Oil based poly = HIGH VOC content = yellow/orange = tough finish if you have the time to wait for it to cure/get rid of the smell. Oil MODIFIED = possibly high VOC content = yellow (mild yellowing) = fairly tough so long as you have the time to get rid of the smell. Water based poly (cheap stuff) = Moderate VOC content = clear/colourless = not very tough...some complaints about durability.

Water based poly HIGH END (very expensive 2part products out of Europe) = very LOW VOC content = clear colourless = very tough! You get what you pay for. These ones can be 3-4 TIMES as expensive as the low-end/stinky oil based polyurethanes of yesteryear.

If you want a cool brown tone (no orange/no yellow/no red) then you must stay AWAY from the oil based or oil modified products. As soon as you use oil based or oil modified you are ASKING for yellow.

Any stain mix you choose, please make sure they apply 1 coat of the FINISH over top of the stain patches. That's the "proper" way to view your colour before you agree to have the full floor covered in it.

Sure...but why risk it? Bona makes their own line of stains. To reduce bond failure, it is always recommended to work with the stain/finish combination produced by the same company.

Go ahead and see if Bona will make a statement as to the compatibility of the two products. They won't give you a 100% guarantee....for good reason. Oil based stains have caused minor amounts (<5%) of failures when coupled with water based polyurethanes. But if they do fail, it is expensive/time consuming to have the floors redone.

DuraSeal produces the same colour line in water based stains. You may wish to work with that line rather than Minwax. Good luck. I never recommend that people mix "oil with water". It doesn't fail every time....but when it does it is extremely upsetting.

Most (all?) of the Minwax colors are made in DuraSeal that is formulated to be compatible with waterborne urethane. If you suspect that oil poly turning more yellow with age would be objectionable, go with waterborne. Weathered oak diluted with natural on Red Oak would show some of the red tones. I suspect this would look more orange with age so waterborne would be a better choice. There are no water based stains that I know if in widespread use by floor finishers. You can put waterborne urethane over oil based stain as long as the stain dries before urethane application.

@16Chris78 what did you go w/? I am fixing to sand and stain my red oak hardwoods, and thinking of going toward gray stain.

You should go with a water based stain and polyurethane. Be sure to test the stain on the wood after sanding the same way it will be sanded when the stain is applied. Red Oak has red undertones. Some gray stains will look mauve.

Somerset Colonial Grey Red Oak

16chris, did you go with the 50/50 mix you mentioned? I'd be very grateful if you would post a pic of the finished floor. My daughter is making the very same decision next week.

Thank you! Do you have any pics you'd be willing to share?

Beautiful, thank you!

Gorgeous!!! Would you be able to post more photos different angles and lighting. I am about to have 3,000 sq ft of red oak refinished and I am terrified!!

@16chris78 how are you liking it now? Still happy? We just had floors done and contractor PROMISED the clear poly he used wouldn’t turn our red oak floors orange (which is why we were changing them!) low and behold, totally orange bc it was oil based. Thinking about having them sanded and redone with just water based poly. Would you do the same thing again??

@16chris78. did you use Bona Natural Seal and then finish with Bona Traffic HD?

went with streetshoe water based poly only. no stain. just refinished red oak.

just streetshoe water based poly no stain

Looks real good Chris! Thanks