Something not too dark and not too light. I chose stain color Minwax 'Provincial' for mine. (these aren't mine)

I agree. Something in the middle range will be the most versatile over time.

Please no OAK, unless you live in the 1980s. Go a med mixed look. Bring samples home the only way to tell. Home Depot has a lot to choice from.

Actually, oak can be a very versatile choice of flooring. White oak, especially quarter sawn and rift sawn, is particularly beautiful and durable without the overemphasis on graining of the overused builder's grade oak of the 1980's. But there are many beautiful options for wood floors.

Oak flooring, especially White Oak, can be absolutely timeless with the number of stains and finishes that can be used. Rachel H. Your Rift & Quartered Oak floors are beautiful. Here are a few shots of White Oak with different finishes.

I was thinking the orange looking oaks of the 80s. Oak as a wood is very good and can come in beautiful colors. Just don't go real dark that is so over.

The higher end the home, the higher end the floors need to be. Laminate is for a "quick flip" on low/mid range homes. Quality buyers want quality. Hardwood is one way to go. The midrange = engineered hardwood. Mid-upper range and better = solid hardwood that is site finished.

Know you climate (too dry vs. too humid) will change the species and cut that you are looking at as a "perfect" product for your home. If you choose a dark engineered hardwood for a highend home you are probably in the wrong ball park. The initial install will be huge, for solid hardwood that is site finished...but you can probably double the money on the floor (if you pay $25,000 for install, you can ask another $50,000 on the home) so long as the house is worth more than $450,000 (in Vancouver...that is a 1 bed apartment).

Know your home's inherent value before adding a very expensive floor - you may not recoup the money if your home isn't high end enough to offer solid hardwood.

Please do your research before buying hardwood from places like Home Depot as the stuff they sell isn't dried properly besides being ends and 2nds so you're getting an inferior product. It's also coated with aluminum oxide that is so hard, you can't refinish it. Home Depot's house brand Millstead has a 55 year warranty, but if you read the reviews, you'll find that it's written to protect the company, not you.

Lumber Liquidators is another place to avoid like the plague! Their flooring is very inferior which is why they have 2 class action lawsuits against them. Check out pissedconsumer.com to read horror stories about their product.

Hi Hayley, I see my work has already been done for me! BTW: Lumber L. = 5 Class Action lawsuits...That means that 3 more have been added in 2014...and we are still in March! Two of those lawsuites are being brought by members of the BOARD and the other is being brought by the share holders...that's some serious stuff.

Work with hardwood flooring experts. They are pricey but they are worth every penny.

Good advice given!

so many helpful, right on comments here re mid-tone color and purchasing pitfalls to avoid! at first, i wanted to replace the mid-tone oak floors in our new home as brazilian cherry was wildly popular back then in 2008. our budget did not allow for that AND all the new furniture so it was fortunate that we waited because the dark toned furniture would have been lost on dark floors.

tile is better

Take a look at some new homes in your area. Look at Italian porcelain floor tiles that look like wood, medium wood looks nice with white cabinets. Engineered wood has been good to us for over 19 years.

Hardwood floors with real wood have fallen completely out of style here in California on high-end houses. My typical clients know all about the extremely high maintenance real wood has and are all opting for laminates. For the cost of maintaining a real wood floor, you can buy new laminate in any color you choose and have it installed. So every paint color change, they are installing new laminate flooring to match. Color choose relates to house style, not opinion.

Hardwood along the lines of what Rachel H posted above in her second post - the medium brown. Not too red, not too grey, looks good with everything.

Rachel S. What is that sawn wood floor you posted. I want it!

Do you think it will appeal to all home buyers in case I have to sell.

Mid-tone is the right way to go. Too dark and you will see every speck of dust and pet hair and foot print. Too light and you will see dirt and wear. make sure it's golden and brown tones not orange and the finish is not ultra shiny. Good advice above about what to watch out for as far as buying a quality floor. Stay away from laminates and veneers. Solid wood flooring is the way to go!

Can a floor be retained and finished. If so what are the concerns to be aware of.

I have fallen in love with the natural variance of the acacia floors. I'm hoping it has a wide enough appeal for when we do sell 10-15 years down the line. I guess it's a dark tone but also has light tones. Is it too trendy for the long haul?

Heavy movement is quite trendy right now. If you are selling in 5 years then you worry about resale. If you are selling in 10+ years then you worry about personal preference.

You are looking to sell in 10-15 years which means you pick the floor you LOVE and then let the chips fall where they may. In 15 years you can always add a stain to rid the floor of the heavy movement....if that is what the trend calls for by then.

Resale in 10-15 years is too far in the future to really worry about it. Have fun. Choose the floor you love and get on with enjoying your home. The future can wait.

I whole heartedly agree with Cancork. However, I cannot stress enough to make sure it's hardwood all the way through or at least a 1/4" and not a veneer so you can sand and add a stain when it comes time to sell. This particular floor is very "taste specific".

I have the exact same issue! Love acacia but worried about resale (in a year). My house is odd to begin with, but was trying to make it broadly appealing. My acacia is engineered and wider plank. Additional opinions welcome:)

I did a lot of research on wood floors last spring. I bought a condo that had all carpeting and I needed to rip all that up. When you buy engineered wood flooring, pay close attention to the 'wear layer'. If my memory is accurate, a wear layer that's 3mm or more, can be sanded and stained 2 times. Check with the major wood mfg. and experts, and the blogs that talk about wear layer. Another point -Brazilian cherry can be sanded and stained darker, just not lighter. The red will come through. Check another thread here about sanding and staining bc. Ultimately, I decided to put in what I loved the most vs caring about the resale value. There are more things that buyers look at like kitchens and baths and if all that is updated, your floor color shouldn't be an issue.

I'm in the process of remodeling (excuse the dusty floors) and decided to go with wood plank tile. We went with a saddle/grey color by Marrazza and love it! It has the same texture and look of wood. I went with an 1/8" tobacco colored grout to blend in. I have two active boys and they drag everything on the floors so that is why we went with wood tile.

I am doing a new wood floor and picked a prefinished wood Bruce oak floor in Dune. Now I am second guessing my decision before it is put down. Anyone have an opinion on this? I have a small house and I thought it would make the space look bigger but now I am thinking it might be too dull for the space. What do you think?

Leslie Taylor, I like it (non pro). I am just about to put in a natural rift and quarter sawn white oak floor. It looks similar in tone to yours. I think it is a classic that can go with everything although I can't recall seeing it in anyone's home! Look online at Maria Killam article about what goes with your orange/yellow toned floors. Your flooring (and mine) don't read orange (btw) though.

Thank you for the reassurance. It is not to late for me to change it that is why I wanted to get opinions. I don't see it much either. It minds me more of a swedish/norwegian feel where they use a lot of light woods. I hope I am doing the right thing for resale. It is not to late to change it.

Rachael H, what brand of floor is that?

Hi Paynerobin,

I don't know what brand they were. They were rift & quarter sawn wide plank oak, finished in place. Through a wood floor installer tha got them from a local lumber company in Massachusetts. I've since sold that house. I miss those gorgeous floors.

I ended up getting the white oak and loving the light color. It makes every room look so much bigger

It's Armstrong's white oak

Cherry is classic and will never look outdated. It’s warm and beautiful, and you can never tell which decade it’s from (unlike oak from the 70-ies, walnut, or other colors with grey undertones trending now). And no visible nails, and the planks should not be wide - that is also a passing trend telling of the decade and will look totally outdated a few years from now.

@Leslie Taylor, I sure would love to see a photo of your floors, if you could please provide it. I am so nervous as I am "up next" and might be placing an order for natural rift & quartered prefinished white oak and I am starting to notice a yellow tone to it (at times) that I never noticed before.

My home originally had Bruce flooring throughout. When we put an addition on, I wanted the floors to blend seamlessly, but wanted them updated. There was no way I was going to replace all that flooring. My contractor suggested we do a varied width on the new floor, sand the old floor and finish them with a matte poly. I chose a mid tone stain. as I stated in an earlier post, I recommend midtones to my clients because they go with everything and most importantly, they hide dirt, pet hair, scuffs and foot prints better than dark floors. Light floors are lovely - especially for Scandinavian Design. They do tend to show wear faster.

Old floor (left) meets new floor (right) with custom stain. This floor finish is now 11 years old. Those aren’t wear marks it’s just light reflection on my bad photograph.

Sorry, old floor (top) meets new floor (bottom)