Matching a stain color means a lot of testing. The same color in a different batch on a different wood can be different. What kind of finish was applied. An oil based finish creates an amber color, where water based finishes do not---making a huge difference. If trying to match an oil based finish color with a water based finish, you will need a toner added to the finish. Hopefully, you will have several scrap pieces on which to experiment. Both with stains, toners, and finishes.

We have solid, site-finished, 5" hickory planks in our house. We like them, but, I'm actually writing this to tell you to be very cautious about hickory floors. We've stained our floors dark and have a hardwax oil finish. Our floors were stained dark because we did not like the strong orange/yellow undertones. Staining dark is, imo, the only way to reduce or eliminate the orange/yellow tones and, from what we experienced, hickory is not easy to stain and also not easy to stain evenly. I know that first floor you posted is blonde/brown and beautiful, but, beware.... Hickory yellows over time, with exposure to light. They call it "ambering." I may be mistaken, but I am not sure if any finish will prevent color change of the wood, itself, over time. Someone else may know more about this. But...be very careful and do your homework before you purchase. So far as humidity fluctuations and hickory, I don't think that there's any way you're going to get away with solid hickory in your state unless you are highly committed to very tightly controlling humidity levels in your home. We live in CA, where we do not experience fluctuations in humidity that are anywhere near what you get, and our floors expand a little in the summer and contact a little in the winters, and so we do see some cracks open up a bit here and there in the winters. We knew hickory was a relatively unstable wood when we installed it and so we knew we'd see a bit of movement, so we were prepared for this. It was one of the factors that led us to use a hardwax oil vs a water or oil based polyurethane. If you are uncertain if hickory is for you, or if you like the blonde/brown look of that first floor you posted and you would be unhappy if you floor had, or developed, yellow/orange undertones like the second floor, I think you need to rethink hickory. Start asking questions about yellowing over time. Some finishes yellow over time and so you will hear about this. But, wood also changes color over time. Will any finish prevent this? I don't know. Finally, know that there is significant variation in color even with select and better hickory. I think that it's possible that one of the things you dislike about the second floor you posted is that you can see where the planks meet up....one plank is dark, the next is light, maybe a solid dark plank meets a plank that's half dark and half light. This phenomenon is not so obvious is the first photo, because that photo covers a much smaller area vs the photo of the second floor, which is of the entire room. But, I'd advise thinking about this. Some planks will be dark, some will be light. Many will have both dark and light areas. One plank may have a 1/2 inch strip of light on the left. Another may have 4 inches of darker wood on the left, etc., etc. Think about how the planks will look when installed, both next to each other and also where they meet on the ends. Plank length matters so far as overall look too. Your first photo looks like it has longer planks than the second floor.

Are these pet stains (can you smell "animal urine" in the home)? If they are pet stains, you can go after them with enzyme cleaners. A good scrubbing with a bleaching agent (a hardwood flooring company will know what to work with) will improve the colour disparity. And a deeper sanding could be the way to go. Depending on what made these stains, a deeper sanding will do wonders (ie. do everything one more time). Once you have done everything physically possible to reduce the colour variation (you have a few more days of work ahead of you), you can go ahead and work with a mid-tone brown stain. Carefully apply the stain as per instructions, allow to dry, and the apply your 3 coats of finish. With a mid-tone brown (or darker....darker is always an option) you will minimize the colour variation by 90% - 99%. There will *always be a slight variation....but only you will be able to spot the problem areas. The extra work, the cleaning and then the mid-tone (or darker) stain will do everything you want it to do: give you a beautiful floor that hides the appearance of the stains. Go ahead and investigate wood bleaching/treatments for stains....grab some materials (and some knee pads....you're going to need them), some decent hard bristle scrub brushes and go to town. Give yourself several days for this part of the project. And remember to let the floor DRY completely before moving forward with the stain.

liz954, we are local to you and can give you a good recommendation on installation/finishing. Your town house may have restrictions on installation based on HOA covenants or construction methods. Do you have a concrete or wood sublfoor? White Oak is much more popular than Red Oak and a matte finish would look really beautiful. Changing the steps to match the floors would be the best look for sure!