Hi @Tracy I used Sherwin Williams Pure White for my cabinets, and also used it on all of our trim, doors, and ceiling. The name 'pure white' is deceiving as the color is more of a soft/warm white versus a stark bright white, but it doesn't have a yellow tinge to it ... hopefully that makes sense? I must have watched a gazilion youtube vides comparing different tones of white before landing on 'pure white'! We used knotty alder wood for our stained lower cabinets. I LOVE white oak, but it was not in our budget as we also remodeled our primary bathroom, fireplace and outdoor area (I've attached a pic of our bathroom below - same color palette as the kitchen with agreeable grey on the wall and pure white for the trim and same stain as our kitchen cabinets). I showed our painter a sample of the post oak flooring and had him make up a few custom stain samples that would compliment it. We wanted to go with a more natural look, he ended up only adding a few drops of brown and white into a clear coat to land on the stain that we have. I wonder if you can ask your painter to try and do the same or go into a Sherwin Williams and see what they suggest. I wish it was a straight up answer for you ... unfortunately I don't know what color of brown or white he added to the clear coat or exactly how much of it. I hope this helps! There are so many stressful decisions.

leftontheinside We got our First Crush installed a few weeks ago, and there are saw marks. Some of our samples made them look very busy, and others didn't have them at all. We went through a local flooring store. The saw marks are definitely there, but not noticeable when looking at the floor as a whole (I looked at a lot of pictures because the saw marks were almost a deal breaker). We love the floors. They are beautiful! HU-751872317 We got a custom taupe stain made that coordinates well with the floor. If you still need something, I can get the formula.

@Sarah, Thanks so much! It actually turned out better than we expected. Yes, It's El Dorado Grand Banks Limestone. When the pieces arrived I thought they made an accident and we received the wrong product, they looked like cheap granite. I wasn't very excited with the wall until our happy accident of over-grouting. We knew we wanted a soft white grout color but didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars on pre-colored grout so we played with adding different amounts of brown permacolor grout to white mortar. We'd put some on a stone and let it dry overnight. We came to the ratio of 1/2 cup Laticrete Permacolor grout in Tawny for each 44 lb bag of Mapei White Keraflex SG Mortar. We mixed the dry mixture fully to avoid color pockets before adding water. We piped the mortar in and when it was still a bit soft we wiped it with a wet sponge allowing some of the residue to settle on top of the stones.

@autumnjohnson no, I really didn't notice until you said something. I think once all the planks are put down, it kind of blends in. I found the floors to be much more beautiful once they were installed versus the store samples. My mom installed Coretec Ravenswood Oak, and she didn't care for some of the distressing on hers, which come to found out, mine have to. Again, I didn't notice until she said something about it. Now if every plank had the same markings, that would be different. There are some planks that I love better than others, but overall, this flooring is beautiful, and I can't say enough about durability. No scratches or dents and we've been here for 8 months. My only complaint is that it was difficult for the installers because they said it was more rigid than standard LVP (not to mention heavy!). It is essential for the planks to be line up perfectly or there will be gaps. There were several gaps that they had to fix before moving in, and there are new ones that I will be having them address at our 1-year check-in. I would make sure whoever installs your floor is experienced and comfortable with this type of thick flooring and be sure to order extra. I don't think this is a flaw of the flooring, but rather the installation, and the nature of floating floor. Gaps will occasionally occur.