Here are some evening photos of my white oak select grade hardwood, site installed, with one coat of Bona Natural seal and two coats of Bona Traffic HD Matte. It’s a lot lighter IRL than in the photos. I agonized over what sealer to use (bought different stains, Loba 2k, all sorts of products). This combination seemed to look the closest to the natural wood (which I LOVED). The sealer did make it a tiny bit darker but it’s ok. I also included a photo of my stairs. They are red oak. It was a fortune to replace the stairs so we kept the red oak and used one coat of wheathered oak stain and two coats of Bona HD traffic extra matte (same as on the floors). Two lessons learned: Use a third coat of Bona HD traffic in high-traffic areas (our first floor gets a ton of wear with a dog and three teenagers, a third coat would have added an extra layer of protection against scratches). If you are a sheen person and like gleaming wood floors, do not use matte, use a satin finish. I had satin in my other house and I do miss the shine of a freshly washed wood floor. Although a matte does do a great job of hiding scratches. We installed white oak throughout the house (with the exception of the stairs) and even in the kitchen. I love wood floors in the kitchen - easier on the feet, knees, and not cold like a tile floor.

I just wanted to post a status - I spoke to Bona customer service, and they said that for their Traffic line, the semigloss is similar to satin in other manufacturer's finish, whereas the satin is similar to matte in other manufacturer's finish. He couldn't say for certain the difference in HD vs gular Traffic since it might depend on the wood species, but he said it shouldn't be that different.

He showed me the initial samples but I assumed it was what I asked for (Traffic HD) but when he was starting the real floors I saw a can of Mega One. I'm wondering if it will make a big difference on the color. I apologize, it's white oak...I thought I had edited to add that in but I guess it didn't save properly.

what happens if you drop some water on the floor? does it bead up or sit there, or is it absorbed? Have you gone to Bona's webstie and researched this issue or similar one? they should have the knowledge to help you