I am in the process of staining our honey oak doors with General Finishes gel stain. I love the effect I am getting with just one coat--retains the grain and provides a beautiful finish that will be topped off with polyurethane. I tried Minwax gel stain and would recommend you don't bother--you might have to order General Finishes gel stain, but it's well worth the hassle.

I need some help with color ideas for my kitchen and also the backsplash. The kitchen is an open plan and the color selection will need to go well with my living room as well.

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And gray doesn't tone down red (gray actually turns red to PINK)...GREEN tones down red. A floor that dark won't matter what colour base you work with. It will look 'black' most of the time anyways. Any flooring professional worth his/her salt will offer MANY stain patches on your freshly sanded floors. They will then apply a single coat of finish. They will go home for the night. You will 'live' with the patches for a day or two and then pick the colour patch that you like THE MOST. The professional will then come back, sand off the patches and then start the staining process using the mix you like the most. Always, and I mean ALWAYS visit the site every evening during the refinishing process. You want to ensure the stain colour put down + 1 coat (over the entire floor) is REALLY what you want. If you feel the colour isn't working for you, it is BEST to figure that out after day 1...not day 3.