Chocolate Stain for Hard Wood Floors - Advice!

Best alternative is no stain at all, with a matte/satin water-based poly topcoating.

Unless the floors are made of ebony, that black-brown thing will look like Levittown, circa 1992. Or is everything old and tacky new and tacky again?

(And let me guess: crown mouldings, right? So unfortunate.)

Try mising 4 parts "Special Walnut" + 1 part Ebony. Substitute "English Chestnut" for "Special Walnut" if you want something redder. Ultimately, you'll want your floor guy to mix up a couple of samples and apply them so you can get a real sense of what it's going to look like.

Having done something similar, I'd advise against going too dark -- it shows every speck of dust.

Thank you, Aaron. That is most helpful. I think I might do equal parts Ebony and English Chestnut. Great Advice! And yes, Alan, there are crown mouldings and base boards and they make me happy. Different strokes....

My floor guy did 4 trial stains for me (on sanded floors). I think that two were minwax colors and two were mixtures of two minwax colors. Definitely helped see what the stains wood look like on the finished floors.

I would also have them do samples that are water popped. When you water pop the floor it opens the pores of the wood and the stain penetrates more to give it a much richer look

I'm not sure about the stain color, but I do know dark floors require a lot of care. You see dust and pet hair very easily. A friend installed beautiful dark floors. They look luxurious and modern, but they have to clean the floors everyday. They got a robotic vacuum, but it sill leave tumble weeds every where. Primer05 seems to have a good idea

cc2015: Dust with Swiffer Sweepers.

Genius

Thanks guys! You all have informed my choice but I don't think I will be able to resist the siren call of those dark wood floors. I think my floor guy plans to pop the floors but he will charge if an extra coat of stain is deemed necessary.

Best of luck... don't forget the vinyl siding.

That'd complete a bumpkin's-dream tract house on House Hunters. But how a about a man cave?