Have you explained this to the floor finisher? He may have custom blends he uses.

Custom blends are a waste of time. Provincial is your best option. It will be the least reddish of all your choices.

How about taking the color you like best so far and seeing a sample of that color diluted with DS Natural?

I actually LIKE a bit of red warmth in the stain. My concern is going too dark or overly red as I have a lot of mahogany and dark cherry furniture. If I dilute the English Chestnut with DS Natural, will that show more of the grain in the red oak flooring? I would rather NOT show too much grain if possible. Would it be better to mix the English Chestnut with another lighter color 50/50 or some other ratio to lighten and neutralize a bit of the red? Again, thanks for any and all input.

Going lighter will show more of the wood color. In general, going darker shows more grain as the darker stain rests in the deep valleys of the grain in Red Oak, unless you go really dark and make it almost opaque. Water popping helps the harder part of the wood soak in stain to better match the softer grain.

As I recommended before, I'd start with the color I like and add some Neutral to see if it gets you to an ideal color. If that doesn't work you could use a lighter stain like Golden Oak for lightening. If you end up getting too red you could add a SMALL amount of something with a green tone like Coffee or Ebony.

One issue with mixing stains is getting the ratios correct on the samples and then duplicating it on the whole floor. That's why people often recommend using a single color, or at least not getting too complicated.

I can't think of any lighter stains that have the greenish component to counteract red tones in the wood.

Im having the same problem trying to pick a stain or sealer for my red oak floors. i want just a like brown but dont want the red (pink) or orange to show! The floors were sanded and the floor guy put down 2 coats of nordic seal and bona high traffic. some of the floors look pink and some look just dusty and my stairs just look not finished. is this the in look? He brought me a sample prior to doing it and it just looked like a light tan color but didnt come out close to that.

His crew screwed up a few spots so he is redoing the floors anyway but now i dont know what to do! this is a pic of an area where you see my kitchen cabinets. i feel like the cabinets bring out the pink/ red in the wood. they look more pink in person.

any suggestions on what do to?

i thought about special walnut but thought it was too dark. he put down sample of the bona seals and they are bringing out pink and orange. i dont have the natural sample so not sure how that looks.

Is there a brown a little lighter than special walnut that doesnt look red or orange? or can you put one coat of nordic seal and then like classic on top of it to help with the pink?

thanks in advance

last photo is a horrible touch up they did!!

also when floor guys sand the floors do you get right up next to the trim? you can still see some of my old floor color in spots!

If, none of the traditonal stains and sealers fit the look you want. You will need to use a reactive stain. It will give you the light brown you want. Will cost more money also, since not many knows about the product. It is also, tricky to apply a water base finish over it with lack of experience.

do you have any suggestions for a stain that is lighter than special walnut?

used 3/4 rustic beige and 1/4 special walnut. came out as nice medium brown color.

https://ciranovastore.com/products/reactive-stain