Should I push the installer to go with water based? The floor is red oak, scraped and stained. What brand of sealer is best, oil and water? This is my first experience at this so all the help you can give is really appreciated. Also how many coats of oil or water based is best?

When it comes to hardwood, trends are something to ignore! Why? Because hardwood is pretty much a lifetime purchase, and unless yours is damaged in some way, you're probably not going to replace it. So, light wood vs. dark wood, wide planks vs. narrow planks -- that stuff's all going to come and go. With that in mind -- as well as the very real concerns about cleaning dark wood -- I'll vote for a nice, neutral midtone every time. Not too much contrast, not too red, and (unless it's a beach house) not too pale. I think this is the wood that's most likely to give you good service and stand the test of time.

I have not heard of that brand but we purchased the Bella Cera Ruscello flooring and when the boxes showed up it said the dreaded "Made in China" on them. What could I do at that point? We had it installed and are very happy. There is not one piece in the 1100 sq ft that has a flaw. Now, it has only been a few months, but no problems so far... And we also did about 60 sq ft of LM St Laurent flooring in our vanity area almost 2 years ago, it was "Made in China", which I did not know until later, no problems with it either.

Personal experience. Hard maple flooring. Took three days to install(working part time) with three helpers. Professional installers would have taken two or less days. However, I installed three bedrooms along a hall, the hall into and including the living room without transitions at the bedroom doorways---the entire floor is monolithic. Two days to sand(USand sander--a rotating orbit sander. They are slower than a drum sander but much more forgiving). Used MinWax polyurethane for floors($45 a gallon). Oil based, nasty smelling, but is designed to apply three coats in 36 hours. Does add an amber tint, but that was the color the wife wanted. Cure to walk(socks) in 72 hours, furniture in two weeks, area rugs in 30-45 days. You do NOT want to stay in the building(not a problem for our remodel) for the for two days. The odor is pretty much gone(with ventilation) in that second day. Cost was a big factor, we have dogs and I needed to do the work myself(had the requisite training/tools/tool rental) and we did not have to occupy until finished with most of the remodeling(bought a foreclosure and had up to three months to do the necessary work). Reason for the choice of wood was the color, the price(less than $1.23 a sq. ft.) and the finish was as water proof as could be found at the time. Factory finished means small gaps for moisture(new puppys/old dogs) to penetrate. The finish made a water tight seal except on the perimeters. And, I knew the light color would not show the scratches as would a darker color. No idea what a pro crew would have charged(my son/grandsons worked for meals and a pat on the back), but they would have only been about two days faster.