Thanks glennsc! So you meant a clear finish "natural" floor would not look good?

I've seen plenty of unstained white oak floors in 100 year old houses, they don't look "dated" to me, they just look like floors. Mostly they've been finished with an oil-base finish, so will have an amber appearance accumulated with age. I think the oak will still change color over time, even if the finish stays clear as a result of oxidation of the tannins etc in the wood.

I would worry that trendy floors (eg the ones with faux distressing) will quickly look old fashioned, but a plain oak floor will survive many cycles of fashion.

I'm doing birdseye maple picture framed with a cherry and walnut border finished with a light amber sealer to pop the figure but no stain. It is very light, but not bland. Adding figure to the oak, for example using quarter-sawn will make it anything but bland.

I have a natural white oak in my house and I love it. There is a fair amount of variation in it...some boards are pretty dark, while others are lighter. I like the look - it almost reminds me a little bit like the variation in hickory, just not as intense.

I only notice dust/pet hair if bright sunlight is directly hitting the floor. Otherwise it all seems to blend in pretty well. :)

"You did not hear the whole story. A waterborne film-forming finish, if used without a stain or a sealer that will color the wood, can result in a bland appearance."

Totally agree. "Bland" is a key word. If you do waterborne finish with stain, make sure the finisher builds up with a sealer prior to many coats of finish. Otherwise the finish will just disappear into the (un)stained wood. Also make sure you select your sheen: matte (low) to gloss (high).

While you're at it, go beyond and get references and if possible see what his/her jobs look like. Check the BBB for complaints. And don't assume your heartily recommended wood floor specialist will pick manufacturer compatible products. Most wood floor stain/finish manufacturers only test their products for durability and look. Take your proposal and spend a good amount of time reviewing it. Study up. It will save aggravation and heart ache in the end. Good luck.

Thank you so much all! If you have natural white oak could you please recommend a brand (pre-finished)?

I have red oak natural pre-finished in my home. It is made by Lauzon and we love it. Excellent quality and has held up well for the few years we've had it. At the time we purchased, they did not offer white oak. If they had, I would have gone with white instead of red. Just a matter of personal taste. I think all wood species and all colors are beautiful and you should go with what you like best and don't worry about trends. Our floor does not show dust or scratches unless you really look hard. I do a dry swiffer dusting once a week, but could skip to every other week.

Well, I hope it doesn't look dated! We just had about 700 square feet of natural white oak installed this summer. It is 3" wide planks and is unstained. It was site-finished.

It looks absolutely awesome. There is quite a bit of color variation between planks, much more than I expected.

It was about $10.75/square foot. We are in the midwest.

We have a natural clear red oak pre-finished floor from Muskoka, a Canadian company with a good reputation. To me the red oak has a warmer glow than the white oak. It is not dark but not too light either. It does not show dust the way a dark floor would, and it looks as good now as it did when installed 5 years ago. We currently have this wood floor in our kitchen/family room, and we are getting ready to take the same wood into the rest of our main floor rooms.