Great minds think alike - I was going to suggest very light/natural like Olychicks.

Of course, I LOVE wood{{gwi:807}} floors in kitchens - don't ever want to have to deal with cleaning grout.

This post was edited by tuesday_2008 on Thu, Jul 25, 13 at 16:36

Since your cabs are darker oak, I would go with a light oak/clear "stain" wood. It will provide a nice contrast to your cabs and give an airier look throughout and also contrast nicely with your dining set,coffee table, etc...I think also better for resale, unless maybe you are in Florida, Calif, Arizona, etc..where you see more tile.

Would I be able to get something lighter that doesn't look yellow? Seems like that's mostly what I see in lighter floors.

I'd be embarrassed to say how seldom I have to wash them and I vacuum as little as possible

Sounds perfect!!!!

Olychick - Are you floors oak or something else?

They are oak, but I'm not sure if they are white or red. Really, I think oak with a natural finish does not look yellow, but my wood finishes throughout are warm. I don't think they turn orange these days with the natural finishes like the old ones did. I have a Swedish finish (not the water based one) and dirt really doesn't stick to it. I think of it kind of like a formica counter; sticky things stick, but other stuff just doesn't.

This is the best shot I have of the color of my floors. It may be more golden than what you want, but really the floors fade into the background. You could also have a light stain to diminish any yellow, if you prefer. I think it would look so much better to have hardwoods flowing throughout than have things chopped up with different flooring.

I have natural unstained oak floors with a Bona commercial finish. Agree with the experience that dirt doesn't show.
They come with different undertones, so not all are yellow or orange.

Here is a link that might be useful: light oak floors

Most of the pictures I've saved to my inspiration file are medium to dark wood, but I did find one that is a lighter oak and it looks different than most I've seen. It was posted by firsthouse_mp. I found the website for it and it says it's European Oak (sounds expensive). I'm guessing the limed, smoked treatment is what makes it look different. Would this work in my house or is it to modern?

Common Name: European Oak
Botanical Name: Quercus SPP
Janka Rating: 1360
Origin: Eastern Europe/Russia
Treatment: Limed, Smoked, White Oiled, Wire Brushed

firsthouse_mp

duchateaufloors.com

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: firsthouse_mp's house

i don't think those are too modern at all! they're not your classic high shine hardwood though - they're both a wax treated finish. not sure if you knew or cared even if you did. :) if you wanted a more classic highly protective (poly) finish, they have all sorts of stain colors now to help achieve that naturally aged look. i've been researching stain colors like crazy because i'm refinishing a huge farm style table. anyway, i came across this project that might be helpful... she's got red oak with a gray stain and i think it looks great! pic below post.

on another note, in both your images above, you've got a very wide plank hardwood. those are typically a lot more expensive than the 2-3" plank and depending on the subfloor, sometimes you can get cupping with wide planks. again, maybe you're just using the pics for color, but thought i'd mention it.

i remember your kitchen from when you were updating your backsplash - maybe that was on the kitchens board. looks like you got the backsplash you wanted! well done. so i know you got some interesting (read that as rude) feedback on that post, so i hope this isn't taken in that way, because oak cabinets are not a crime! :) but based on your "inspiration kitchen" you shared above, have you thought about painting your cabinets white to get a similar look? then you could take that out of the equation when choosing flooring. just curious.

here are red oak samples with classic gray stain on top and weathered oak stain on the bottom. both are laying on top of her old existing clear stain which have yellowed over time.

and here are the finished floors where she chose to go with classic gray stain over red oak:

both these pictures are from a blog called "finding soul balance"

msrose, when you decide, please post the name and color of it. I'm trying to make the same decision. My cabinets and trim look about the same color as yours.

maggiepie11 - Thanks for the info. I hadn't even thought about the finish. I do like the wide planks, so it's good to know about the cupping. I really like the gray finish. Every time I see something that looks like old barnwood, I fall in love, but I'm not sure it would go in my house. The finished floor above doesn't look too gray though. I'm actually hoping to find something prefinished/engineered. Do you think the ones from duchateau aren't engineered since it doesn't have the protective finish?

I might paint my cabinets one day, but it's way down on my list :)

marti8a - LOL. You'll probably make up your mind before I do.

the duchateau floors are prefinished/engineered, and they are protected - it's just a wax instead of a poly, which has a very different look and feel. also, i've heard they start matte, but over time if you walk around in socks, you buff the floors to sheen. :)

they're also super expensive. i know because i lusted over them on houzz too and then got a price. and then a reality slap in the face. haha

i think the material alone was about $12-15 per square foot before installation. maybe if the space is small that works, but we need a LOT of hardwood and there's no way we could afford that.

maggiepie - That's what I was afraid of price wise. Guess I'll just lust from afar :)
I have a small house, but I would be doing the whole house.