floor issues

So we decided to go buy a aniline dye and stain to see how well it would mask the stains.....

This is the spot as it originally looked before we sanded it all off.
After sanding, you could still see the stains, but they weren't as bad.
last night we put the water based aniline stain (dye) on it (above)

And this morning this is how it looked. Can still see the wood grain, but not really the stains. They said you are then supposed to put a coat of stain on it do deepen the color and complexity.

So this morning, we put the stain on (see above). I'll show you what it looks like after it dries. But this is definitely promising. It isn't black dye--so it still has warmth, but it seems to be covering the stains without losing the interest of the wood grain.

We are cautiously optimistic and may go back to the paint store and see what other colors they have and maybe do another test spot with a lighter dye/stain combo.