Are you planning on living in the home, or is it for re-sale or renting purposes?

You mention "going all out later" and "never redo the floors again". I would stay with the most manageable option without intentions of re-doing later. Unless you have intentions of removing and replacing all the floor to be the same, I don't know if re-moving just a section will add any additional value or not. An old house lover might forgive the transitional change room to room as it shows that the previous homeowner lived in the house and may have had to replaced things as needed. Or a potential buyer might question the previous owner's care of the home due to the new additions. If you think it's a big deal, you can always disclose the changes (from damage or personal preference) in the re-sale of the house. In the end, most people will notice a neglected and tired finish/sealant before they would question the transitional changes.

Thanks for the feedback. I am leaning more towards your thoughts on a lived-in appeal on the floors. Reminds me of my take on outfit choices - It just needs to go, not necessarily match. Also, the reno has a lot of modern elements for this 90s home, but everything from this point forward on the other stories of this home will be as-needed. We will be in the house for sometime. We are very excited to start living in the new space we reno'd as it should improve function, flow, and aesthetic for us overall (and we can stop eating out! 😂). However, we anticipate we will sell the house in the next 10 years as we move into a different stage of life and we do not plan to ever touch these floors again. By "full out" I meant spending extra $$$ now on the Bona Nordic/HD Matte combo.

Thanks SJ - I know, why are we dealing with 4 different floors so late in the project! ;)

So just to clarify. At this point I haven't been too stressed by the slight pink on the red oak side, but when we do the whole thing you think that will be the biggest clash, right?

So you are thinking we may just like the HD Matte in general and that possibly could look more uniform? This is why I should do one variable (product) at a time to see which gets me the goldilocks effect, right?

Also, as background I think we may have made a mistake when we suggested that they do the samples in the same spot as prior samples as I think there is some bleed through... seems like where gray (likely has some green in it) was before on the red oak looks more uniform...

version 0 on samples

version 1 (current round) on samples:

Thanks!

Also, do you have to micro manage how they do the sample. I think these guys have a lot of house calls so don't have a lot of time to play around. So, I'd like to be super clear and do all final options at one go if we do another round. Any suggestions on that would help. Thanks again!!!

Did they apply a coat of finish over the samples (and a test patch of 'finish only')?

If you answer 'no' then you are picking blind. Get them to put down a single coat over ALL the sample patches. This way you know what you are in for. Adding a coat of HD will allow you to see the REAL colour you are about to get...not the dry-stain colour.

And you need bigger sanded areas...the orange on the old floor is being 'thrown' into the air and causing issues reading colour.

SJ - on the bona they did 1-2 coats of Bona Nordic Seal and then put Bona HD Traffic Matte after I gave them the instructions...I had to pay for materials due to how these Bona products are sold. So I have lots of Bona Nordic Seal and Bona HD Traffic Matte. The prior stains appear to have just been the mini wax but I started to specify more by v1. Live and learn. ☺️ They only provided the combo of nordic seal and HD Traffic Matte as far as I understand.

I agree the red is throwing everything off and each room creates it’s own color combo due to the varying light direction.... so I should check at each transition.

Hi all! Update - we sanded down and are leaning back toward Nordic Seal + HD Matte - Still looking ok with Bona NordicSeal + HD Matte The samples in the first pic are just HD Matte at the top, 1 coat Nordic + HD Matte in the middle (we like this one), and Naturele on just the white oak with HD Matte at the bottom (biggest mismatch in look). Hard to tell where one stops and starts in the picture though....

We did the biggest transition in the coffee room with just nordic seal 2 coats + HD.

we think we can live with this...

Thanks all for the help! Here is an update floors with 2 coats Nordic Seal + 1 coat HD traffic. The cabinets, stairs, exterior doors, and paint will be worked on starting next week. Then, they will do a final coat of HD traffic.

I really love the feel on the first floor with the openness the floor color brings. Very happy with the decision.

Good for you. Now what type of floor protection have you purchased to ensure the floors are protected while other work occurs?

Are you aware that HD requires roughly 5 days before 'boots' can hit the floor or before it can be 'covered' by anything?

SJ - thanks. There was some light work on the entry door already (After 24 hrs of single coat of HD Traffic). The work was less than 1 hr, but with a drop cloth (he was wearing sneakers on the drop cloth). We have been wearing socks otherwise to go to the basement and up to the 1st floor.

But everyone is out of the house now until Monday (6 days after HD traffic single coat applied). Please advise what we should protect the floor with going forward as some pretty big work - counter, cabinets, & room size sliding door will be over the next 2 weeks. As I did not know about the extra curing till after the remodeling company had the guy come by to do the door, I just want to make sure we are cautious.

Also, I didn’t see any hardener bottle left from the 1st coat. The product did dry in 2-3 hrs and the remaining bottle of HD Traffic is still liquid so no hardener was put in that. Should I reconfirm he used hardener on the 1st coat?

thanks SJ... otherwise loving the floors.

The entry door work was after 24 hrs of the HD Traffic single coat.

Drop cloth was on the first 3-4 ft from the door

Sabine A - I’m assuming from you comment 10 days ago where you posted two photos of the completed floors that the top photo is white oak and the bottom is red oak? I am curious because I am trying to figure out how to refinish my red oak floors. Thanks!

The best form of protection for a wood floor = Ram Board. It is the brand name that everyone trusts. It is not cheap...because it is tough.

The ONE MAJOR concern with Ram Board (or any floor protector) is the tape they use to hold it in place. The tape must NOT touch the wood floor. If they tape down a 'run way' of protection, you must make sure the tape comes off the floor EVERY NIGHT. If the tape stays on too long (like 24 hours or more) it WILL pull the finish off the floor.

Not all hardeners cause the finish to harden in it's container. I know of two other products that will stay liquid even after the hardener has been used.

How many total coats have they applied?

They used paper cardboard and did not tape to floors just to each other. They used hardener and have only done 1 coat of HD Traffic. The tech department at Bona stated you didn’t need protection after 5 days, but we followed your reco. Thanks!

DMAC... this is red oak

The part in front of my stairs (you can barely see in the above and below images) is white oak...

Keep in mind there is a slight bit of pink... but it feels pretty white. And the white oak turned a slight bit more brown..

Sabine this is AMAZING. Can you please walk me/us through this? I have a combination of red and white oak and I would like the floors to be as restful and light as yours. Please be specific with product names and colors. You did an amazing job -- DIY?