IMO the finish should be the same everywhere I have no idea why scratches should show white on a hardwood floor but if these floors are going to be blended at the joint into the kitchen they all need to be the same finish I am assumong what you have now is brazilian cherry

The existing hardwood is Brazilian cherry and we will match it. All of the floors will be sanded to blend and top coated. My question is: if we go with a matte top coat, is that harder to keep clean? The other choice is a satin finish...

OK...lots of things you need to know before you continue. Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba) comes in TWO colour ranges. Your current floor is in the red/brown/fire orange colour. The second colour range (and you will NEVER KNOW which you are getting...until it is laid) is PURPLE/PINK/blue-red tones. Yep. The possibility of a MASSIVE colour clash is entirely possible. Just be prepared for that.

Second issue you must be aware of: Jatoba starts out life a mid-tone 'boring brown' until it is exposed to sunlight (or overhead lights...it doesn't matter). Jatoba DARKENS and turns COLOUR when exposed to UV light. This is normal. This is natural. And this is why you cannot tell WHICH colour tone you get until the light turns it darker.

Third issue: Jatoba is a TOUGH wood to work. It is SUPER hard. That's why most Jatoba floors come with a factory finish....like the one's you own right now. Those bevels indicate a factory finish. Your factory finish is almost CERTAINLY Aluminum Oxide. How do we know? The 'white' scratches.

Aluminum Oxide is a white powder that is applied/dusted over the wet urethane finish (done at the factory). These finishes are SUPER TOUGH...but when the scratch they turn white. That is the hallmark of Aluminum Oxide = white scratches.

Fourth Issue: Aluminum Oxide finishes are SUPER DIFFICULT to remove. Professionals will up-charge the cost of the sand/refinish by as much as $3/sf (depends on how hard it is to remove). That means the traditional sand/refinish cost move from $5/sf to $7-$8sf. Ouch.

Fifth Issue: Jatoba is most commonly found with a factory finish on it. That is to say the finish will be very much like your existing finish. A semi-gloss is very common with these strong colour floors because it shows off the fiery colour much better (whether it is pink/purple or orange/red...doesn't matter).

I think you can do what you are planning on...but you have SEVERAL ISSUES that you MUST come to grips with.

And if you get this done (raw Jatoba) and everything looks lovely, you cannot complain about a pink/purple floor sitting next to the existing orange/red/brown. There is nothing you can do to recoup the loss from anyone. You knowingly installed a wood that could possibly come in a different colour. Therefore you take the risk that it can and will be a completely different colour than what you wanted.

Buyer beware of adding Jatoba to Jatoba.

Wow good to know this! The floor was in the house when we bought it and would not have been my choice at all. But it’s in good condition and would be a waste to rip it out. Lots to digest... I guess we will just have to remember it’s a floor. Right now we have hideous carpet and tile where we want to put hardwood. So I’m willing to live with the results-