As you say it depends on the look you are looking for. A waterborne urethane finish will dry much faster then say a conversion varnish and you won't have to vacate the house when they apply it. Most refinishing require 1 coat of sealer which can apply the first coat of finish the same day. and the second coat the following day. Very carefully follow the instructions on the products you will be using or failure may follow. Staining a floor requires more skill than just finishing so be careful who you choose.

With water based poly's, you can do multiple coats in one day, a couple hours apart.

Staining? Depends on the wood. We did walnut, which is dark without a stain. Maple is very light without a stain. Depends on the wood you have and the look you want.

Thanks all! I think we are going to use water based poly. Can we use a tack cloth ? I read you should not use one unless you are using oil based finishes...

If you use waterborne polyurethane, you cannot use a tack cloth. Your tacking must be done with a towel moistened with clean water only.

Staining with a fast dry stain, such as DriFast by Bona, is not a big deal and shouldn't add much to the cost of the job; the finisher is staining, rather than simply sealing... does take a little more care in the sanding and prep before staining, but it is not...as I said before...a big deal. And, yes, it might cost a 'little more'...but that's all.

Thanks glennsfc! The amber that oil based poly provides will be enough color for us, so now we are leaning towards not staining and using that. We will also be doing the job ourselves vs. hiring someone. If we opt to do water based then we will need to adjust our wall color to get some contrast between the pale floors, but we are getting the walls painted anyway so this might be an opportunity to have an easier time on the floors and get them to dry quicker...