Here's the final result with #3 (50% classic gray and 50% weathered oak). The pictures vary depending on the angle/lighting and may not do it justice, it looks great to us, nice neutral grey/brown color that isn't too dark (or too light). Some "pink" hues may just barely show from the red oak but it's only after I analyzed the pictures on my computer that this occurred to me, in real life it's not something we personally see. Thanks for everyone's input.

Thank you HerrProfessorDoktor, I am glad you are letting others know about the issues you are having. It is too bad you regret the dark, perhaps you could restain them lighter in the future? I am very fortunate as I have had dark hard wood floors in my last house and plan to install them again in this house. I love the look and had no regrets last time with care so I think I will be okay. However, I do think it is wise of you to post as there are others who may not know the challenges of dark hardwood floors looking pristine. A rumba is always is a nice little feature to help with much of the dust. ~boxer Here is a great link / poll that talks about this topic. [light or dark hardwood[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/poll-light-or-dark-hardwood-dsvw-vd~5047868?n=235)

Update on our floors: we had them sanded and refinished, went with a custom SW wood classics stain, base was "new ebony" tweaked a bit to lighten up and avoid any reddish undertones. See pics below, water popped, stained and one coat of water base finish-they'll be covered with ram board until end of project and then floor guys come back for second coat of finish and any buffing (I think, if necessary), we might do a third coat for extra durability with the dogs. We'll see how the finish lasts over time, but there was barely ANY smell, that Swedish finish from the previous installer was horrific. In the end, the color still didn't turn out quite as dark as I wanted or how I had envisioned, however I think we ended up with a nice warm, deep tone that will be timeless, but still fits within the realm of what I wanted, within reason given the fact that I had envisioned rift and quarter not plain sawn. Regardless, they are sooo much better than the first go around, in my eyes, and well worth the extra cost. I'm sure this is nothing new to those who have already commented, but for anyone going through something similar, take it from me... nothing will ever look exactly like the pictures you use as examples (no matter how many times people warn you), you can get close, but even our new stain looks totally different when you're standing in the room vs. taking a pic, the pics show much more variation and make the floors look lighter, they're more even toned and charcoal in person, pics make them look more brown. And it changes in various light, you can tell from the pics below that it changes depending on where you're standing. These were all taken at the same time of day. Great learning lessons here for anyone installing new hardwoods, be sure you know the ins and outs of the species you are selecting and know that given the variability in the boards, the floors overall will never look exactly like the sample swatch they do on your floor. No matter how many times they tell you that, it doesn't sink in until you see it all finished. If you have your heart set on a consistent color/tone, I would highly recommend pre-finished wood floors based on my experience. As much as I don't like the engineered look (having had it before), you can rest assured that what you select will look exactly the same once installed. Thanks for all the help from folks who weighed in, and if you have any critical comments on the outcome or process-please just keep it to yourself :) I'm exhausted from this ordeal and am ready to move on and what's done is down at this point, just wanted to update folks and say thanks for the earlier feedback. Can't wait to paint lighter colors and get all of our belongings in there to pull it all together!

Hi Lana! It's tricky to find silvery pale gray that won't go green or brown. The Benjamin Moore color of the year for 2019 is Metropolitan. It looks gorgeous in pictures—but, like Silver Chain, it's too dark for my rooms (registers as wet cement). I studied the BM paint deck and eliminated a lot of other popular grays: Classic Gray (too warm, pink?), Balboa Mist (too beige), Revere Pewter (too brown), Gray Owl (too green), Silver Half Dollar (too blue), Stonington and Conventry Gray (too dark). My 1939 bungalow is a quirky space with wide trim painted BM Super White, which required a neutral backdrop for a scheme of black/white/pops of color. My pick—BM Silver Satin OC-26—the results are FABULOUS! Good luck on your quest.