skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Wood Floors
Dark, medium or natural? That is the question for today. Trying to decide what color of stain to go on my wood floors.
My heart says dark, my head says light.
What I do not like is an orange or red tint, which is what I had.
Dark would probably be a nightmare to keep clean. But the light may not go with my style of house which is very traditional.
Furnishings are fairly neutral, (bye bye red couch,) although I do have darker wood pieces. The kitchen has white cabinets with black granite. Thinking griege paint.
Maybe I should just go for a happy medium.
Still a little reddish to me.
Other considerations- we really don't have an open floor plan but are hoping the continuation of wood into the living area will make it cohesive. The living room has very little light but the breakfast area and dining room have lots of light.
Then I have to decide on sheen. High or low gloss, satin?
I would appreciate any tips or advice!
Thanks!
Posts
.JPG)
.JPG)
34 comments:
Please note these are just my personal opinions and may be slightly influenced by my tastes alone :)
I love dark floors, they speak of history and richness and go with every style, from traditional thru to modern...they are classic and chic...
Light floors are ugly...umm need I say more.
Maybe you could ask them to mix you a medium that is more brown than red based at the store.
We did the compromise with a medium...but that was a budget issue during the house building because we put in vinyl for now and the "medium" was the darkest in our price range...We will redo them once the little one is older and I can add pergo (sp?)
Good luck with your dicision.
Blessings Kelsie
Oh, I LOVE dark wood floors too! That bad thing about them is that they will show lots of dust though. I would go for a happy medium, if it was me, and something with very minimal shine. What kind of wood are you using? That makes a difference with how the color comes out. When the floor is being installed take some of the scraps and do some different samples.
Tricia :)
Dear Tammy,
I love light wood. Light and bright.
In certain settings (or in other peoples decor)
dark can be great to.
You can always do a brown accents and remove them when you tire of them....wood is so permanent.
I would have to say go with what your
heart is telling you.
Isn't it great that it's your decision?
There are men out there that like to make
the decisions or share in them.
Have fun!
Best,
Coastal Blue Ocean
Medium brown..timeless! I had dark with a reddish tint and hated it! Please do not get a shine finish it will show water drops...feet prints etc. I had a shine finish and swore everyday!!! Shows everything.
Before we moved we installed a laminate wood upstairs and it was a flat finish dark called Maple walnut and it showed no dirt or pet hair!
I don't know if you remember the post i did on a friends white kitchen? She had light maple floors throughout. I didn't like it at all the home had no weight to it. Plus it felt cold and alittle cheap looking. I love the second to last photo here and i don't see any red in it.
Hope i didn't confuse you!!
Your home is just beautiful, Tammy! I personally like the dark wood...I have light and I can see the dust on it in the daylight. Medium may be the way to go.
XO,
Jane
I love dark but I am betting hard to keep clean. I have the reddish, dark and light mix and love it. However, it would not work with everyone's decor.
Mine are just like the first picture, dark. I love them and they are so easy to keep clean. Just use one part vinegar and 9 parts water in a bucket and a good mop. Squeeze the mop out tight and wipe a large area. It goes quick and leaves a brand new shine every time. I got this tip from Beautiful Homes and have used it ever since, love it! :D
we had a very light pine color in one house, and I liked the light, bright feel to it- but it shows every little drop of mess in kitchen areas. Now we have Brazilian cherry (a little to orangey for my tastes...) and with a dog in the house, it shows all of the sweeping I need to do, but hides the other little spills. It looks richer in the darker colors for sure. If you have a traditional scheme, I say go for dark or medium! :)
I have a medium color - which I love. Mine is pretty shiny and I will tell you that it shows footprints. Drives me crazy! I would never trade my wood floor though. :)
Hi Tammy~
Your home is so lovely! If you love dark then go for it and don't worry about the dust! Get what you love! I think it would be so striking against the white cabinets and black granite counter tops. Yesterday I went and checked out a few sites because of your post on the great pillows you received. It was so much fun to visit the other places. And, I just read about your young friend. Glad that he is doing better.
Yes, God is good and what a blessing that we can call on Him through prayer.
many blessings!
Our hardwood is white oak stained 'Whisky' which is medium dark. I love the look but if you have shedding pets, it shows every hair!! We have a shedding dog and there are drifts of hair everywhere. At least I can see it as before the hardwood we had tan wall to wall carpet and couldn't really see all the hair and dirt hiding in it! Good luck in choosing a colour.
Love the medium to dark and a satin sheen seems to have a longer lifespan than a high gloss sheen. Gorgeous home which shows that you have great taste and talent...I know you will make the right choice for you and it will be beautiful.
I love dark floors, but they're a cleaning nightmare, because every little speck shows. When we redo our floors, they'll be a medium dark stain with a satin sheen. That seems to be the most forgiving finish. Can't wait to see what you choose.
I vote for medium, I have medium, but it does not really make a statement, it just is. If you want to make a statement I would go with dark...Is dark a trend...HUM Decisions, decisions
Carol
I like dark and satin. Mine are medium and kind of orangy and shiny. Mom talked me into shiny because she says they dull over time anyway....which is true. I didn't do dark because I thought it might be too trendy and I wanted my house to look original. Mine are Oak but every time I see dark floors in a place....I love it.
Oh....I didn't think about the cleaning issue...just read that on someone else's comment. I know I hate the black in the kitchen because it look dirty immediately. I hadn't thought about that with the dark wood floors. I guess they would do that too.
I don't really have a preference on color. Dark is beautiful, but if I could see the dust, I'd freak out & be swiffering every second. I wanted a high gloss finish but the flooring people warned me that you can really see dust on a high gloss floor. I went with the low gloss for that reason.
If you can live with scratches showing go with the dark. There is something dramatic about the dark floors.
I like the way dark wood floors look but I think they can also close in your space. I vote for something in between. Probably easier to keep clean. We unfortunately have the orange-y oak floors but I'll take them over carpet any day. Good luck in your decision. I'm sure they will be beautiful!
xx
Well, I'm not lucky enough to have hardwood floors. I have laminate. But I'd vote for something in between.
Brenda
I've been dreaming of new floors for our dining/kitchen areas, and trying to decide on wood colors, too. I'm really drawn to the color of your first photo - I, too, can't stand the red or orangy tones! The dark color looks very traditional. Whatever you decide will turn out pretty - can't wait to see pics!
I always make the safe choice...which would be medium shade and satin finish. I'd like the opportunity sometime to go dramatic...like with the dark, shiny finish. I think your idea of carrying the floor throughout the rooms is awesome. It will be so cohesive. Why don't you take a chance and go for the drama? I can't wait to see what you do.
My 2 cents is that I have a natural walnut and love it. It is easy to keep clean and the color is not light or really dark...just perfect. My friend is a builder's wife. She keeps using dark hardwood and says it's hard to keep clean with two little kids, but loves the look and is willing to clean it all the time. Whatever you choose will be right of you and your style.
BIG decision! I agree... I love WHITE floors! Ha! But... I vote for dark - high gloss!
That being said - I am NO decorator.
( :
Have a pretty day!
Kristin
I love the idea of dark floors but I don't know how that would look with dark furniture. If your floor is oak, you could leave them unstained once they are sanded. Then a satin finish could be applied. Looks very natural and provides a nice contrast with dark furniture. Easy to keep clean also.
I am in the midst of the same decision! Can't wait to see what you decide on. I love the look of dark floors, but I've seen some really nice light floors too (sort of the Belgian look). I'd definitely go with a matte finish if you have kids that drop things as much as mine do... won't show the dings as much as a shiny finish. Good luck!!
I'm in the dark camp. We have wood floors throughout our home. They are medium dark and no trouble to keep clean. No pets or children here though. ;-)
~ Sarah
A walnut medium tone (no orange/red!)... versatile without being too dark. Keeps a traditional look without calling attention to itself. I love the light but think that it might look too casual.
Show us what you select, my dear.
Bises,
Genie
I feel your pain! I waited for 13 years for wood floors and picking the color was agonizing. We finally decided that for our home, the light floors would just look cheap. We decided on fairly dark floors, but they do have a reddish tint to them. I am really happy with them, but I've come to the conclusion that picking the color is a very personal choice that only YOU can decide on! Lots of help aren't I! (*_*) ~Stacy~
Hi Tammy! This is a great question, and I found your previous comments quite interesting! If I lived by myself, with no pets, children, or husband, I would probably go for the darker wood. However, I don't, so I have the medium wood, and I absolutely love it. It truly doesn't show anything, except I do get dust bunnies, which are easy to vacuum or dust mop. Make sure that you get high gloss poly, as the floors do lose their shine quickly. Good luck with your decision. I'll be anxious to see what you decide!
I would decide based on how much natural light the rooms get! The dark is gorgeous...but I wouldn't want the rooms to look dark. And a low gloss looks nice to me! ♥
I have dark and they are so beautiful but they make the house feel darker... I ended up painting the kitchen cabinets white to help get some lightness in the house. Then on top of that they get so so so dirty looking fast. One piece of dust or spec looks like a boulder in the room. : ) But I am not in love with any other color of hardwoods. I do know my husband has laid down the law that the next house we will have to decide on a better color for function over style!
very elegant decor!!luv the dark floor!!!
Wood floors are so beautiful! For your traditional house I'd go with a medium brown with a satin sheen. High gloss is beautiful -- right after it's cleaned! Otherwise, it shows light surface scratches and dirt more easily. Not my personal preference for a busy household.
Post a Comment