Hi Positano,

I have dark walnut, on red oak and I love it. But I do always seem to have the swifer out, because it does show light color dust and hair. I had them put it on heavy so it's pretty dark, but if you have them stain it and wipe it quickly it won't be as dark. There are no yellow or reds in the color, it's a pure brown.

Here's a pic.

Gorgeous Josie! I love your kitchen and the floors look beautiful. We are a house full of brunetts except for our golden cocker spaniel! I have samples of Special and dark walnut, so I'll try them out today. Do you have a satin finish?

Dark Walnut on oak.....and Newcat :D ...finished with tung oil.

{{gwi:1571356}}

Allison - I have that same cat! (two of them , actually!)

Thanks. He is a sweetie. Did you loose one, Victoriajane? DD2 found him at a gas station near her house. The employee said he had been there a week.

I'm down to 2 cats (the other is mostly white with black) and 2 dogs inside. Our floors are darker than in our last home and I have a lot of "character" light/ivory travertine on the main level - dirt, pet hair, etc really doesn't show bad on either. I've been very pleased.

positano - when you do your samples, please post pictures! I am also considering the special walnut because I wanted a deep warm brown tone, no red, orange, or honey-colored. I don't want to go too dark (lots of dogs here--right now 6). I know ours would turn out a little different as we will be using white oak when we finally get to that point, but would love to see the results on red oak. Thanks!

Allison, are yours hard to keep clean? Did they put it on and wipe it off? I love your color, but am afraid of being the "Swiffer Queen." I am not a great housekeeper--and don't want a high maintenance floor. We don't have any dogs that shed, but normal dust...

When we were going to use Minwax, we decided upon Red mahogany. It's a gorgeous color but does indeed have a red/purple undertone.

Be aware that many/most floor finishers "out there" do not like Minwax. They see it as an inferior product that does not stain well.

Also, if you want a deep, rich look, quiz your floor guys on "water popping". If they look at you like you're speaking a foreign language I'd find other contractors.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's a great place to educate yourself

Josie 724 what a beautiful kitchen and flooring. What is the name of your granite. We have to pick a slab out this week and we're not sure what will go best with our alder cabinets that are a light color with brown glaze. Thanks jms

Positano,
I have Minwax special walnut and I have a light haired dog. With a satin finish you can hardly see the dog hair and the floors are dark but not too dark. Pictures are on my blog under "Kitchen Unveiled". Good Luck!

Thanks Willow....this is an older post. We did them two weeks ago and used Special Walnut. Very happy with the color!

And thanks to Josie, Alison and Pbrisjar for helping with the decisions. I loved the dark walnut, but felt it was just a little too dark for my space. Maybe in my next house I'll go darker!

This post is too scary! I am getting my floors refinished soon, along with new kitchen and study cabinets. I am also trying to decide between Special Walnut and Dark Walnut. The floor color depends on new kitchen cabinet colors, and vice versa...

Positano - Could you post a picture of your Special Walnut?

Josie - I LOVE your kitchen, it is exactly what I am trying to accomplish, from the white cabs and kahki granite, down to the subway tile backsplash and drawer pulls! We must be linked in some way. Dark Walnut was my first instinct until I thought of getting an island in a very dark, almost black, finish then Special Walnut would balance it out a bit. If you have more kitchen pics, I'd love to see them! What is your granite color? I'm afraid of going to pink or gold. I'm lazy and going to Home Depot for everything. ; )

Thanks-
Stacey