We have white oak kitchen cabinets with a very light stain. Our house was originally built with white oak floors, which we thought were red oak. We had to replace quite a few boards and we used red oak so now we have a red and white oak floor (definitely by accident). I'm with you on the white oak being nicer. Despite the efforts of our floor refinisher, the red oak still has a pinkish cast to it. In order to make the white and red oaks really blend, we would have had to go with darker stain on the floor, which we didn't want. Have you checked local cabinet makers for prices for white oak cabinets. We found that some could only get red oak and others could only get white oak. The guy who could only get white oak wasn't any more expensive than the guy who could only get red oak.

Neutral = gold(ish). Golden oak = yellow. Both of those colours are SUPER WARM. If you want COOL you need to get RID of yellow, orange and red. duraseal-quick-coat-stain-chart.jpg (1510×1762) (netdna-ssl.com) Have a look at the chart. Can you see green in any colours? Think 'celery' rather than emerald. Each colour has been applied to Red and White Oak (they sit side-by-each). Chestnut has green in it. Provincial also has some green but it turns warm on Red Oak (snick more gold tones). Coffee Brown Dark Walnut Antique Brown These all have green in them. Be VERY careful with Jacobean if you are looking for a 'soft' brown. Jacobean is FANTASTIC at turning the mineral streaks (the grain) DARK BROWN/Black. If you want a soft brown, the Jacobean is probably not what you want.

Another reason not to mix custom stains. It doesn't take much to make the incorrect mix. Samples are measured with spoons, then you have to figure out the ratio for the actual project. It becomes more difficult when you need to do touch ups or spot fixes, which will most likely result in a entire floor refinish. Make things easy for yourself and stick to standard colors.

I don't think you will be able to get that light look consistently with red and white oak. You probably need to go with a medium neutral stain on all floors, one that has green tones in it. Green is the complement to red/pink, and mixing complementary colors neutralizes them. I've had success with Special Walnut stain throughout my home. The floors in the original (1920s) part of the home are oak, not sure if red or white. The new white oak floors in the kitchen were installed in 2014; all are stained special walnut. Here is a photo of the transition area between dining room (above the saddle) and kitchen (below the saddle). The color is not too dark and not too light. Depending on the light it can look warmer or cooler. It's my "go-to" color for me and my clients for many years.