I personally like the Hickory Brandywine one, but go with the one you love. Walls and trim can change, but the floor will be there for the long haul. Follow your heart.

Not sure of the name of it, but in picture #4, I like the darkest board on the largest sample board that appears on the left end. Does that make sense? I think that corresponds to ;picture #1 with the sample board in the middle.....It would really help to number your choices and identify them when you post so we don't create more confusion for you! LOL, you don't need that. I think if you have light cabinets, the darker floor will give you more of a contrast which should be lovely. And, I love your brick floors!

I also love that very darkest board on the large panel. Looks like that panel might be mixed stained but I you could find something that was all that darkest color I think that goes best with the brick in the fireplace.

I don't know how to go back and label the pictures but I will try to explain the woods here... On the first picture by the fireplace the first sample to the left is oak. the color choices are Red Oak Dark Gunstock, Red Oak Colonial and Red Oak Natural. The big middle sample is Distressed Hickory. The sample to the far right is also hickory. The colors are Falcon Brown, Brandywine and Smokey Topaz. Does this make sense?

Wow, hard choice. Do you like the red, caramel, orange or brown undertones? Personally, I like gunstock stains (brown undertones), so it is my go to. Your floor brick, which is gorgeous, presents more red so the brandywine stain blends nicely, but your trim appears to be darker, so either the hickory or gunstock oak would work as well.

Does everyone think the large middle sample of the distressed hickory is too busy for the split brick? It would be all those variations of color on the floor. Should I take that one out of my choices? Even though I love it I would everything to flow and make sense. I don't want the whole think to look like I ma confused, which I am.

am not ma lol

You crack me up, violinist! I don't think of hardwood as "busy", I think of it as the absolute grounding of everything in the room and the home. Your brick is gorgeous and is going to work with the wood. I like browns in hardwood, staying away from oranges. You're goal is not to match the brick tones, but blend nicely. Still in picture #2, I like the sample on the far right. What is that one called?

I am definitely confused! LOL!

Just a quick comment----my former home had espresso hardwood floors---ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS---but a BEAR to keep clean. Every dog hair and crumb showed. If you go with dark wood floors, you will LOVE the look, but consider how much time you want to spend on upkeep.. It was worth it to me---but---lol---my new house has travertine that shows nothing!

I am with ya, dbs959, my kitchen tile is the color of dirt! And I love it, looks great all the time! LOL! I would never be able to have expresso hardwood!

Rhonda, in picture #2 next to the big area of my split brick that is all one sample of distressed hickory. The floor would have all of those colors in it I guess. That's my I thought it may be too busy. But you like the dark brown color on the far right of that?

My vote is for the large sample in the middle; hickory with reddish, brown tones.

This one, vjs12? You don't think it's too busy for my split brick?

The lady that I showed this picture to at another wood place said the wood I choose needed to be all the same tone so she gave me a sample of Brazilian Tiger wood that proceeded to confuse me even more. I haven't put a picture of that on here yet. I just brought it home and my husband looked at it and said the actual wood layer is too thin so I don't think it will be considered. It's Brazilian tiger wood by Home Legends. Very pretty.

Question, what's underneath the carpet??

Cancork, I also like the middle tones. I don't want dark because of the dust, I don't want light because I want more warmth. Should I be concerned that a middle tone that has a bit of red in it would pull out the red in my split brick and fireplace brick and make the room seem pink? Or am I overthinking this? I think gunstock is boring. But my family keeps pointing to that one. I want something interesting without being overwhelming. I am also not wanting to go with anything that is trendy because this is the first and last time we will purchase wood for this house and we are planning on staying. My husband is painting as I type so too late for getting the floors first, which now in hindsight seems like what we should have done. THanks!

Under the carpet is concrete

OH my, I just read your explanation post....the entire sample would be all over your floor in that picture #2, NO, I don't like that either. I am just now understanding, I agree with you that is too busy (even for me, LOL) Remove all that you don't like from consideration and put them away right now....or the confusion will simply continue. then post 1 more final picture of what YOU like the best at this time.

oh, and here's another thought. You could have unfinished hardwood installed and stained to your specifications and finished in the color of your choice. Have you considered that route?

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think you want your floor to be "interesting" on it's own. I think of it as a lovely, rich background that should complement your other design choices? I would stay away from the orangey/red tones just for the reasons you mentioned. I like the darkness of the gunstock next to your brick.

I like the third and the fourth from the left in the first picture..

Such great advice. I am going right now to remove my beloved busy distressed hickory and only put down the others and then I am going to stare at them a while and think about everything y'all have said.

Advira in the picture nectar to the fireplace?

To add even more confusion here is the tiger wood the lady in the store suggested that my husband says has too little wood.

Geez. I meant nectar to not nectar.

Next to

One more oak also. Jefferson. It's a middle color. What about that? Ok I have added to the confusion instead of taking away.

I think you are really over thinking this. Pick the flooring first don’t try to match it to a wall color that can be changed easily. Since it s butting up to the brick floor in the kitchen I would recommend picking a tone that compliments it. I would be afraid to go to red as your brick red color may clash. I would also consider painting the trim as the stain on it now will not match the floors. Pick your flooring then a wall color then your trim color.

Narrowing down now. First picture is oak color is Jefferson. Second picture is oak color is gunstock. Which is best?

I would suggest a dark honey color-some contrast from the brick fireplace. Hickory is a great wood with beautiful grain and usually great coloring.

The picture of the hearth with the samples in front of it.

Do you think the colonial oak is considered light?

Another hickory called caramel that I like.

Too much red?

Harris Wood SWS / the one on the right. It's a real neutral color and dark enough to contrast from the brick fireplace

Harris hickory honeytone. It has less red. What do y'all think?

Finally!!!! We are priming to get ready to paint. There is a door that houses our ac. That is covered in brown paper in this picture. Should we leave it stained or paint it a shade or two darker than bleeker beige? What about the other three doors?

Another pic of the doors. To hall, a/c, to foyer, to closet. Four doors in a little tight area.

Now that I see the hickory sample with your brick floor it does have a lot of variation so I wouldn't choose that one. I like the hickory called caramel (if that's the reddish/brown color on the left of the board with the blonde color sample)? I like the oak called Jefferson also. My favorite is hickory. I have a hickory floor thru-out my home which has some variation but not a lot. It is a beautiful wood and very hard.

Here's a clearer picture. Also, I would paint all the doors and trim white so there will be a contrast with the beige walls.

We chose honeytone hickory! We have to wait a week to ten days to get it in.

Floor choice looks great! It's always nice to have the decision made & ordered! Did you paint the doors white? I hope.

I'm going to paint the a/c door the same color as the walls to make it blend in. Still thinking about the other doors.

Rhonda, we are painting the ac door and ceiling trim bleeker beige. There won't be any white. But we have white in the living room!!!!! :)