I want to add unfinished hardwood to a Great Room that abuts the foyer/hall/dining room that has finished on site red oak strip flooring. Luckily, there is a transition piece to join the current carpet that consists of the oak flooring itself that was turned 90 degrees to the flooring already in place which the end pieces of the foyer flooring butt into to. This transition piece of flooring still has the original edge and groove, so all I need to do is continue into the Great Room from this piece. This leads to my questions as follows...........


1. Wanting to use the same stain and poly as before (MinWax Golden Oak/High Gloss Oil Poly), is it possible to blend the new floor into the old without re-finishing the old without being too noticeable using the transition piece as the break point, even though the piece is flush with both floors?

2. If so, will the new floor eventually age to the point that the amber look of the old will no longer be as noticeable against the new?

3. Changing topic, what brands of 3/4" X 2 1/4" unfinished red oak select and better are of good quality regarding milling/color/short pieces? The original floor is 3/4" X 2 1/4" Bruce S&B unfinished that went together tight looks as good as it did when it was installed 11 years ago. Things change, so what was doesn't necessarily mean it still is, so any comments on current brands would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any input that anyone may have.

b