Regarding staining in your basement: water based/water borne stains and finishes are really good these days and I'd apply them in my kitchen*. My favorites are:

• TransTint dyes
• General Finishes High Performance Top Coat
• Target Coatings EM6000 (lacquer) or EM9300 (polycarbonate/polyurethane) top coats

* as long as I wasn't spraying them, that's still something that should be done with lung protection.