Natural finish with a product like Bona Naturale is a very popular look for Hickory. It would be a very light colored kitchen.

Thanks. I guess we were thinking darker floors would look more contemporary? Right now they are very honey-colored and light and we would like to get away from that look

Hickory can be a little tricky in terms of staining. I would have your flooring finishers make a few samples for review.

Sounds like a good idea. Thanks

Leaving it natural might be the best look but also the best function as any dents won't be as noticeable. With the modern dark cabinets, the natural wood is a nice simple element and is always classic. Staining might not come out the way you hope so natural is definitely the safer route.

If the flooring hasn't been refinished in awhile, the lacquer may have yellowed. Perhaps talk to the finisher about a natural oiled finish or a matte lacquer with a good UV protectant in it that won't discolour as much.

I would guess you can get a half step darker (with the right gray undertones for your cabs) and that's as dark as I would want to go with the dark kitchen. If you go darker...you have to work in the "ebony" or "jacobean" depths (several steps darker than your cabs). That's several steps darker. That's into the "I can see every speck of dust" depth of colour. That would mean you have a "black hole kitchen" with "black hole counter top" sitting on "black hole flooring". It will look like a black hole. Unless you want to change out your counter tops (a bright white would look magnificent with dark cabs on dark floors) or add 2-3 times more lighting you may want to stay on the lighter side for your flooring.

A "light" stain on hickory and maple can be difficult to achieve because it can get a bit splotchy. Splotchy is visible with light stain rather than dark stain (you can't tell "dark" vs "dark splotch"...they both look dark).

I'm of the opinion that a natural clear coat (non-yellowing product) will offer a handsome, non-yellow floor. Most finishes are the things that darken and "yellow" not the wood. When you strip off the finish you will probably see a very pale blond floor. A non-yellowing finish will keep the pale blond = Scandinavian Modern.

Both of the hardwood professionals thought it could be refinished. They said it was a prefinished hardwood floor with an aluminum oxide topcoat (hope I got that right). I specifically asked if that type of coating could be sanded off and was told it was no problem. I hope that is true. The bid I have indicates "staining, finishing and 3 coats of Bona Mega polyurethane finish". I will discuss the Rubio and Glitsa finishes. Thanks again for taking the time to help me with this issue.

Below is a Houzz image that captures the color of the cabinets along with the white walls of the house. I wonder if this look could be replicated in our home?

Nancy & Jim's Mid-Century Marvel · More Info

The bid was from Prime Hardwood Floors based in North Hollywood, CA. Unfortunately the NWFA site does not list a certified sand and finisher at either the home zip in Pasadena or in North Hollywood which makes me think either the site doesn't search well or perhaps theses certified pros do not join the nwfa in my area. If I were anywhere near Alberta Canada, you would be on the top of my list!

Does anyone in Southern California have experience with Prime Hardwoods, good or bad? Thanks to everyone for your help.

We have rift oak cabinets with a dark stain and oak floors. We wound up using a water based clear finish which makes them really light. We tested the oil based clear finish and it brought in the red tones which I didn't like. The down side is the water based finish - while it dries almost instantly and doesn't smell, is less durable. We've got plenty of scratches from the dog.

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r623/laurat88remodel/DSC_1909_zps5d7391cb.jpg

Finished (they look darker in the pics but they are really pretty light):

http://static.wixstatic.com/media/5e1917_1cdf278804fd59d6950316f4528dbd99.jpg_srb_p_880_624_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srb