Here are some evening photos of my white oak select grade hardwood, site installed, with one coat of Bona Natural seal and two coats of Bona Traffic HD Matte. It’s a lot lighter IRL than in the photos. I agonized over what sealer to use (bought different stains, Loba 2k, all sorts of products). This combination seemed to look the closest to the natural wood (which I LOVED). The sealer did make it a tiny bit darker but it’s ok. I also included a photo of my stairs. They are red oak. It was a fortune to replace the stairs so we kept the red oak and used one coat of wheathered oak stain and two coats of Bona HD traffic extra matte (same as on the floors). Two lessons learned: Use a third coat of Bona HD traffic in high-traffic areas (our first floor gets a ton of wear with a dog and three teenagers, a third coat would have added an extra layer of protection against scratches). If you are a sheen person and like gleaming wood floors, do not use matte, use a satin finish. I had satin in my other house and I do miss the shine of a freshly washed wood floor. Although a matte does do a great job of hiding scratches. We installed white oak throughout the house (with the exception of the stairs) and even in the kitchen. I love wood floors in the kitchen - easier on the feet, knees, and not cold like a tile floor.

Not being privy to the whole conversation, it's impossible to say. The floor guy might have established in his mind you wanted natural color, then the discussion turned to which top coat to use. We don't do a whole lot of raw wood look. One might think it's common looking online but depending on where you are, the floor finishers may have never been exposed to it.

Hey Stephanie! Nice to come across another Canuk on the ol' Internuts! Yeah we're still chugging along here in 'Peg S#itty! The remodeling industry took a hit because so many homeowners were off work and decided to try and do things themselves. Buuuut, as I expected, I'm now getting calls to go and fix their f-ups. I bought my 93 year old grandma a Bombers hoodie for Christmas, hopefully she gets to wear it next season! Doesn't sound like we'll see any CFL in 2021. Where abouts do you live? Are you originally from Winnipeg? I put cork flooring in my moms kitchen years ago. I hated the colour she chose back then, and hate it even more now. I'm buying her house in a few months and will attempt my first cork refinishing 😨 That is supremely helpful advice! Thanks so much for Rays digits! I think I've actually been in his shop before, years ago. It was in the basement of a small commercial building, if I remember correctly. Maybe near Osborne Village? Oddly enough, this client wants a honey oak finish...I tried to talk them out of it, but they're set. I showed them a sample of Bona Amber Seal, and it wasn't nearly amber enough for them. So, I think I'll have to actually stain their poor oak floors right back into the 80's🤷 That being said, a little yellowing would be fine. If Basic Pro is on par with Mega, then I'll likely go that route as I can pick it up for $62/gallon, as opposed to $102 for Mega, or $110 for Mega One. Traffic would sure be nice, but I'd be working for 🥜's if I went that route. Such a competitive market here. The client got 5 quotes, of which I was the most expensive, and I bid 25% under the industry standard! I bid $5800, and one guy bid only $3500! How TF can you refinish 1500sf of oak floors and a staircase for $3500? Probably would have gone like this: -Sand with 26 -Sand with 80 -Roll on a coat of Varathane with a $2 roller from Dollarama -Hop in his 1992 Dodge Caravan -Crack a warm Budweiser from under the seat. -Drive home -Then email an invoice for $4200. I can't thank you enough for being so helpful!

We didn't move in yet so I cannot comment on it 🤷. You might want to do some reading regarding matt finish. Some people complain that is hard to live with finish, because for example foot marks while walking barefoot. I think they are some discussions on houzz regarding that