Why not just do a full sand and stain? Water pop the floors and you will have a dark stain. Not sure if, you will like the marbling afterwards. If, you want to avoid the marbling, layer the colorant by applying aniline dye and then stain.

You can create a mess with tinted poly, streaks, brush marks and puddles. Plus you may need several coats to achieve the color you want. I forget what the mix ratio is for tinting poly. But, if the ratio leans towards too much stain. It causes adhesion issues. So, you have limitations on how much colorant you can add to you poly. This includes adding dyes and pigments, which is 2 oz per gallon.

The best time to use a tinted poly is when you need to add just a litle more color to the floor. Perhaps doing a full sand and stain. Then if, you need to tweak, add tinted poly will give you the look you want.

Do not go darker on your floors. Dark floors show every speck glaringly. You know how your adorable dog is the culprit for scratches? S/he will also be the culprit for the amount of floof that will be highly visible on dark floors. Right now, your dog matches your floors. That is key and don’t mess with it.

When I moved into my current home, the red oak floors were in really rough shape, as if someone had brought a tractor inside onto the floors. I had the floors sanded and then finished in a “gymnasium” finish (name is exactly what it says it is) though contractor managed to keep down the shine with one of the coats, so it looks very nice. Find a flooring contractor who can do that.

Could you do a sand and then go with a water-based poly (no stain)? You would have natural maple then, and it is going to yellow over time because that is what maple does, but it wouldn't be as quick.

I'm going to tell you a secret. A company called Loba (German) has produced a UVProtect product that STOPS Maple from turning YELLOW.

That means the beautiful, pale, wheat like colour of the sanded maple can STAY.

Loba 2K Supra AT (satin = great for heavy wear people/dogs) + Loba UVProtect = one HELL of a great floor!

You can pay someone LOTS of money to get you a dark maple floor, or you can pay someone a bit more than a 'regular' sand/refinish price for MAGNIFICENT soft sand coloured wood floor with a SUPERIOR finish!

@SJ McCarthy thanks a lot for that suggestion! I would absolutely prefer the more neutral color of natural maple vs the yellowing shade.

@Shannon_WI our dog is actually predominantly black (think Rottweiler) but thanks for the tips.

I actually work as an athletic director, so am pretty familiar with gym floors and maintenance. Really nice gym floors stay looking fresh because of how obsessively they are cleaned, forcing users to use "indoor" shoes, refinishing them every year or two, etc. If you let a dog run around in a gym they'll do damage regardless of how durable a poly you use.

Can I ask @G & S Floor Service what the "marbling" reference is to tinted poly? I saw a really interesting photo of a wood floor and the grain was so artfully marbled it HAD to have had some help. Very curious.

Marbling will occur with Maple, when stained. Traditional stains will show as blotches, whereas dyes and reactive stains are much more suttle. Also, Maple has a lot of curled wood that will give it that effect - curly maple.

I was wondering if marbling was this effect. I've been trying to figure out what thhis floor is. Definitely water based . . . completely out of my budget AND skill set, but I'm very curious.

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