I have to give my builder's wood floor installer a stain color first thing in the morning (they sanded my white oak plank flooring today) and I am still trying to decide (1) whether to do oil-base or water-base and (2) what color of Minwax stain to use. I want a natural look with some brown tint to it (but not dark). Today we tested stains on the floor; I liked the Early American best in the oil-base (although I would really prefer something a bit lighter) and Colonial Pine in water-base. The installer says that he doesn't really understand why we want water-base, that it is more expensive (about $1000 more for the material for our house) and, while bulletproof, makes it impossible to repair small areas of damage. He says you will have to refinish the entire floor if you have a leak, etc., with water-base. I really like the Colonial Pine color better; it is lighter without looking yellow or red. I wanted the water-base because I understood it to be tougher and less prone to ambering. Any expert advice? Any other color suggestions for a light brown stain in Minwax oil-base?

A regular stand alone stain will not be that dense. You will have to find, a finisher that knows how to layer colors by pre-toning the wood with aniline dye and then your choice of stain color. In your case, pre-tone with ebony aniline dye and layer with antique brown or espresso. How well, the pre-tone is applied will be critical of the final stain outcome. If, you do not want to go that route. You will have to find a finisher that knows how to apply General Finishes water base floor stains. Water base stains has a short working time and can lap. Normal stains are not dense enough, even when pre-treating the wood by water popping.

First off I don't see anything wrong but it is your house? The quality of the wood will dictate the finished look. You have a very skinny plank with many shades mixed in which usually means a lower end floor. Think about it, the more time the mfg has to pick and match wood tones the more uniform the floor will look and of course cost. I am not even sure that is white oak? It can be a stretch of the word as theater are planks that are not white oak and most do not look like white oak. When you stain wood it will LOOK EXACTLY as it does before the stain but with a different tone. The only way around this is a very dark gel type stain to even out sap wood. You have a lot of sap wood mixed in which again goes back to the quality of the wood. I am in no way saying you have a cheap floor but when you see pics of a perfect grain matched one tone floor it took a lot of money and labor to get to it. You have a nice floor get the 80's thing out of your head and enjoy.

The island is already stained, it was just done with the goal is looking like the raw white oak. I like the darkness-level of Fruitwood, but I’m concerned that it let’s too much of the pink tone in the white oak show through. I do worry about darker colors showing too much dirt, but my understanding was these colors were mid-tone enough to avoid the worst of that.