Pictures would help but right now I'm thinking light floors with the espresso furniture would look best - esp. if you like the grain showing more. Maybe a light stain? Don't use tung oil (or any kind of oil) on floors - it really doesn't hold up to traffic or liquid. I have linseed oil and beeswax on my stair treads, we don't even wear shoes in the house and it's a constant battle. I plan on varnishing or polyurethaning the treads after the latest coat of wax has worn (and I have to use naptha to make sure all the wax is off) and we have a week when the kids can go to grandma's. My cousin used Waterlox varnish on his wide pine floors (house built in 1743, though I don't know when the 2nd story was added) and they look amazing! A lot of people swear by it. Gloss will wear better than satin, but if you like the satin look, just use it as the final coat with gloss (2 coats) underneath.

Hi. What you need is a finishing specialist and to go through the mock-up process. I am not an expert, but achieving deep colors in wood may mean more that just applying additional coats of stain out of the can. Often the deepest colors are achieved through first dyeing the wood, then applying stain over it. This is definitely a trial and error process if you are matching something you've seen in a photo. If you want to tackle this yourself (that's a big undertaking in terms of knowledge and practical skills to acquire), there is an excellent book on Amazon entitled "UNDERSTANDING WOOD FINISHING by BOB FLEXNER". My suggestion is to find someone who is in fact an expert in wood finishing. If your floor installer has never applied more than a single coat of stain to a floor, their breadth of experience may not be sufficient to give you the product you want. I would not touch that floor again until you are able to have a sample created with which you are 100% happy. This probably means having your installer generate multiple samples right through from sanding, coloring & final finish. They will need to keep a record of the samples to clearly keep track of individual colors used, # of coats, type of sheen (for clear coat), etc. They should not proceed until you sign-off on a control sample. Have them cut it in half and keep one in your possession, and your installer/finisher should keep the other for reference during the finishing process. It is much cheaper and ultimately can save time and prevent mistakes to perform your experiments on small pieces rather than an entire floor. Good luck!

i like the ebony or the 50/50 ebony/gray with your tile and granite since it has a cooler tone. one question is, do you plan to have a smooth glossy top coat? with darker color floors, that can sometimes show a lot of dirt, thus be a bit more high maintenance. we had dark glossy floors with a small dog in our previous home and all of his paw prints and dust could be seen everywhere. in our current house, the floors are matte finish and it shows nothing even though my cleaning skills have not improved, lol.

Thank you HerrProfessorDoktor, I am glad you are letting others know about the issues you are having. It is too bad you regret the dark, perhaps you could restain them lighter in the future? I am very fortunate as I have had dark hard wood floors in my last house and plan to install them again in this house. I love the look and had no regrets last time with care so I think I will be okay. However, I do think it is wise of you to post as there are others who may not know the challenges of dark hardwood floors looking pristine. A rumba is always is a nice little feature to help with much of the dust. ~boxer Here is a great link / poll that talks about this topic. [light or dark hardwood[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/poll-light-or-dark-hardwood-dsvw-vd~5047868?n=235)