Sanding and staining solid oak floors

[Ohgodno123]

We moved house 1.5 years ago and the house has solid oak flooring throughout the downstairs. It's great quality and must have cost the previous owners a fortune - but it is quite worn and scratched. This in itself doesn't bother me as we have 2 toddlers ourselves so at least I don't have to be precious about the floor - what does bother me is that the colour is a little orangey and as a result it looks dated.

I'm toying with the idea of getting it sanded and stained - has anyone done similar? Can you make a significant colour difference? And will staining make it impossible to maintain?

We have oak parquet which was restored by sanding, staining and varnishing. Once it has been stained it will need protecting - hard wax can be used or varnish.

Or oils, which are easier to maintain than wax or varnish.

Any chance of a picture? General impression, and closer to show grain?

We have walnut parquet that was very dark, we had it sanded, they sealed it and then lacquered it 3 times. It's a lot lighter, can now see the grain of the wood - it's beautiful!

In the pic, you can see what's been done and what's not. This was before it was sealed and lacquered which darkened it a bit, but not too much.