I think you should paint after everything is in. During installation, there will be scuff marks and it will have to be painted again. I'm with you though because I won't even pick my wall color until my kitchen is all in. I like to see the floor, granite, cabinets etc. to decide which color. Who's pressuring you?

We are in the middle of remodel - I went with Brookhaven Autumn Cherry with black glaze and Cambria Buckingham with our current multi color oak flooring - the camera pictures look more red than they are - so haven't posted the floor with pictures. The Buckingham is similar to the Canterbury but lighter and has more gold tones - still haven't picked a backsplash. The picture is the color but not the style of the cabinets. Weimon - what did you do for the backsplash? Also, chose Cambria as made in US (not everything in kitchen is US - but cabinets, faucet, and countertop are US)

Justgotabme, Thank you for the resource--lots of choices!! I am not locked into a style yet, but there are a few things I don't want. I know I don't want sleek chrome and glass nor do I want something too formal or dressy. I want something that will look good in a room with lots of warm woods and richly colored fabrics, but most importantly, I want something that will be comfortable for extended conversations around the table. At this point I am still looking for suggestions. What type of chair have other people found to be most comfortable?

To be safe go with the same in both areas, but for a specific answer.... It depends. There really is no single thing that is Red Oak or White Oak. There are at least ten different types of trees that produce White Oak and ten different trees that produce Red Oak. Many White Oaks are "redder" than Red Oaks. So in the end, you have to just look at the two woods side by side. In Red Oak the pores are open, while in White Oak the pores are plugged (this, rather than the color tendancies, is the absolute difference). White Oak is for boats because it is resistant to water damage, Red Oak isn't. With some effort they can be stained to look virtually identical and neither deepen as they age, so that color will remain consistent, however, they take stain very differently. Red Oak soaks up stain while White Oak leaves most of the stain on the surface of the wood. I prefer White Oak everywhere, I love White Oak for kitchens because of its resistance to damage, in the end though, I wouldn't make a decision based on the Oak species of my floor although I would try to be consistent... Good Luck