanted some contrast....The color did come out a little lighter than I thought, but I definitely don't think it's red bc I hate reddish floors...I'd say it's a nice medium, neutral tone...the dark tones really work well with the dark furniture.

Here are some pix:

This is when we first moved in...with our temporary old loveseat and rug, etc..it looks pathetic LOL..but it shows the floor with natural light which is how it usually looks...oh, it's a satin finish top coat

Wow stunning!

Look at the dishout of the soft grain! Man someone rode a screen hard for some reason?

WOW! Thanks so much moremoremore. They look beautiful. So do you the english chestnut was lighter or darker than the special walnut. I have red oak also. but I am scared of it being too dark.

here is some floor pictures done with minwax stains
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Thanks ihateclosets!