5 steps to the perfect color for your hardwood floors

Durable hardwood floors complement most home décor and certainly add value to a home. But the big and expensive decision about what color to stain your floors can halt even the most confident decorator in their tracks. Here are five steps to arrive at your color decision with confidence.

1.    Complement, don’t to match, the color of your trim, walls and kitchen cabinets. For example, if your cabinets are light ivory with a dark chocolate glaze detailing, you may want to go with a dark mocha colored stain for your floors.  Warm reds, browns and golden wood tones tend to make a room traditional and cozy, while cool white, gray and dark mocha wood floors can make a room feel more spacious and modern.

2.    Narrow your choices. Avoid becoming overwhelmed by limiting yourself to no more than three final color choices. Look at color chips in different parts of the area to be refinished. Start by eliminating your least favorites until you reach your top three.

3.    Prep for an accurate sample. Always have the samples of the stains you’ve chosen applied to a large area of your sanded floor. Why? The type of wood will influence the color of the stain. In most cases the same stain will look different on various types of wood, like white oak versus red oak.

4.    Try not to rush. Stain color varies as it dries, and it looks different in changing light, so don’t jump to decisions. The first coat often appears darker than the second coat. The second coat will reflect the light more evenly and may cause it to look a little lighter. Check your color samples throughout the day because every light source has a different color. A floor may look much different in the golden afternoon sun than in the bluish evening light or under a light fixture with warm incandescent bulbs.