Which stain - Red oak floor + cherry cabinets
Under that cardboard on the floor are 5" red oak planks waiting for me to pick a Minwax stain. Do I stay in the same color family as the cabinets but go a little lighter like Gunstock? Or would something in a brown tone like Special Walnut look good and not clash? We've played around with Provincial, and Provincial+English Chestnut and both came out too dark brown. Any photos of yours to share?
This is the adjoining breakfast room:
Comments (14)
badgergal
10 years agoI think you should consider leaving you floors natural with just a clear poly finish. IMO cabinets and floors should have contrast. The beauty of your cherry cabinets will be lost if they blend right in with the floors. I have natural cherry cabinets with natural ash flooring so not the same scenario as yours but you can see the contrast in this picture.
Here are some photos I grabbed off the web that are said to be natural red oak floors and stained cherry cabinets.
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crl_
10 years agoRelated Professionals
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Gooster
10 years agoI am biased, but I agree that they should be a couple of tones away from your cabinet stain. This is what I was advised and what turned out well. Otherwise, you run the risk of a slight clash. Maybe even lighter than the gunstock.
I have quarter sawn white oak with stained cherry-- it is the barest of tints to match the original 75 yr old hardwood in the remainder of the space.
User
10 years agoopphop
10 years agomsbubbaclees
10 years agoJust another "real life" example for you. I think our cabinets are a bit redder than yours, but similar idea--natural oak floor finish with darker cabinetry.
heidihausfrau
10 years agoThis is what I used with my stained cherry cabinets---the color is called coffee on hickory floors. I like that it isn't such a stark contrast.
Even though my floors are darker, I find them gorgeous. And I don't care if they are "out" or not. My house is for me!
opphop
10 years agoOOTM_Mom
10 years agoMy cherry cabs have a chocolate glaze, my oak floors are just a bit lighter. I was worried it would be too dark all together, but its not. There is a lot of variation in the floor, and it hits the cab color here and there. And even a bit of the dog color, lol. I did really like the unstained color, but that wouldnt have worked for us for the whole first floor.
brianstreehouse
10 years agoFamCook
10 years agoopphop
10 years ago
a2gemini
10 years agoJust lost internet and my message - Grrr
I really struggled with this as well. I didn't want to replace the floor, so sanded and coated- no stain. It is oak but not solid oak(I think it would bring called an oak laminate- probably has 8-18 years of life left)
Everything looked like we were trying to match but failed. The floor has a lot of variation in it. If I started from scratch- I would have more contrast similar to badgergal.
OOTM_Mom