I am not a pro, but I'll respond since your question is still unanswered:

1. The shade of wood is really up to you in terms of style. However, when you are unsure which direction you are headed, and perhaps not the most experienced homeowner or decorator, I would choose a neutral (but natural looking) light or medium shade of wood. To me, your two choices are (and this is solely my opinion, not yours, so take it with a grain of salt) not to my taste. I prefer an oak look floor. I don't care for the maple look floor (but maybe you like it), and the darker version is what I call a medium shade (not dark), but it has an orange undertone, and maybe a little harder to work with, esp if you like cooler colors.

Also, the darker sample looks like it has dark bevels and really looks more traditional and rustic even, with the varying plank-widths, whereas the maple-looking choice is definitely more modern with no knots. In short, those two have totally different looks and feels. Hard to think you've narrowed it down to these two very disparate choices.

I am sure you have thought about purchasing a whole box of the one you like so you can drag those planks around from room to room and observe them in your home.

Another thought is that if you intend to do one room at a time, be careful. Manufacturers discontinue colorways and wood and/or the same floor purchased a year later may very well not match your previously purchased flooring. It needs to be ordered all at once, or take your chances.

I like your existing wood (though coming in a little pink toned on my monitor), but I do not see how you're going to have that finished to match either one of those engineered samples. It doesn't seem possible, and the widths (and character!) wouldn't match anyway.

2. I don't know what you've looked at, but I would visit a local, reputable flooring store that also does installation. I'd choose a store that's been in business for a long time and has a reputation for standing behind its products and installation.

3. I would replace the existing flooring, if it were me, but then again, I don't have an unlimited budget, and you might not either. I'd probably like to get rid of red- or pink-toned flooring.

I have been following Maria Killam for a long time now, and I find that though I don't always share her exact taste in decorating, I admire her common sense and budget-savvy approach to selecting the "hard surfaces" in a home. She just makes so much sense.

Sorry for the long response.

Mrs S,

Thank you so much for your detailed response!

I think we are leaning towards dark colored wood, for a more traditional/natural look — but your comment is exactly what I worried about. I don’t want it to look rustic! Definitely not the goal.

And yikes. That would be bad if we selected one wood and we couldn’t get more later!

I will look into Maria Killam!

@izeve, do you think the oak in the house could be refinished to look much darker? My worry with keeping that oak is that it will always look colored (reddish, yellowish, etc) no matter the stain. I much prefer floorings that dont have that vague color to them.

There are websites that will allow you to visualize the product in your room like Floor & Decor. It might be a good idea to try that feature

Oak takes stain nicely, so you should have no problem staining it a darker tone.

Lightly stain the underflooring you've discovered to harmonize with your tile entry so everything flows together. This should work very well and is neutral enough to work with any style. Here's an MCM room with flooring like what you've uncovered:

dining room · More Info

Another but a little lighter:

Houzz Tour: New life for a Midcentury modern in Santa Monica · More Info

BDI Furniture · More Info

You should be able to get more narrow red oak boards to match what's under the carpet -- they can weave the new and old boards together so there's no "seam," and then you stain everything a medium brown. Should be gorgeous.