The original 1980s red oak was in good shape but had been refinished a decade ago in a yellow polyurethane. The clients wanted a more current look without replacing the floor.
We sanded down to bare wood, applied a single coat of an iron-acetate mineral stain (which reacts with the tannins in oak rather than sitting on top of it), and finished in a flat hardwax oil. The result reads like wide-plank European white oak but cost a third of replacement.
Scope: 1,800 sq ft full sand and refinish, iron-acetate reactive stain, hardwax oil finish, dust-contained equipment throughout.