No idea, have him do sample boards. Minwax is typically considered an inferior DIY product in general and most flooring pro's use higher quality products.

Minwax is bottom of the barrel stain, IMO.

Thats the sense im getting from houzz. what makes it inferior? im a little worried cus every time i mention a stain he comes back with some minwax equivalent…

I think you chose the wrong flooring guy. Time to find another, or at least investigate further. If it were me, I'd rather spend a little more to get the color I wanted, whether that meant doing samples 3 or 4 times, or paying extra for the person who has worked with everything and knows how to achieve what you want. I mean that I would respect the tradesperson's input as to choice of product, but it better not be because Minwax is the only product that person is comfortable with. That's not good enough, and it shouldn't be good enough for you.

@Mrs. S you’re prob right….im so not assertive/confrontational so it’s hard for me to fire someone but he really seems like he only does minwax and doesnt seem open to trying much….

I don’t think having had your heart set on Bona is an “aside”—it should be the main point.

Take a deep breath and let the flooring person know you’ve decided to go in a different direction than is his expertise. Then go find someone who does Bona.

How sad it would be to live with (and pay for) a finish you didn’t want, simply to avoid disappointing the first flooring person you consulted.

So how does this work if i decide he isnt the guy to stain my floors? he already fixed the subfloor, scraped, did some repairs and put down the new floor. if i tell him im getting someone else to stain, im assuming we pay him less than the original quoted price? i just feel funny because perhaps he wouldnt have taken the job if he knew he wasnt going to be doing the staining….not sure what my question here is lol

Did you sign a contract? Even from your questions here, it seems hard for you to be clear about what you want and to not be dismissive of yourself. But you’re in charge of what you do, including whether or not you decide to take this advice:
If you haven’t signed a contract and can pay your current person for work done so far, do so. Before you hire someone else, think long and hard about everything you really want (all the details) and how to be clear and firm about it, so you’ll hire better next time. Then you’ll not only get the floor you want, but also better communication/assertiveness skills.
Remodeling is never really only about the house.

Absolutely agree with you here. I am also now a more educated consumer so I can higher better this time around. Thanks foe talking this through!

*hire