Wow so many different comments. Nothing like confusing you more. Not sure how old this post is.... If the photo color is true I think it looks amazing. I am so surprised that the flooring is red oak. It doesn't look like red oak. However it looks great, the ceiling looks great and they look great together. I also agree no stain just a water based clear coat. The room has a lot of heart and soul. I'd love to see the finished product. I am an interior designer and your look so far in this photo is so appealing. I'm sure you made the right decision and it looks perfect.

If you like your current colour then go ahead and put down a new version of it. If you want something different then I would go lighter. I love the look of red oak in the 'buff'. It is a pretty wheat/sand coloured wood. So long as you work with a high-end water based polyurethane that does NOT yellow, you will have a very pretty 'pale wood' floor without much effort. Your existing finish appears to be oil based (or oil modified) which makes the floor yellow. The strong gold tones in your wood right now = the finish. Did your refinisher apply a coat of FINISH over your colour samples? If they did NOT....then you are picking BLIND. And I mean screaming and crying and tearing your hair because your beautiful gray floors turned to a muddy orange mess. Not good. Do you see the pale colour of the raw wood? You can keep that colour (very close to it) with 3 coats of water based polyurethane like Bona Traffic HD. Keep the gloss level a snick on the low side (satin is a nice low-gloss option) and you keep that pretty 'swedish blonde' look.

Bleach the wood with a A&B wood bleaching kit. Bleach and let dry over night and repeat the process if you need it lighter. Then use a stain by “Olympic” call Driftwood. Stain can be found at Home Depot. Bleach kit A&B can be found on Amazon or you can make your own.

Because based on my research (reading and talking to Shweri Williams rep) paint tends to outlast staining? Maybe. Under ideal circumstances. But. Existing structure. No way to properly back prime the siding. No way to prime the cut ends of the siding. Stained siding breathes so any moisture that might migrate from the interior will evaporate vs getting trapped behind paint (leading to peeling paint). And your roof has next to zero overhang to help shield the walls from the elements. So, realistically, less than ideal circumstances for optimum paint performance. Before considering other variables like weather conditions during the job, painter experience & skill... No mention of the labor & material cost. To paint now, it is a minimum three coat job. Primer & 2 coats of paint. To repaint later will involve scraping, sanding, priming & paint. To stain now & restain later will require less material & a lot less labor cost. Agree with Cat and Roarah--I would go with a semi-transparent oil-based exterior stain.