To stain or not stain...

When you've got old floorboards, they retain some color even after they're sanded. That makes it tricky to match the new floorboards (where walls used to be). In the second photo, you can see one of our several Minwax testing sessions. Mr. Chen, the foreman, lobbied for a darker stain to hide the difference in tones. Steve & I wanted a lighter color to open up the space and provide contrast with the kitchen cabs and Raydoors. We hit upon a compromise by leaving the original floors untouched and only staining the newer sections. Then all topped off with waterbased poly sealer. We were pretty nervous when we opened the door to the apartment on Saturday morning then breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The floors look glowing & warm but not too dark. And the parquet pattern really "pops" now.