Whitish or black or grey with a matte finish, like Rubio Monocoat. The "Limed" look would be great. That is where the grain is white and the rest of the wood is natural. You can extend your current flooring and finish it to get the look you want. No need to replace good flooring.

Hardwood Floor Refinishing

I'd do whatever is in the rest of the house. I like flooring continuity with the exception of a bathroom, where the floor should be tile most of the time.

I agree, unfortunately the rest of the flooring is in bad shape and has to be replaced. Thank -you for your comment.

I love hardwood. Can't get enough of it. We just put down some wide-plank natural white-oak (can't say enough good things about Uptown Floors). It looks absolutely gorgeous, and it feels really nice on the feet.

Having said that, I am not a fan of hardwood in kitchens. I want something that I can easily mop up, if needed. Given the choice, I would always go for tile in a kitchen. Fortunately, in the last 10 years, there has been a proliferation of really amazing tile products. Visit a local tile store and browse for a while.

Of course, with an open floor plan, this causes a bit of a conundrum. Continuity in the flooring is generally a good thing. So, you have to make up your mind and decide what you want to compromise on.

In our remodel, we faced the same issue and decided on tile throughout that particular part of the house. But we'll have area rugs to make up for it. And in other parts of the house we still have hardwood.

Thank-you for your input. We really don't want wood in the kitchen for the same reason but then chose continuity over function . Originally I had wanted black tile for the kitchen area only, maybe I'll revisit.