Thanks to nickybaruch I am now considering doing the floor (which is now sanded back ready for finishing off) with white liming with a slight tint colour in it. Some say you have to be very careful when liming. Is this a problem? I would have thought it would be just like putting on a stain? Anyway doing it that way we would still see the grain of the timber floor which would be lighter than the dark cedar it was before and keeping the pine lined ceiling with the cedar coloured beams will blend in well I think with the lighter timber floor and the white walls we now have. What do you think?

i was once told that "any wood matches any other wood" and that's helped me live happily with mismatched timbers for many years..of course it's probably possible to sand and stain the floor (ask a laminate timber floor supplier) but it'll be a tedious waste of sweat and tears for an uncertain result..what about make sure the walls, ceiling, architraves and skirting boards all look great and don't worry about under the hearth if it's not being moved, maybe add a matching trim around the hearth and plan a new floor for "later"

I havent tested this myself, but a Ceaserstone Rep recently told me to add a little bit of bleach to the cream cleanser they supply and soak the area. Apparently they do it all the time! Like I said, I havent tried this myself. Maybe try to replicate the stain on a sample piece first and see if it works before trying anything on the benchtop. Also beware of getting 'biro' on engineered stone benchtops.. its evil! Good luck, I feel your pain its awful when expensive ticket items get damaged before you even have a chance to enjoy them. :-(

It doesn't look that bad. I'd go with rugs inside and out to draw your attention away. If you go with a stain, you can get grey stains. Bunnings have a Hunter Grey.