I went with white oak also because I didn't want red undertones. My flooring co said red oak will usually have red undetones regardless of what color stain is applied. Mine are stained with a mix of 75% Jacobean and 25% Coffee Black (similar to Dark Walnut from the more common stain company). I love them! Not so dark that the show every single speck of dust or cat hair. That sounds like a cleaning nightmare to me! And shout out to Nini whose floor is my inspiration. She graciously supplied her formula to me so I could try to replicate her beautiful floors!

OK...here's what you WANT to know about 'no stain'. The ORANGE tones in the old floor came from an 'oil based polyurethane'. That ORANGE is the FINISH not the wood. Do NOT let them use an 'oil based polyurethane' NOR an 'oil modified' finish. If you want RAW or unfinished looking floors, you want WATER BASED 2 part polyurethane FINISH. It will NOT turn orange. To be clear, many wood flooring professionals LIKE the orange. They try their best to make EVERY FLOOR turn ORANGE. That's why MANY like the oil based finishes (or oil modified). It turns the wood ORANGE. That's what they like. That's what they have been taught is the way 'wood should look'. Don't let a floor finisher dictate his/her 'ideal' on your floor colour choice. A water based polyurethane (a high end 2 part product like StreetShoe by Basic) is going to be SUPER tough. And they do NOT stink. The OIL BASED products STINK. They are NASTY. For those of us who suffer from migraines or nose bleeds, the OIL BASED stink can be so bad that we have to stay out of the house for 6-8 weeks because of the smell. A water based finish has VERY little smell. Even for chemically sensitive people they can move back into their home inside of 14 days. That is a MAJOR bonus. Yes they are more expensive, but so is 2 weeks of a hotel stay. Either way you are going to pay for it.

Have the FLOORING PROFESSIONAL (ahem...not some 'guy' who also knocks down walls) to offer STAIN PATCHES. A stain patch is a patch of stain (usually they offer 3-5 different stains) with a SINGLE COAT of finish. The coat of finish is a MUST!!! Without the finish you are picking blind. If the builder is using red oak they are almost certainly using 'oil based' poly. Oil based poly = turns orange. And orange + red = FIRE RED. That's why you must stipulate: 1. Colour patches will be offered for viewing/choosing by the customer 2. Colour patches MUST be coated with 1 coat of polyurethane finish 3. Colour patches will be left on the floor for 24-48 hours so the homeowner can watch the stain turn colour throughout all lighting situations. 4. Customer will SIGN the stain they want and photograph for posterity before the sand/refinish is to occur. Realize that ALL of these stipulations will do two things: 1. Slow down the process 2. Irritate the Bejesus out of the Builder Be calm and firm and carry on. If the builder is cheaping out, you will know. It will be apparent in their reaction to your stipulations (put in writing of course). The bigger the negative reaction the cheaper s/he is working.

Pictures may not accurately represent colors or finish. Your best option is to have a sample made that you can step on.