We currently have knotty pine doors and a light pine finished room in our basement. We are now trying to finish the remaining basement that includes: a bar, a bath, family room and child's bedroom. Even though we like our knotty PINE doors, we have realized they are high maintenance and would like to go with a more durable wood for the remaining basement. I really like knotty Alder, but our trim carpenter has suggested we use knotty Beech for our bar and maple for our base/windows. Because I know I like knotty Alder, I am struggling with this decision. Is knotty Alder and knotty Beech woods similar enough that one cannot tell the difference? We are also being told that the lighter stains are out and that dark is the going thing. We were hoping to keep things a natural stain to show the wood grain. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you.