Why We Chose Our Hardwood Flooring and Stain For Our Modern-Style Home

I think one of my MOST asked about questions whenever I post our house is about the hardwood floors!

When picking floors there are a number of options you have to choose from. Real hard wood vs engineered, stain, grain, width, the list goes on. I knew early on that I wanted to do a light color floor but had no idea there were so many other variables. Ultimately we decided to go with real hardwood versus engineered, because I liked the look a little better and the pricing was about the same. We decided to go with 6” wide plank white oak floors. I didn’t want them to have a ton of knots in them, but I did want them to have a little graining. The species of white oak we chose was the perfect middle ground. Knowing if you’re going with a light or dark stain is important when picking out what type of oak you want for your floors. Red oak is usually a little more cost effective, however if you want a light color stain, this usually isn’t your best option because it’s a darker species that has more red undertones. White oak is usually a tad more expensive, but can be left in a more natural state with something as simple as a glaze over it.

Now on to our stain.

I spent a lot of time looking for inspiration when trying to decide what stain I wanted to go for with my floors. With everything in the house, I’m a HUGE Pinterest-er and came across a photo that I absolutely loved mentioning they used a Bona finish. I clicked the article and read exactly what they did to achieve their stain. I started doing my research on Bona and what finishes they had to offer.

We came up with a few custom color options using Bona stains and seals. I ultimately decided to just use a Bona seal instead of an actual stain. Bona has a few different seal options that have light shading meaning they do give color, but preserve the natural beauty of the wood. We went with a Bona Nordic waterborne seal in “white” to give that whitewashed feel but not overpower the white oak. I love how the natural beauty of the white oak still shines through and the seal simply compliments it, not overpowers it. We did two coats of the white Bona seal and it was perfect for us!