Not sure if you saw my post re your question about trim color for cherry laminate. My walls are painted white dogwood which has a slight pink shade which sounds weird but is actually a very warm color and once the wall is painted you can't tell there is a tinge of pink that makes it warm up. I still haven't gotten the right color for the trim - I keep getting something too light and now I am graduating to Tampico Brown - I will get some tomorrow and will post some other pictures. I did stain my doors and there is a picture below. Cherry laminate with carmel sugar - too light unstained door stained door

^^As G & S Floor states. The issues you "hate" are due to the MATTE finish. I'm sorry to say but you have just discovered the MASSIVE down-side to matte finishes. I would recommend looking at a semi-gloss finish. It might be possible to do a "buff and coat" rather than a full sand/refinish. But it might not be. It all depends on the finish used BELOW the final coat of matte. It is entirely possible the professional you hired (do you remember who you hired? If so, go ahead and contact them to see if they have anything on file from your previous work order) used traditional gloss or semi-gloss as the first two coats and then used the matte as the final coat. This is VERY common. *IF (big "if") they did this, then it is entirely possible to have the matte layer buffed/sanded off and a coat of semi-gloss applied. This could save you DAYS of work and $$ at the same time. A buff and coat is roughly 1/2 the price of a full sand/refinish. I'm sorry you are going through this. The issues you mention are well known in the flooring world. As trendy as the matte finish has become, it is also one of the HARDEST finishes to live with - for all the reasons you list. If you are someone who feels that "shiny = clean" then you will not be happy with anything less than semi-gloss. I refer to these types of personalities as "clean-shiny" people. There is nothing wrong with it. It is simply who they/you are. That's fine. So long as you know that you are/might be a clean-shiny person, then you can make the best decision for your home. A semi-gloss is the best option. It gives a good shine when clean but it isn't SUPER shiny (which shows dust/dirt/scratches). Semi-gloss is very satisfying for people who feel the need to see a good shine once a floor has been cleaned. Satin would be too dull for a "clean-shiny" person. It would be acceptable to someone who really couldn't careless about how floor looks after it is cleaned, so long as they know it has been cleaned. Satin offers a "glow" but not a shine. And that can be frustrating for someone who loves to see a good shine after a floor has been cleaned. Please contact the person/company who refinished your floors. They will have the best knowledge of what was used and if a buff and coat is possible.

It looks like the "holes" are specifically matched to the grain...which would then indicate it is wood-related and not insect related. If you are unhappy with the product, you will want to find out what it would cost to send it back (restocking fee, shipping, etc). And just to make sure you are interested in Jatoba, are you aware that Jatoba DARKENS as it ages? And not only does it darken, it has TWO different colours it will turn. It will either turn flaming red/orange/brown (medium dark floors with flaming red/orange streaks) or it will turn PURPLE/PINK. No I am not kidding. Google "pink" jatoba. You will come up with THOUSANDS of photos of pink/purple Jatoba. And you will not know which colour range you have until it darkens. It is possible you will have ONLY one of those colours....or you could have a mix of BOTH colours in the same floor. When you get a pink plank next to a flaming orange plank, it can be very upsetting for a homeowner to decorate around their extremely busy floor. If you are unaware of these things AND the floor isn't up to your satisfaction, it is best to send it back today, rather than ripping them out tomorrow.

We have Brazilian cherry that is 22 years old . We use bona Chemi traffic to finish at that time. We are finally refinishing.. after four sons and 4 dogs it still looks great. As I said it has never been really red. In fact, I was disappointed, at that time, back in the day, they never turned really red. It was probably due to the fact that I used a water borne sealer. It is wonderful for a house full of kids and dogs and held up much better than my friends oak and maple. I can't wait to see it refinished and know that it will be a slight reddish brown. Hope whoever we sell too loves it!