This is a more complex question than you might think. Choosing dark vs. light hardwood floors can depend on several factors including the size of the room, the availability of natural/artificial light sources, and what would complement your furniture. Discover some of the pros and cons associated with both colors of flooring.

PROS & CONS For Dark Colored Hardwood

The best aspect of dark-colored floors, aside from their sophisticated appearance, is their ability to mask many of the imperfections that build upon the floor. Since it’s already dark it won’t fade and if there are gaps between planks, they tend to be less noticeable on a darker hardwood floor. On the downside, it probably won’t hide the fur from your pets all the time. Neither will it obfuscate footprints or light-colored filmy stains. Dark colors on floors and walls also have the tendency to make rooms feel smaller.

PROS & CONS For Light Colored Hardwood

Lighter-colored woods tend to have a more modern appearance and they don’t shrink the size of the room psychologically. It might not hide imperfections as well, but you’ll be able to see them and clean them easier. The con to light-colored hardwood is that it might make your room too light, which could be great for a kitchen, but not so much for a den or bedroom. There also tend to be more furniture styles that blend in better with darker colored hardwood floors.

At the end, which color or shade you choose will depend on personal preferences and what matches the rest of your home. Eric Hurst and Flooring.org have been helping homeowners install and care for their floors since the late 90s, so you can count on us to guide you in the right direction on hardwood floor options. We have several featured varieties of flooring such as this darker variety, IndusParquet, as well as a lighter kind like this red oak flooring.

Learn more about Flooring.org by calling us at 800-689-9006. Thank you for trusting us with your flooring needs.