First is the plank the same wood exactly as your floors ? I have never had liuck with doing red oak lighter without the pink being obvious so speacial walnut to me is the right choice .Dark floors are beautiful and even with dark furniture area rugs help break up the all wood look .

Stick with the stains straight out of the can. Or you will never be able to replicate it for a touch up or repair.

Thank you all. Patricia, yes - the plank is from the wood that will be used for the floor. The company doing the floors will also do a sample of the stain on a section of the actual floor so I can see it in my home with the light we get. I am currently just trying to narrow it down to 3 stain blends to try without making fancy concoctions.
Pgjs, thank you for the photo - those floors are beautiful. And it’s a good starting point for me. I will try a 1:1 sample and a 2:1 sample of neutral/special walnut. I definitely don’t want pink but I don’t mind some red tones. I want to soften and ‘brown’ the res. I may be one of the few people who still likes warm red tones.

I did have another 2 questions. One pertains to number of finish coats. We are using Bona Traffic HD. How many coats should we put on the floors? 2 or 3? My floor guy thinks 2 is plenty to last a very very long time. I know some use 3 coats but is that overkill and unnecessary? The other question is more of an opinion request pertaining to sheen. I love the look of both matte and satin. Satin is classic. Matte is modern. We have a contemporary home with medium light. We do have a dog and a child. We do not wear shoes in the house. Does one wear better or show fewer scratches? I have never tired of our current satin floors but wonder if the same would hold true of matte. Any thoughts, comments and feedback is most welcome. Thank you

Most of your questions should be answered by reading the manufacturer's instructions. They are who provide the product warranty, if those instruction are followed. Your florring professional should also read and follow directions. Many don't.

Has anyone ever mixed Special Walnut with Fruitwood?

Has anyone used Bona Naturale as a sealer? I know it has some white in it and gives floors the appearance of raw wood. Does the color settle a bit after a few weeks? It can look quite bleached. Any thoughts and comments are welcome