Hi chaimama! This remodel was supposed to begin 2 years ago, so I certainly understand about delays. I hope you won't have to wait too long. I will definitely post some pics for you when I have them. I'm hoping the marble will be in by end of next week. The stainless steel counters won't go in until second week of March. It takes 3 weeks to fabricate them, and we're going on vacation soon in a few weeks, so they won't install till we get back. Oopsie, sorry for thread-jack, havnfun! Erika

Here's the thing, if you mix them and in the future you need to redo the floors or just retouch where an accident has occurred you will not be able to exactly match it. Scenario: It seemed like the finish you mixed up would never go bad but fast forward a few years and it's all dried up in the can and you have to remember what you mixed together and thought you would never forget!! But you did and you can't find where you put that formula you wrote down. On top of that they have changed dropped one of the colors from the line. How do I know this? Because it happened to us!!! We have mixed stain on our floors and don't have a clue what we used way back when we built the house. I like Provencial, it's an old color that base come back into favor. They are so similar I think you would like either one in the long run : ) It does show more dog hair if you have light color of pets.

We had our kitchen gutted and redone with cherry cabinets, maybe slightly lighter than yours. If you have real cherry (not cherry color stain), you may decide to keep them. Although cherry paints well (as compared to oak), painted cabinets don’t hold up as well as factory finished. The other advantage is that they don’t show the dirt! We kept our oak floors, but had them refinished in clear water-based poly. Over time, oil based poly yellows, and that may be affecting your floors. Remember, dark floors make your space darker, as well as showing every speck of dirt. The trend for the past ten years or so has been dark floors and white cabinets, although I sense that is changing. If you love it, go with that, but not because it’s popular! As to the island, remove it before the floors are done, in case they don’t extend all the way under it and need to be patched. The stone countertop can be cut down if you decide to change the island. Don’t make any kitchen choices based on not having a dining table. Go to Goodwill and pick up a table at least to tide you over.

I know this is older post, but also know photos are helpful. We used provincial on our red oak. Pics are with all lights out on snowy day (but lots of lights because blinds are not up yet). Its a satin finish, but as yiu can see when light hits it still reflects light. Overall we are very happy. Rich color that isnt too dark or too light (and changes with lighing). No orange - rich brown/golden brown/dark brown are color variations in the wood. waterbased poly.