Light pale non yellow Eurpean Oak/ Flat cut, wide plank.

Hi Jess — from the sample photo, my shortlist would be the second and fourth from the top: the lighter, fairly neutral wood tones. The honey-coloured middle sample looks much warmer, while the bottom two would create a much stronger contrast. That's a colour preference from this photo; the basement lighting could change the choice.

Try several full boards downstairs, beside your planned wall colour, and look at them with the lights on as well as in daylight. The existing golden floor behind the samples makes a close colour comparison quite difficult. I'd also check the actual stair tread/nosing options for each shortlisted range before ordering; a small floor sample doesn't show that transition.

After the flood, has the water source been addressed and has the installer confirmed that the floor is ready for the proposed covering? That would be my first check before committing to a material.

Is the existing golden flooring staying at the top of the stairs, and which wall colour are you considering? Those two details would help narrow the colour choice.

I'd take a hint and avoid wood altogether.

Our new basement flooring is tile that so looks like wood that even pros reach down to check.

The wood at the top of the stairs is flat cut yellowed golden oak with the open grain that turns dark and two dimensional. That is why flat cut European Oak, with closed grain when flat cut and paler less yellow tone is the current popular choice with matte water-based poly finishes. You can match the look with 300 hour waterproof laminate from the Evolved Series from McMillian.