Is the poly on yet?

You either put the red and yellow tones in the floor---even just a slight hint, or you use them in the fabric and furnishings with the cooler toned floor as a backdrop.

Yes, I know looking at a giant expanse of bare floor with white walls doesn't help to foster warmth.

The floors are not poly'd yet. The second coat of stain is being applied right now and the third coat will go this afternoon. Final coat and poly will be ??? When everything else is done like cabs, appliances, trim, painting, they do the final.

I'm wondering if the green several of you mentioned in the Jacobean is what I'm seeing. I didn't see green in the Jac only sample that was laid before we looked at mixes. It was actually a pleasant, light brown. But, like I said, I'm not sure I'd recognize green undertones.

If you want to warm it up, wait for the second coat to dry before going with a third. I'm assuming progress coats are darkening the floor... which would not help with the warming up process. You may want to stop at 2 coats of stain.

I hesitate to post these pics because they make the floor look more warm than it is IRL. But here they are:

Kitchen

Even though I was totally sure of my stain choice (Jacobean) when I selected it, once I saw the stain without the poly I totally freaked. It was not at all how I envisioned it-- it seemed very black and cold-- and I was second guessing my choice right and left and trying to figure out how to fix my mistake.

Our contractor saw me obsessing about this and gave me some good advice. He said that in his experience, clients tended to obsess about floor stain options more than almost everything else, but ultimately (as kellied also said), once the furniture is in, the floor becomes the background and what you see is a lovely, new refinished floor. He said he always tells clients to wait until the poly is down, and that once the poly is down the clients generally love it and he has rarely had to make changes. He was totally right in my case. Once the poly was down, I loved it. Breezy, the formula you chose definitely looked great against your furniture/cabs in the samples, and I'm sure it will look even better when finished.

Breezy, I cross posted with your picture posting, but your floors look fantastic.

Wow, Wendy!! It looks fabulous!

How many poly coats are going on? Should be more than one for longevity. I think three is the recommended minimum.

The entire point of the green in the Jacobean is to knock down yellow and red tones.

If you are using an oil poly, it will amber the tone somewhat anyway.

We used coffee brown, I think... I don't mind a hint of red. I was a little in shock when I first saw our floors and not sure I had made the right decision. It took a few days to get used to seeing them... it's such a big decision and can't really be changed without a lot of expense, so I think it natural to question yourself and overthink it. You will probably end up loving them, like I do mine.

Sas, Kellie, and Jill--Thanks for the compliments.

I think it is a shock to see it all done, especially after looking at mostly car decking for months and months on end. Floor install and staining happened very fast.

I guess I was wrong about the finishing process. The pics I posted above were taken this morning with the first, and as it turns out only, coat of stain. I somehow thought from my paperwork and conversations with flooring co rep that there were 3 coats of stain. Nope, just one. There are 3 coats of poly. The first coat went on this morning directly after those pics. The second coat went on this afternoon. The third and final coat is applied after everything else in the reno is done--cabs, appliances, trim, painting, carpet in adjoining hallway.

Marcolo--The poly is water-based satin.

I took this pic of the second coat of poly going down.

And here's the mudroom looking more yellow than it is:

Bottom line is that the floor looks better with the poly and now that I've seen it a few times. I'm sure it'll be nice once the kitchen and furnishings are in. I'm leaving my slight concern behind and moving forward.

Thanks again.