As stated above...red oak has a cinnamon/pink caste. As you stain it, that cinnamon turns a big orangy/red. This is normal. There are darker "mid-tones" out there that have a green back ground that will hide the red...leaving you with "dark brown". The beauty of red oak is it is relatively cheap and easily available. The problem with red oak it is "cheap and easy" for builders to source....so that's what they source. To upgrade to white oak is SOOOOO expensive that most people don't do it....and then they are faced with 80+ years of "cinnamon orange" stair treads. Sigh. Bring in a stain expert or purchase a plank or red oak and start playing with stains. Have fun. It is VERY hard to stay "light" while getting rid of the red. You need to be in the "mid-tones"...and even then you need to be in the DARKER mid-tones to really get this to work. Good luck.

Agreed with the above. For fairly priced change. I’d paint the risers and balusters white. If you want to up the game a drop you can add a runner And for the wrought iron- you will have to do a lot of it. Also at the top of the stairs by the railing in the hallway. So it’s a big project. It is expensive. Not so necessary. But it would look nice :)

Thank you so much everyone with your helpful information and suggestions. I might be over thinking the color coordination because I’m seeing some good ideas being posted! I love the idea of not painting my cabinets and wondered if it would be wasted money spent. I like the white oak flooring suggested…. I originally chose red oak only because of my inexperience in flooring materials but mostly because I thought to coordinate with the red in my cabinets I’d need a floor that had some red or warmth. I really do like the picture posted by Beth… red oak with bona Nordic seal.

Either Special Walnut or Provincial will make it easy to blend new and old oak. Here's a photo of Special Walnut, at the transition from 90+ year old oak (not sure if it's red or white) on the top (in a dining room) to brand new white oak on the bottom (in a new kitchen): Could you tell the difference if I didn't tell you which was which? As for color, I personally think that avoiding too light or too dark eliminates a lot of the problems with wood floors. Too dark shows all the lint and too light all the dirt. Also a well-finished and sealed floor can hold up just fine with pets. Also medium toned brown works with any style of home or furnishings.