The Colors We Sample Most
Nobody picks a stain from a brochure. We put samples on your actual floor, in your light, and you choose from those. Here is how often each color made it onto the sample boards on our jobs.
| Color | Jobs where it was sampled |
|---|---|
| Natural (no stain) | 115 |
| Golden Oak | 54 |
| Nutmeg | 49 |
| Provincial | 39 |
| Early American | 35 |
| Jacobean | 25 |
| Any gray | 24 |
| Special Walnut | 20 |
| Cocoa | 19 |
| Medium Brown | 17 |
| Antique Brown | 15 |
| Sedona Red | 11 |
| Driftwood | 10 |
| Ebony | 6 |
Some customers mix two colors, or cut a color with natural to make it lighter. Others just want to match what they already have in another room.
Bona DriFast Stain colors shown for reference. Actual results vary by wood species and lighting conditions.
Why Natural Took Over
People follow trends, and the trend has moved to warm and earthy. A natural finish fits that best.
It also works with almost any furniture. A natural floor does not fight with a wood table or a leather couch. It makes a room feel less cold. And it shows off the wood itself, the grain and the character that a heavy stain covers up.
On our jobs, natural was in 45 of the 88 jobs where color came up in 2025, and in 60 of 131 in 2026.
Want a price for your own floor?
Free in-home estimates across Monmouth, Mercer, Ocean and Middlesex counties. See our hardwood floor sanding and refinishing services.
What Happened to Gray
A few years ago, gray floors with white walls were the look. The result was a cool, almost cold room.
That look has pretty much been wiped out of the houses we work in. In 2026, gray came up on 9 of the 131 jobs where color was discussed. Natural came up on 60. When we do sand a gray floor now, the customer usually wants to go back to natural or a warm brown.
Red Oak, the Pink Problem, and Red Out
Most of the floors we work on are red oak. Red oak has a pink tint, and a light or natural finish can bring it out.
If you want a natural or light look on red oak without the pink, there is a treatment for it. Bona Red Out is applied before the stain to take down the red and pink tones. On our quotes it costs about $2.00 a square foot.
White oak does not have that tint, which is one reason it is popular for light and natural floors. If you are installing new, it is worth knowing. See our installation cost guide for what each wood costs.
What Stain Adds to the Cost
| What | Cost on our quotes |
|---|---|
| Sand and finish, standard stain color included | about $4.50 a square foot |
| Bona Chroma, for a wider range of colors | about $0.75 a square foot more |
| Bona Red Out, to take the pink out of red oak | about $2.00 a square foot more |
You will notice the stain options are left unchecked on our quotes. That is on purpose. Nobody knows which color you will want until you see the samples on your own floor. We price the options so there are no surprises, and you decide on site. For the full refinishing price, see our refinishing cost guide.
How to Choose a Stain Color
- Look at samples on your own floor. The same color looks different on red oak and white oak, and in morning and evening light.
- Think about what stays. Cabinets, trim, a stone fireplace and big furniture will sit next to this floor for years.
- Check the wall color. Our guide to matching floor stain to wall paint walks through it.
