Which product did your floor company suggest they would use?

Most are off the market because of VOC limits.

At least the good ones.

The modern ones are not nearly as tough as the old ones we used to have.

This post was edited by brickeyee on Tue, Dec 11, 12 at 16:42

The European hard wax oils will fit the bill for you. A traditional look without having to wax. They do require periodic touch up which is easy to do. Check them out.
Brands include Pallman, Rubio Monocoat, Synteko Woca etc.

Thanks, woodfloorpro. I will look these up tonight and contact my flooring people. Do these go on top of the stain?

I believe these wax oils are to be applied in place of stain and poly, many colors to choose from. I am considering using Rubio Monocoat for refinishing my floors and was told it's a one-coat process, and that it's no-VOC. I wanted a matte finish and wanted to make my red oak floors look a bit older and with less red.
Not sure yet if I am going to go that route. The samples I received definitely look matte, but even "dry", and with a 'rougher finish' as you mentioned (though perhaps that is just because it was a sample, not perfectly sanded?). Wonder if they will develop any kind of patina over time to look less thirsty.
I would recommend seeing a sample first as this is not something to add on top of the stain, but takes the place of the stain/poly.
I would be curious if woodfloorpro has opinions on these European finishes versus traditional stain/poly.

Unfortunately my flooring company has just said they are unwilling to use these products because they have never used them before. I'm pretty disappointed. Is it possible to use one of these when we need to refinish the first time? The company will only use their poly finish, which I strongly dislike, but can a wax oil go on top if the floors are lightly sanded? Thanks.

In my almost 30 years in wood flooring, oil finishes have been the next big thing about three times so far. I'm not sold on the "one coat" claim and most people aren't satisfied with the dry look that was mentioned. Some products can have a second coat applied for more body but I believe some cannot. There's a lot of finishes out there and a lot of misinformation.
Personally I don' see a huge difference between them and an old fashioned stain and wax.
Many floor dealers are skeptical of the newer oil finishes because they can't afford to have something go wrong that will cost them more money than they make on ten jobs.
If you think you really want an oil finish, have your floor company sand the floor and you apply the finish. You can watch tutorials online. All you need is the finish, something to apply it with, a buffer, pads and rags.
Contrary to your claim, floors were stained in the past but different methods were used. If you want to de-emphasize the red in your Red Oak pick a stain that has a greenish tint.