Not an answer to your question, just want to say I think the woodwork is beautiful as is. I'd work with it, not against it. Plus someone must have taken a lot of time to restore.

You did read that I am NOT trying to paint the wood, right?

Try the home decorating forum and ask for wall color suggestions that might help tone down the orange. Floors usually are different--usually a different species of wood. I'd try to tone down the monochromatic look with some good rugs if the floors don't need refinishing. (If they do, I'd try to go lighter)

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/decor

I agree trying with wall paint first. Our original (1928) craftsman-toned wood was bleached blonde in the 60's, and we are slowly restoring it - but it takes stripping off the poly, sanding down to wood, prepping the wood, staining, and then poly again. I begged at S/W if there was any new product that might save some of those steps, but they all agreed it's the way to go.

As we wait for that, we found a shade that works remarkably in our dining room, just by luck. On contrast, our living room, while I like the color (it's a cool 'stone' shade) it does absolutely nothing to work with the woodwork. It's really remarkable what paint and furnishings do.

Any pics?

Maybe you could go over them with a ruby shellac. It's easy to get off if it looks wrong...might just go more orange though. :)

Here's some suggestions for colors work with the woodwork.

I like the paint choices given and agree that painting is the easiest way to go. However if you decide to stain I have always used a pre stain with pine to avoid the "splotchy". You may want to check in the woodworking forum if this would be true with heart pine, but it certainly works for any wood that stains splotchy. You apply, wait 5 minutes, then stain. Also, maybe try a clear shellac first and tone done the Ambering in a test spot. Maybe that will be enough to go light and natural once you have stripped the poly. You are talking a lot of work redoing all that.

Good luck.

P.S. I am partial to the dark blue and greens cpartist posted. I would try a sample pot of a few first before spending weeks sanding.

For the walls, a white with a yellow undertone might work. Or a cream color. Or a light yellow, like Ben Moore Philadelphia Cream, HC-30. It's in BM's historic collection.

How about dark tung oil applied to the wood after it's properly stripped/sanded?

How about a nice historically accurate, easy to DIY, and fabulous looking shellac?

Can you shellac darker? I've only seen orangy shellac which is what we are trying to move away from.

yes...it might have even been mentioned above. Thing is, you need to TEST it inside a closet door or somewhere first.

Yes I have some spare damaged doors in my basement to use for testing. Thank you for the suggestion

Ive been having good luck with Zar stain - its not as heavy and opaque as GF gel stain = but it goes on pretty evenly over previously finished wood, and that's what youll have even if you use a paint stripper on it - someof it will remain embedded in the pores of the wood. with other finishes. Definitely experiment before commiting to anything!

Agree that a wall color change may be quickest, best-est solution - needs to be something strong enough to stand up to the intensity of the wood. As above poster stated, to de-orange the wood, you need colors around it that don't bring out the oranginess.

It looks like a pretty decent refinish job, at least what I can see from here - Im lusting after that beautiful grain!