Star Woods: The Saga Continues
There is more to consider when choosing between light and dark wood floors besides which is easier to clean. The biggest thing to consider is the size of your home. Dark floors can make a small room feel smaller, but with a little effort (and a few design tricks) you can make dark wood floors work in any room.
Instead of going all the way black or dark chocolate with your floors, choose a shade or two lighter to soften the drama of a dark floor.
Photo: North hardwood walnut floor
We already mentioned lighter furniture, but you also have your walls, window treatments, and lighting to play with to make sure that your contemporary ebony floors aren’t working against you. Often, walls take up more space than your floors and can easily counterbalance the dark floors with the light walls to open the room back up.
Instead of picking a team: light or dark, you can look for something in the middle. Instead of going full blown ebony, find something a few shades lighter. It could soften up your dark floors. Of course, you should always talk over your options with a professional because the stain you choose will act differently with different species of wood. Matching stains can also be difficult, so make sure you are sure about your choices and have your wood floors stained at the same time to allow for the most even coloring throughout your home.
Going for a natural light wood, like this Balboa hardwood floor, is a great way to bring light to any room.
Dark wood can be tricky, talk to your hardwood floors craftsman about the best choices for woods and stains for the most delicious dark wood floors.
Of course, if you’re going with classic light wood floors, you’ll have a much easier time getting the color you want as you’ll most likely just pick the species of wood that matches the light tone you are looking for, unless you go for the whitewash look, which seems to be making a comeback in the hardwood fashion world.
If you want to modernize your home, going all the way black or all the way white is the way to go. If you want to green, go for a reclaimed wood and take your chances that the stain is going to react differently with each board, and you’ll get an eclectic blend of light and dark.
Reclaimed wood is a great way to mix and match light with the dark as each board takes on a unique color and personality.
Photo: Reclaimed oak kitchen project
We’re not here to tell you that one is better than the other. We are here to guide you, inform you and inspire you. And when you’re ready to make a choice, we’re here to install and complete your vision with the skillful hands of a hardwood flooring Jedi Master.