I'm looking for some advice on mixing old and new flooring. My husband and I bought a 1960's bungalow last year and are about to begin a renovation which includes removing two walls - those between kitchen/living room and kitchen/dining room. Currently in the living/dining room we have old 2" strip hardwood (we think it may be oak) and were going to rip it out and start over as the overall space isn't that large, but are now wondering if we can just refinish what we have and somehow blend another wood with it so it looks cohesive - possibly adding a dark border around the kitchen as we know we won't be able to match the current hardwood. Just wondering if anyone has pictures of having done something like that. We would like to keep the overall flooring wood vs going with tile in the kitchen area as we think it will cut up the space and make it look smaller. Note that we are putting in a black cherry exposed beam and post as well. I can post pictures of the current floor if it will help.

If it is a 60's house and the wood species is oak, you can get it to match well by just refinishing the existing floors when you are doing the new floors.

I'd recommend using a stain.It will help disguise the old floor against the new floor.