Ask the contractor for an estimate to replace the half dozen or so much lighter boards.

You may want to investigate a plastic floor. It’s pretty uniform. Otherwise get used to the fact that wood grows on trees. Different trees. And Mother Nature has an infinite variety of different wood tones. Which is part of the charm of owning a real wood floor.

I like the color of the wood without color. I'd just put on the clear coat finish. Or a grayish color if you have to have a color.

Trying to turn an oak floor gray is fraught with problems. We get lots of disappointed people here trying to make it look better. The grayish floor is a trend which will pass and in some places is already passing. Refinish your lovely oak floors to either natural or slightly stained brown to have a timeless, elegant floor that can be adapted to almost any style.

I will have to respectfully disagree with jhmarie....a neutral, classic gray/brown will always be in style. Old brown stains have their best days behind them. It will take ages for that old fashion look to make it's way back around again...20+years or so. Lighter colors looks have been popular and still on the rise due to the ease of keeping them clean....the darker the color, the more work to keep every speck of dirt and dust off it. (Think how many people are kicking themselves now because they put in dark wood floors over the past 7-8 years and now are constantly cleaning them.) But "Chevys and Fords" as the old saying goes.... Oh and you're welcome, Reemanu .....smh....

sometimes you get pieces of wood that are burnished (pores are shut and won't readily take stain) either because of sanding or something has blocked the pores of the wood. you could try individually sanding those boards w/a rough grit to see if they open. otherwise, embrace the different tones.

that being said, no well respected floor finisher person would ever use Minwax stain.

Try Duraseal, general Finishes or Varathane (their weathered oak is much better than minwax). And you should use a wood conditioner before staining to get an even coat of stain.

Thanks for all the productive and useful feedback. We decided to embrace the variance and go with Weathered Oak. The contractor said if any slabs stick out and bug me he can go and hand stain those (showed me a couple examples of this on our floor). That being said - Beth H. your comment worried me. Based on a quick internet search, it does appear that most professionals use Duraseal over Minwax. I asked my contractor and he still believes Minwax is the best way to go for our floors. He's been great so far so I have no reason not to trust him. Do you think I should push for Duraseal? Also, he seems to think we can walk barefoot on the floor within a few hours. Everything I'm reading (and I called Minwax) suggests we need to lay off the floor for 24 hours and wait 24 hours in between coats of stain / poly as well as no furniture for at least 72 hours.

I really like the natural color of your floors, but of the two samples in your latest photo, I like the weathered oak better.

Thank you Champcamp. I was shocked by how much we liked them too, but I think we need a bit more contrast between the floor and walls. Everything is super light as is. I don't want to go too dark or gray so I think (hope) Weathered Oak is the perfect choice.

What color stain is the one on right above? I like it better and think it looks much richer on my screen. I looks dark when you see all the sanded wood surrounding it, but if the whole space were that color with a poly coat it would overall still be a lighter colored floor.

Personally like the look of the right hand stain. Timeless, warmer, and better with the paint. Do as you will. No offense, the tone on left seems a bit.........uhhhh "pissy"??? lol and apologies prior to the head bashing to ensue.

I agree with Jan that the right sample appears to be a more classic color.

I have used Minwax stain on a refinishing project but when I recently did the master suite at my house, I went with a ZAR oil base stain. I didn't find the Minwax stain to give me the depth of color I wanted.

That one board in your first photo sticks out like a sore thumb! I would want to use a different stain or dye that board to blend it in better with the rest of the floor. Yes, there is variation in all wood floors but that one board seems out of character with the rest.

I would be very concerned if the contractor suggests that you will be able to walk on the floor in a few hours. Oil base stain needs to dry at least overnight and if there is any question as to whether it is dry enough, it isn't! What finish will you be getting over that stain? Oil or water based? I also suggest that you be absolutely certain that you find the stain job acceptable before you allow them to put down any finish as it is much easier and cheaper to change your mind before finish. Putting on a coat of finish will not fix issues with the stain job.

perhaps the duraseal is more expensive?! ( it's a rhetorical question, yes, it is) Tell him you'd like to pay the difference and see if he switches. Will Minwax do the trick? yes. But there's a reason the really good floor people don't use it. I've used 6-7 different stains on my woodworking and I would rate minwax at the bottom. it works, but the other work better. You decide what you want.

as for walking on it, if the actual company is telling you to wait, and he's saying a few hours is ok (no,,,the stain is never dry that fast) then who should you listen to? sounds like he wants to hurry up and get the job done instead of taking the proper amount of time. Ask if he guarantees that if you walk on it after a few hours, and it gets ruined, does he come back and do it for free? Make sure that is written and signed on a contract.

I'm going to bet he won't.

everything should be allowed to dry as long as humanly possible. if it's just the one floor, maybe you can leap to the stairs from the front door when you return. otherwise, do the best you can manage -- perfection always has to be balanced with practicality...

well, it's quick compared to oil. I don't know which one he's choosing, but I believe they are dry to the touch within 6-8 hrs? you obviously need to be careful with them until they fully cure. wear socks, no shoes or bare feet, and no moving furniture across the floors.

here's what it looks like,,,weathered oak...

first is Duraseal

this one is minwax

a lot of people do a mix with weathered oak and classic gray,,, or the weathered oak and little ebony would also make a good match. I'd try a 3:1 ratio. the black will take out reddish tones.

agree. I'm sure they'll look great with either, but I'm glad you switched. post pics when he's finished!