8 Style Tips for Picking a Wood Flooring Colour

Hardwood floors come in such a wide variety of colours that it can make choosing the right colour overwhelming. Should you choose light or dark floors? Which factors should you take into consideration? Here are some tips that will help you choose the right wood flooring colour for your home.

1. Homeowners with Pets or Children

If you have pets or young children in the home, you’ll likely want to avoid very dark wood floors. The darker the colour, the more obviously you’ll be able to see scratches and blemishes on the floors that your little ones or furry ones make. However, if you absolutely must have dark flooring, consider choosing a prefinished wood floor to make the touch-up process for scuff marks and scratches a little easier on you.

2. Cleaning Considerations

You might love the look of dark wood floors because they look more formal, elegant, or rustic, but take a moment to consider if the look outweighs the amount of cleaning that may be required. If you have a particularly busy household, you’ll find that you can easily see dirt, dust, and debris on dark floors. If you want to keep your home looking clean, you’ll have to be prepared to clean your dark floors regularly.

3. The Space of the Room

In smaller rooms, you’ll want to choose lighter wood floors. Dark floors will make the space look even smaller, dense, and gloomy. If you must choose a darker colour, use narrow boards to balance out the colour. The same is true of rooms with a low ceiling—lighter is better.

4. The Colour of Your Furniture

You’ll also want to consider the furniture that’s going to be in the rooms where your hardwood floors are being installed. Generally, you’re not going to want to choose dark floors if your furniture or cabinetry is dark. The same is true about light floors and light furniture. Matching will just make the room look more cluttered. It’s better to create a contrast than to match your floors too closely to your décor.

5. Let Your Décor Pop

If you’re not sure what furniture will go in the room, a lighter colour like a burlap or white can enable you to put just about any furniture in the room or choose any décor scheme you want—and change it as often as you’d like. A lighter floor can create the perfect backdrop to let your décor stand out, bringing out the warmth in your other décor elements.

6. Classic Look

Looking to create that classic hardwood floor look? Then go with a natural and unstained wood colour or a traditional shade of brown, such as walnut or chestnut.

7. Walls and Light

Consider both the colours of the walls, as well as the natural light that comes into the room, when choosing the floor colour. If the room is dark, dark floors will just create an air of doom and gloom. Lighter floors will help balance out the darkness in this case. On the other hand, if the room has plenty of natural light coming through large windows and the wall are painted in light colours, then dark wood flooring can help create a contemporary and modern look.

8. Use Flooring Samples

Today, you can test out different floors using virtual decorating software and photos. You can even go to showrooms to check out installed floors. But nothing is as good as samples, which you can take directly into your home and test out in different rooms, in different lighting, and against different types of furniture. This can help you make the right decision.

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