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Provincial Stain is a traditional, medium-toned brown that will work in any home. We applied it to our white oak floors after water popping them, to get a rich uniform finish.

Provincial wood stain on stairs

The first thing that happened once we closed on our new house was to get the dingy ambered oak floors refinished and stained.

After deliberating between Jacobean, Dark Walnut, Special Walnut and Provincial, we finally settled on Provincial as our favorite color stain. 

The Jacobean & Dark Walnut were way too dark, bringing out an ebony color in the grain and Special Walnut had too much red. So Provincial it was

Provincial is a warm, medium toned brown. If you’re worried about your floors turning out too dark, then provincial is a really great choice. It adds wonderful warmth and feels very natural and timeless.

RELATED: The Best Wall Colors for Dark Wood Floors

The Staining Process

Now let me tell you, the guy we worked with was really great and had the patience of a saint to boot (If you’re in Mass or NH and want his name, drop me an email!).

Originally I was planning on sanding the floors and staining them a rich brown.  Then I changed my mind and wanted to just sand and finish with a water based poly to keep them looking natural.

Oak floors get an amber effect that happens with oil based polyurethane. The poly darkens them initially, and they get darker and more orange as the years progress.  That’s why I thought a water based product like Bona Naturale, that is completely tint free and matte, would be a good option.

THEN, realizing that the floors would probably never really be as light as I wanted, I reverted to my original plan of staining them.

(Now that I know more about hardwood floors and stains, a light color could have been achieved. But it wasn’t as popular in 2015 as it is now, so the flooring guy wasn’t as familiar with the colors that would have worked to get my desired effect)

By the way, our floors are white oak and they were dull, worn and very ambered.

These photos are from the day we closed on the house:

Old ambered white oak floors
Old hardwood floor

The walls were in desperate need of some fresh paint, too.

This navy blue carpet was up the stairs and throughout the entire hallway. The living room and dining room originally had matching area rugs, too.

White oak stairs
White oak hardwood flooring in hallway

All the carpeting was ripped up. The floors were sanded down to beautiful fresh wood and stained with 2 coats of Bona DriFast stain in Provincial. 

The floors were also “water popped” which means a light coat of water was added to the bare floors. This makes the grain swell and allows the stain to soak in deeper, giving a richer end color.

Bona provincial stain on white oak flooring
White oak floors stained wth Bona DriFast stain in Provincial

Finally, 3 coats of Polyurethane in a satin finish were applied.

A warm, medium brown floor stain like Provincial is classic
Provincial is a beautiful medium brown floor stain

The new stain brings such warm and coziness to the space. I was worried that a darker color would make the house feel darker, but it has actually had the opposite effect.

White oak floors stained with Bona Provincial

We only stained the stair treads and not the banisters. The extra $800 didn’t seem worth it!

Provincial wood stain on white oak floors

We really love how the floors turned out.  They look brand new and the color is exactly what I wanted.

Bona provincial stain is a perfect medium toned brown with no ebony

If you’re looking to stain your floors, I really love how Provincial turned out. But if you want something a little darker, don’t be afraid to make a custom blend. Sometimes a 50/50 mix of one stain plus a darker one will get you the exact color you’ve been wanting!

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39 Comments

  1. Hi Jenna! We did Provinicial oak floors in a flip house, and we’re considering using it in our new home, which is currently under construction. I have ordered schuler kitchen cabinets in oak with a biscotti stain (medium brown) and I’m not sure how they would look with floors done in Provincial. What are your thoughts?

    1. I really can’t say without seeing them together. Your best best is to get a stained sample of both and see how you like them together.

  2. kevin edward says:

    ugh, looks orange , red oak is soooo hard to work with

  3. Srunokshi says:

    What wall colors go best with Provincial stain of hardwood floor ?

  4. Love your blog! I matched your kitchen backsplash tile and now I might just match your floor stain color too!!!

    Here’s my question- I know you have kids. How is the maintenance on the floor? My concern is going too dark because of the maintenance (every speck and crumb shows!)

    What are your thoughts about Provincial and upkeep?

    1. Hi Elaine! Lighter floors certainly show less dirt, but if you want a medium brown then Provincial is good without being too dark. I usually wash my floors every 5 days or so and just sweep up after dinner each night and they always look good!

  5. Hi i am currently deciding on floor stain color and my contractor suggested provincial. I saw some pics and some of them look darker brown so I am a bit worried. Your floor looks great though. i will have sample stain on mt floor to see how it looks.

  6. Kathy Vagnoni says:

    Your provincial floors look great! We are currently having our oak refinished with provincial as well. I am struggling with a cabinet color for our kitchen, the floor runs through the kitchen. I am leaning toward White Sesame by SW. But unsure. Our trim in the house is called Oyster White, and was an original MAB paint. Any suggestions comments would be appreciated.
    Thank you