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What are my Colour Options for Hardwood Flooring?

Colour Options

Hardwood flooring is a classic choice with timeless charm. Manufacturers of hardwood floors constantly improve and change their flooring to keep it interesting, trendy, up to date and able to withstand the challenges of modern living. Today’s flooring is not your parent’s wood floors! These floors come in a wide range of styles, sizes, finishes, species and colours. How do you know which hardwood colour options to choose? The following is information about the many choices to help you decide what is best for your home.

Natural and light tones: These classic hues are similar to those found in raw wood and show off the natural characteristics and beauty of the wood. Choosing natural tones sometimes means not using any stain at all. Finish these shades with a clear coat to enhance the appearance of the wood itself and protect it from wear and tear. 

  • White: White tones are a popular design trend and look great in a wide variety of locations. White ash flooring has a natural, subtle variation with dark knot holes visible letting the character of the wood shine. White oak brightens any room, allows for unlimited decorating options, fits any décor and creates a warm, comfortable home.
  • Blonde wood colour is a versatile choice and goes well with contemporary, traditional and rustic-style homes. It makes a room appear large and open, especially if you use large planks. Choose from oak, maple, bamboo and/or ash.
  • Honey: Flooring with honey-coloured tones adds warmth and richness to a room. It’s a great alternative to the more traditional golden tones, while still giving you a natural colour palette to work with. This flooring matches most interiors, creating an inviting atmosphere. Honey wood floors are light enough to give you many of the benefits of blonde wood (making your room look larger and more open) while providing the rich warmth that comes from a slightly darker tone. You can find honey wood floors in many popular wood species.
  • Caramel is a richer, warmer version of blonde wood, ideal for homeowners seeking an option that is easy to maintain and that will complement any décor. It’s the natural tone of many hardwood species and is easily available. Carmel is a classic, timeless hue.

Whitewashed and bleached: These flooring hues have become an increasingly popular hardwood flooring trend due to their clean and modern look. They bring a beachy feel to your home. The light stain enhances the beauty of the natural wood while making the flooring colour more consistent. They help a room feel fresh and modern. 

  • Whitewashed wood is a popular trend. It creates a rustic, farmhouse aesthetic; an artistic worn-out look with the darker wood peeking out from underneath. This flooring is matte and subtle. Whitewashed flooring makes your home look brighter, bigger and more relaxed.
  • Bleached wood pairs well with casual interior design, adding a light airy feel. It’s a great choice for both modern and farmhouse kitchens. This method works well with white and red oak, with the white oak creating a contemporary look and the red a more traditional style. 

Dark wood flooring has been popular among homeowners for centuries. It has a timeless and authentic feel, rich and full of character, making a space feel upscale and luxurious. From deep browns to black hues to dark reddish browns and even shades of grey, dark hardwood floors are elegant and sophisticated.

  • Browns: Dark brown hardwood flooring brings style and sophistication to your home. It pairs well with light bright interiors and suits most styles of homes, including rustic cottages and modern houses or apartments. It can be elegant, modern, rustic and/or wild, all while bringing warmth to your space. 
  • Black is trendy but can be difficult to maintain as it shows every scratch and speck of dust. Reserve this hue of hardwood flooring for low-traffic areas and homes with no pets or children. 
  • Grey is neutral and goes with any style of décor. It can be dark, light or have blue undertones. It can be highly patterned and textured. This hue hides dust, bumps and scratches and has a calming effect, making it ideal for rooms where you want to relax. Try a dark grey hardwood for a formal dining room or a light hue for a child’s bedroom. 
  • Greige is a combination of grey and beige, yielding a different shade than flat gray. It offers the minimalist feel of gray with the depth of beige. This hardwood hue can be used in any room. The rustic charm of this shade works for modern and contemporary households. Greige adds a fresh look to bedrooms and gives living rooms and entryways a feeling of luxury.
  • Rich red and red-brown: With a lot of colour variation, these tones become the focal point of a room. Keep the rest of the decor simple and your hardwood floor will give the space a style boost. 

Rustic: Reclaimed wood flooring has a natural patina as, over time, wood takes on a dark rich colour, depending on its environment and its use. Rustic flooring offers character that lets you use a wide range of other colours and wood tones in the room.

Hardwood flooring is versatile and comes in a range of styles, sizes, finishes, species, and colours. Wood flooring stains and textures have evolved and can be used to complement any interior design, architectural style, or colour palette. Have fun choosing the best colour(s) of hardwood flooring for your home!

Looking for quality hardwood flooring? Need help determining the best colour and style for your home? Interested in exceptional service and advice? Contact Smith Bros. Floors, one of Canada’s oldest hardwood flooring companies that is family-owned and operated. We use industry-leading flooring and finishes because we want your flooring to last! With a tested crew of installers and finishers and a lifetime guarantee on workmanship and longevity, Smith Bros. quality cannot be beaten! We provide exemplary customer service, from site visit, to quote, to installation and follow-up. Call us at 403-255-7791 for a free consultation.

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Finding the Perfect Hardwood Match for Your Remodeling Project

Match Hardwood

Do you wish to expand the hardwood floors in your home to include new areas? Are sections of your hardwood flooring damaged and in need of replacement? Matching existing hardwood can be challenging and pose some problems. Don’t despair! With attention to detail and some professional help, it’s possible to match existing hardwood flooring. 

Factors to consider when matching hardwood flooring:

If you want a smooth transition between rooms and/or an undetectable replaced section of flooring, there are some factors that need to be considered.

Species, grade and finish:

Identify the species (red oak, white oak, maple, douglas fir, yellow pine, Brazilian cherry, merbau, santos mahogany, Ipe, purpleheart, wenge, ebony, etc.) and grade (select grade, No 1 Common, No 2 Common, Quartersawn, Rift, Millrun) of the wood used in your existing flooring. Determine if it was prefinished or finished on-site during installation. Consult a flooring professional. They’ll be able to identify the species, grade and finish of your current floors.

Condition of the existing floor:

Assess the damage to your flooring (water spots, pet stains, sun fading, peeling, gaps, cupped or crowning edges, buckling, scratches, cracks, wear & tear) to determine whether you’ll need to sand existing floors before attempting to match them. 

Age of the existing floor:

Age can change the colour of wood making it difficult to blend new and old flooring. Specialized staining/finishing processes may need to be implemented. Take a sample of your wood plank to your local flooring experts. They’ll compare the colour, texture and size to their hardwood samples.

Profile of the floor and subfloor:

Is the subfloor of the area where you’re installing new hardwood the same height as the subfloor of your existing hardwood flooring? If not, extra steps are needed to match the floors. The thickness of hardwood flooring boards is known as the profile. Profiles vary. What is the thickness of your current flooring? Picking new flooring that matches the existing thickness allows for a smooth and consistent look. Do you have engineered hardwood floors? These are more difficult to work with as sanding to match height is not an option. 

Width of the planks:

When looking to match existing hardwood floors, you need to know the exact width of your planks. Most homes are built with a standard 2 ¼ inch strip but hardwood flooring also comes in 3 ¼, 4 or 5-inch strips. Use a tape measure to determine what you have.

Colour:

A flooring specialist can recommend replacement flooring that closely matches your current floor colour. For a perfect match, stripping and staining your current hardwood floors or staining the new flooring may be necessary. Have this done by a professional to ensure a seamless transition and a perfect custom colour. 

Consider not matching hardwood:

Floors next to each don’t have to match to work together. Contrasting floors can be beautiful and visually interesting. Sometimes it’s better to make a transition from one space to the next rather than matching. Darker hardwood floors (mahogany, walnut) look great next to lighter hardwood (white oak, maple, hickory). Transition strips (narrow pieces of wood that bridge the flooring seam between two rooms) adjust the height in doorways, allow you to change the direction of wood and help with colour changes.

Contemplate removing the old hardwood floor:

If you’re not attached to the existing flooring or the floor is worn and damaged, it may be worthwhile and cost-effective to remove the original flooring and start fresh. Sometimes a whole floor project is simpler and more affordable than matching and repairing. 

No matter how you decide to add hardwood flooring to your space, reach out to a flooring expert and professional installer. They can help you find the right species, grade, thickness, and colour to match your existing floor. They’ll guide you through the process and recommend solutions for your situation.

 

Looking to match an existing hardwood floor? Not sure if you should match or replace your flooring? Contact Smith Bros. Floors, one of Canada’s oldest flooring companies; family-owned and operated. We use industry-leading flooring and finishes because we want your flooring to last! With an experienced crew of installers and finishers and a lifetime guarantee on workmanship and longevity, Smith Bros. quality cannot be beaten! Call us at 403-255-7791 for a free consultation.