hello
i have a customer that wants to stain their hickory floors.
They want a custom color an amber looking color. I've never stained hickory before. Any advice would be welcomed.
thanks,
beth

Hickory is a closed cell structure wood, and as such is not ideal for staining. However, it can be done, and since you are going with a light colour, should not be impossible to achieve a decent stain job.
Sand the floor to 100 grit, hard plate at 100, then screen at 120. "Water-pop" the floor to open the grain, allow to dry, then rub in a thin coat of oil-based stain. Allow to dry at least 48 hours, check that the stain is completely dry by wiping an area of the floor with a clean white rag, checking to see if any stain comes off the floor and onto the rag. Apply three coats of your chosen finish, following proper procedure as suggested by the manufacturer.