If you’re trying to decide between light and dark wood flooring for your home, you know just what a challenging decision it can be. Both light and dark shades of hardwood come with distinct advantages and drawbacks. It doesn’t just come down to preference. For example, you may also want to consider how well the floor can hide scratches and dirt. The staff at Unique Flooring, a trusted provider of hardwood flooring in San Diego, shares the pros and cons of each option.
Light Hardwood Shows Less Dirt
Light hardwood flooring has an advantage when it comes to showing less dirt on the floor. Unless you sweep and clean your floors daily, there’s bound to be bits of debris tracked into the home. While light hardwood has the advantage here, a satin finish will always show less dirt and imperfections than other stains, no matter which color you choose. If you do choose a dark hardwood but you’re concerned about visible dirt, choose a beautiful satin finish.
Light Hardwood Shows Fewer Scratches
While all hardwood flooring can scratch and dent, these imperfections are more visible on dark hardwood than light hardwood. If a scratch goes through the dark stain, it will show a greater contrast with the wood. If you have pets and you’re concerned about scratches, a light shade may be the best choice.
Dark Hardwood Resists Fading
Sun-drenched rooms may benefit from dark hardwood flooring because it’s more resistant to fading from UV exposure than light hardwood. While this may seem counterintuitive, dark stains absorb sunlight and are less susceptible to fading. Light floors can fade and even discolor with sun exposure, especially with an oil-based stain.
Dark Hardwood Shows Wood Grain
If you want a dramatic visual effect that highlights the striking wood grain of your floors, a dark stain is usually the best option. Dark stains can show off wood grain better than light stains, which can wash out the grain. This is most apparent in richly grained woods like white oak.
Light Hardwood Makes a Space Look Larger
In general, light flooring can make a space look brighter and a little larger, although wall color and ceiling height are also important. As a general rule, dark hardwood tends to work best in large areas, open floor plans, or areas with plenty of natural light. If you prefer dark hardwood and don’t want the space to look too small, there are ways to offset this issue, such as light wall colors and more lighting.
Dark Hardwood Hides Imperfections in Existing Floors
If it’s time to refinish your hardwood flooring, you may be concerned about imperfections like knots, water stains, or gaps. If you want to hide imperfections in an older hardwood floor, a dark stain will be able to camouflage stains and the shadows of gaps.
If you wish to install light or dark hardwood flooring, get in touch with Unique Flooring in Oceanside, San Diego. Floor refinishing is one of our specialties, and we have a wide variety of hardwood floors, as well as carpet, tile, vinyl, and laminate. For more information about our flooring products and a free quote, give us a call at 760-228-4710.
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