Mid-tones are taking over for "dark" in many areas of the USA/North America. They are easy to live with yet still offer the drama of a dark floor. As for paint colour that is in place, leave it alone until you have the floors finished.

Red Oak can be tricky to get rid of the "cinnamon" colour but it can be done. An expert flooring refinisher should be able to offer several mid-tone options that would be considered "cool" in nature.

As for "dark vs light" trends, this is SO HARD to say. Many conservative areas of the USA are still putting in very dark floors. The more trendy "coasts" (LA, Seattle, NY, Montreal, etc) have moved away from "dark" some years ago.

Europe stopped showing "dark" flooring about 5-7 years ago. The "gray" trend is just about over in Europe whereas many places in N. America it is just starting to show up (flooring options...not paint).

Dark is dramatic, but can make you feel like you are a "slave" to your floor. The "light" colours are moving into the "bleached" wood (beach house look). The Mid-tones are still going strong and are favourites for people caught in between "dark" and "light". The choice is yours.

I went with a dark oak on my floors and have been very satisfied. It isn't the pale colors and not the ebony I first wanted, but a good middle of the road.

We went with a rustic Tuscan style when building/decorating our house.. and so I found some dark wood I loved. It isn't REAL dark or anything. It really fits the style I was going for. It is very wide compared to most and everyone who sees it LOVES it. The only problem is that like the above people said, you have to clean more often that lighter woods. "Stuff" shows up so easy! :(

The pendulum swings from one extreme to the other. You have what looks like a lovely classic white kitchen. A mid-tone brown (neither too dark, nor too light) will be a timeless classic as well. This should extend the life of the "look" no matter what geographical region you're in .

The sample below is an example of what I consider "mid-tone" with a good warm/cool balance . As another commenter suggested, the ideal colour would not be too red. It might take a little experimenting on the part of your refinisher to get the warm/cool balance right especially since your current floor has quite a bit of variation, each variant taking the stain differently. On the up side, the darker colour will flatten some of the contrast which will add a note of formality and richness to the whole space to reinforce the timeless look.

Good luck with your project!

My example disappeared when I hit submit. I'm trying that again.

Guess what? We stripped our red oak floors and ripped up carpet and put in more red oak floors for continuity and then restained them....midtone... and they still look kinda red. Dark too hard to keep clean and light hard to do with red oak.

Thank you everyone for the helpful comments. I do worry that the dark will need too much upkeep, although we do not have children living at home. We do have a small dog that sheds very little. Dawnbc1, do you know the color stain you used? I think I will look into midtones, that don't appear red or orange.

I had dark hardwood oak floors. Next time I went to medium. Then I added Natural Maple (light, light!) in the kitchen. Medium color are the easiest to keep clean. Dark shows dust, spills, etc. Light does the same thing. Medium (Kind of like what you already have) would never show a thing! I'd keep what you have or make them a Medium brown.

First I wouldn't worry about trends but your own taste preference. I have red oak hardwood floors that were originally stained English Chestnut (mid-tone). They always looked on the "orange" side. When I had them re-stained two years ago, I went with Coffee (blend of Walnut and Ebony). They are stunning with the white woodwork, Cabernet cabinets and colors on the wall. Everything just pops. Yes they show dust but no matter what color you go with there is maintenance. Invest in a good stick vacuum to maintain the floors, To make your home have some drama, either go with very dark or extremely light to provide contrast and definition. To help you decide bring home some wood laminate samples in colors that you are considering and compare them side by side in your rooms to see which one you like the best.

Buy several small sample cans and when the refinisher comes you can try different tones after your floors are sanded. What you don't like will be sanded out. They can also tweek the color before doing the whole floor.

Elizabeth Minish, please try again to post that mid-tone color. IF you still cannot, please post the misture of stains you used. Thanks in advance. Struggling to choose the floor color.

There is no RIGHT or WRONG with hardwood. However I some valid points above. Dark hardwoods will show EVERYTHING as far as scratches dust and dirt. However, Oak in general isn't as popular on the floor anymore. To keep up with trends and not looking out dated most people are using a darker walnut or ebony stain on oak to keep it more modern looking. Natural or Golden Oak is more of a old fashioned or traditional look. Hope this helps

Actually, I like what you have. You could go a shade or two darker, but definitely have a matte, not glossy finish.

Your home looks spacious, but keep in mind the darker your floor plane is the smaller the room may seem. Also, very dark is higher maintenance.

I like medium tones for a few reasons; really light/natural stains are too close to the 80's & 90's honey oak "builder standard" which everyone seems desperate to replace around our area. Dark stains show a LOT of dust and require more frequent cleanings as most people have pointed out, plus they can make an area seem smaller however they do have a rich look to them that people like. I gravitate towards very neutral medium stain colours without yellow/orange/red tones, I think they're the easiest to work with if you decided to change your decor as neutral medium stain seems to coordinate with everything. Hardwood with a grey/brown stain has also been very popular, although customers who worry it might be "trendy" and therefore appear dated in a few years tend to go more brown than grey. It all comes down to personal preference and what works for you!

Cathylk621 I'm going through this too but with new wood floors. I think I'll go with a medium much like what you have now - personally I agree with joann7 and would stick with that.

Keep what you have. Original is best.

Hi Lizzy, I have carpet now so not taking out any old. I'm looking at a Hickory Saddle stain which I hope isn't too dark. Someone told me that light colors "date" a house, but I say go for what you like. I'm torn between engineered and solid wood - any thoughts on that?

Leave it! Trends come and go.

I have had medium and dark. I would definitely go with a medium to lighter stain. I preferred the stain that looked the least red in a medium shade to camouflage some discoloration at my former home and they were beautiful. At my current home they are too dark and very lackluster. (Due to poor quality of work). Choose your refinisher wisely and check what products, process, and equipment they are using no matter how "reputable" they may be.

Keep your oak it will always be good. Go light as opposed to dark & do not pay attention to trends such as all grey everything, trellis patterns in white & one color. persian rugs are always classic, timeless. Trendy can be used for pillows & small accessories.

i have refinished floors at 2 homes first one was a medium brown matte finish this always looked dirty to me it was the matte finish. 2nd one was again medium brown but with semi gloss.I love the semi gloss it always looks clean even with two dogs

candleflower42. Go with what you like. It's very true that trends come and go. I have 2 white bulldogs that shed, so I stear clear of the dark stains. I have original (1950's) red oak floors upstairs, and high-quality wood-look vinyl planks in my basement. It holds up well to the occasional flood. The color is medium brown with a gray tone to it. It's beautiful. Everyone is amazed that it's vinyl. For you, if you can afford it, go with wide plank solid wood over engineered. Hope that helps!

I LOVE!! Dark toward black floors. They are striking and elegant. I had dark stained red oak and my husband wanted to lighten them when we needed to refinish. I wish I would have put my foot down. I really miss my almost black floors. Oak is a very hard wood and holds up much better than other woods. They aren't any harder to keep up. We have big dogs, too. Don't worry about trends. Do what "YOU" want. Look at pics on HOUZZ of dark floors.

Love the look of dark floors--always dramatic--however--everyone I know who has them says all they do is clean them as they show every single speck of anything. My advice----GO WITH WHAT YOU LIKE. "Trends" will always come and go--but hardwood floors are never out of style-no matter whether dark or light. When you visit century old homes--nobody ever says-oh-the hardwood floors are not "in-style" because they are "light/dark".

Cathylk621 would you mind if I posted a few pics of wood samples I have and get folks opinion on them? I don't want to crash your thread without your blessing. I'm decorating challenged and actually don't know how I got on this Houzz site but it seems to be a great source for info and constructive chatter. I have a Somerset sample here and at 3.25 width it's not a wide plank but not a strip either - it's a red oak natural solid wood and only 8.50 a foot installed and the installer says a very good solid wood. It's similar to my 20 year old kitchen floor which will need to come out but that I like. But, when I looked at other warmer wide planked woods it looks so generic in comparison. I love this Maine woods sample that's a hickory saddle stain but it's about 3 dollars more a square foot and 1300 sq feet will be covered. Not sure it matters enough to me to spend 4 grand more....

If you're concerned about upkeep, you may want to consider a medium-toned floor. Very light or very dark floors, while much more dramatic, will show pet hair, dust (dark tones) and soil (very light tones) to a much greater degree. Mid-tones are much more forgiving. I know from experience. We installed red oak floors stained medium brown when we built our house 28 years ago. When we refinish, we will go with a stain very similar to the one we have now. It may not be the trendiest color, but it is classic and looks clean even when I know it's not!

Don't pay attention to 'trends'. Go with what you like.

When did the fad of staining a floor start? A previous poster mentioned: 80's & 90's honey oak "builder standard". That wasn't a color, that was a clear, oil-based finish over red oak. The dark stain that is so popular lately is a completely unnatural appearance. Over time, light woods darken and dark woods lighten. Don't "paint" your hardwood floors with grain-obscuring stain and enjoy the natural beauty of the wood. After all, you paid for it!

Take a piece or two of your flooring to a Pittsburgh Paint or SW. They should be able to "make a sample" board for you. I took mine to Pittsburgh Paint & they actually mixed a stain just for me! I didn't go dark....

I chose Provincial stain by Minwax on my sanded red oak floors. I am very happy with the color.

Do most people chose a stain and have it applied to the wood in the home? The guy who is going to put my floors in hasn't mentioned this, seems to want me to choose an already stained wood. Someone told me that unless I have the floor finished in the home that it doesn't matter if I get solid or engineered wood because it can't be sanded anyway but wouldn't the process be the same whether it's done in the factory or the home?

I have both antique white oak and new red oak floors. I chose English Chestnut and could not be happier. Looks clean most of the time. I am not a clean freak but I don't like it to look dirty.

And both floors are brown, not red.

@candleflower42 you can absolutely finish on site!!! Perhaps look up another installer/finisher that can help you out. Look on this site nwfa.org click on certified pros and find a properly trained fellow. After all it's your flooring and your house. Both solid and engineered come in an unfinished format.

Thanks Ultimate Hardwood - I have a huge problem with energy, or lack thereof, and am finding it hard to go around to stores and get samples and then take them back and it's hard to find a combo of wood, width and color I want. Seems it'd be a lot easier to have him put in the width of floor I want and then take one trip to get a bunch of stain samples to try. Is it less expensive doing it this way or does it matter? Also from what the lady at one wholesale supply store said, unless I have it done on sight, I can't sand it due to the finish, so it wouldn't matter whether I got solid or engineered, if I understood her correctly. So if I get solid I should have it done on site...

We recently built a new home and after much (too much!) consideration, we went with "Special Walnut" on our red oak floors. I love it! We have lots of gray and I think the mid tone floor keeps the space warm and cozy. We also have an espresso island in our kitchen (along with white perimeter cabinets) and I wanted to make sure there was enough contrast between the island and the floors. Good luck!

UPDATE - Thank you all for your comments. Here we are in the stain stage (Minwax Dark Walnut) and I am pleased and I am going with a Bona Natural finish as I don't want any shine. I am pleased. I know it might look similar to old floors but really not in person. There was more red in the old floors.

Lighting is playing with the color. Not that red