From the point of view of how we manage our time, which is unrelentingly finite, I don't find oil a practical seal for the traffic and spills of the kitchen area, unless you enjoy constantly tending something, cleaning and re-oiling regularly. Timber floor finishes have changed a lot in recent years. Polyurethane gives timber a distinctly tan/orange colour. Water based seals are a bit more expensive but far more durable in low sheen than polyurethane, and doesn't add that orange tint. If you wet a piece of your timber you will see a similar effect to water-based seal - it intensifies the marks, grains, tones and colour differences somewhat - just like wetting a dry rock or shell intensifies the marks and colours briefly. You can experiment on a piece of your flooring first before making a decision. Good luck with the results - I too think your flooring has great potential.

Satin. We had some Scandinavian oil used on our Cypress Pine floors. Not sure of brand but its quite expensive when compared to the other brands. The key is a good operator of the sanding equipment too......

I have two dogs and they both live and play inside. At one stage we had three. Our floors look no more worn than the day I oiled then 6 years ago. We will be selling in around a year and at that time I may rotary with a white pad (never need to sand again)but really there is no need. After 30 years of fixing timber issues, it breaks my heart to see such a beautiful substance treated with a toxic plastic bag. This is our puppy the other day with a sore foot.

I love no.1. The black wall and white floor draws my eye and it skims past all the soft white fittings. It creates a sense of space and flow. It has continuity. In no.2 my eye hits the dark floor then gets distracted by the white loo and two coloured vanity. That's where it stops. No. 3 is my least favourite. In no.3, the white wall is harsh and draws attention from the rest of the bathroom. It gives me a sense of harsh disjointedness.