A new hue can breathe new life into your floors
If you have been mulling over how to give your scratched-up wood floors a new lease on life, try staining them. With so many hues to choose from, though, the stain color options can be overwhelming. Read on for tips on how to choose a hardwood floor stain color to apply to your wood floors.
There are a few different styles of hardwood floor stain colors, and each style is ideal for certain types of wood and home decor styles. Here are a few different categories of stain colors.
In the realm of classic hardwood floor stains, Provincial and Jacobean stand out. Provincial offers a warm, medium-brown hue with golden undertones, creating a cozy and inviting atmosphere. On the other hand, Jacobean presents a rich, dark brown shade with subtle red accents, adding elegance and sophistication. These stains excel in highlighting the natural beauty of wood grains.
Birch and Gray stains cater to modern sensibilities and a light aesthetic. Birch introduces a honey-toned brown with gentle grain patterns, infusing spaces with warmth and charm. Meanwhile, Gray offers a soft, cool-toned hue, perfect for creating contemporary and spacious interiors. Light stains are suited for contemporary or Scandinavian-inspired designs, and they bring brightness and airiness to rooms.
For those seeking bold statements, Graphite and Ebony stains offer a darker allure. Graphite presents a deep charcoal black with hints of brown, ideal for spaces with drama and sophistication. Ebony, on the other hand, boasts a sleek and true black finish, lending modernity and luxury to any space. Perfect for modern or minimalist interior designs, these stains create striking contrasts and depth.
It may seem easy to simply choose a hardwood stain color and style based on your own visual preferences. However, there should actually be a bit more to your selection process. Explore some factors to consider below before landing on your color choice, and if you still need a helping hand, reach out to a local floor installer for advice on stain colors for your chosen flooring.
If your floors are in good condition, you should consider showcasing their natural grain and hue rather than covering it up with a stain. If you have exotic or prestige woods, like mahogany, cherry, walnut, or maple, you should apply a wood finish, not a stain.
A finish means coating the wood with clear polyurethane or lacquer to seal and protect it. Other than adding shininess, it will not change the wood’s appearance. On the other hand, a stain colors the wood, having a more dramatic effect on how it looks.
So, if you want to change the hue of your floors or hide their imperfections (like water damage), the best course of action is to stain. Since stain has a thinner base than paint, it alters the color while still letting some of the floor’s natural grain and color show through.
A good rule of thumb is always to consider the type of wood floor that you are going to stain. A stain’s shade will look different depending on whether it is applied to maple, white oak, red oak, or any other type of wood. If the wood is very dark, like mahogany, a light stain will have no effect on it. For a stain to change the hue of a dark wood, you need to choose a much darker color.
On the other hand, lighter woods, such as red and white oak, can take on almost any stain color. Keep in mind that if you apply a stain that is not very dark, some of the wood’s hues (such as brown or yellow) will show through and meld with your chosen color.
When deciding what color of wood stain to use on your floors, the first step is to determine whether you want your floors to serve as the focal point of the room or blend into the background. If you want them to pop, very dark floors (stained with espresso, ebony, or black) and floors stained a unique color (like emerald or indigo) will stand out.
It is also essential to ensure that the stain color fits in with your home’s overall style, such as farmhouse or modern. If you have a farmhouse-style home, consider a light brown stain for your floors. For contemporary or modern homes, try dark brown, gray, or black wood stains.
If you plan to put your house on the market anytime soon, opt for a stain that is versatile and crowd-pleasing. The most popular stains for wood flooring tend to be grays and browns that simulate the look of wood. Think walnut, pine, mahogany, or golden oak, in addition to all shades of gray, from classic to dark. Make sure to factor in the cost to refinish hardwood floors and consider that when you set the sale price. If you plan on staying in your home for a while, though, you can choose a wood stain color that is unique to your taste.
Ideally, you should choose a floor stain that complements the tone of your cabinets and furniture. Try not to match the stain exactly to the colors of your cabinets and furniture. Instead, it should complement or contrast with them. For example, if you have white kitchen cabinets, consider contrasting them with espresso-toned floors. If you have cream-colored furniture, try applying soft gray wood stain to your floors.
If the room in question is dark, you will probably want to opt for a lighter wood stain. Lighter floors tend to reflect more light, while darker floors absorb more light. Light color-stained floors, such as in gray, pine, or golden oak, can make your home seem bright and cheerier.
Lighter-stained floors are easier to maintain because they show less dust, crumbs, and scratches. If you have light-haired pets that shed, stay away from dark-stained floors. While there is no hard and fast timeline for refinishing wood floors, it should be done when the floor shows visible signs of aging or damage.
If your floors have surface damage, like watermarks, consider a dark stain, like espresso or true black, to hide discoloration. On the other hand, if your wood is in good condition with a rich color and attractive graining, choose a light stain, like pine or golden oak, to show it off or a polycrylic or polyurethane finish.
If you have searched through the available hardwood flooring stain colors and you still cannot find what you are looking for, make your own blend. Imagine that you are a painter blending multiple stains on a palette to develop your own shade.
Start by choosing a few colors from the same stain line, and ensure that they all have the same base (water or oil). During the mixing process, record the measurements of each stain type. That way, you will be able to replicate the exact color when it is time to stain.
It is helpful to place wood floor stain color charts on your floor, but you will not know for sure how a stain will look in your home until you test it out.
Since sanding affects the appearance of stains, test out a stain by applying it to a small area of the floor after you sand it for the second time. If you are deciding between a few different stains, try them all and determine which one you prefer. If you take this route, re-sand the test areas before staining the entire floor.
As an alternative, ask a flooring professional to make large but portable samples by sanding, staining, and finishing the type of wood you plan to use. Or buy the wood planks yourself and make your own DIY samples. Move these planks around your home to see how the stain looks in different rooms and lighting, as well as at other times of the day.
Here’s a cheat sheet of important factors to look at when you get ready to decide on a stain color.
Exposure to light, especially UV light, can cause wood to lighten or darken over time. This is most noticeable when rugs or furniture that have covered part of the floor are moved, but it affects all flooring that is exposed to light. Keep this in mind and do some research on the wood species to see how it reacts to UV light.
If you really want to make a statement with your floor, consider high-contrast staining, where boards are stained different colors ranging from light to dark. This creates visual interest and can also hide imperfections. When you stain a sample board or an inconspicuous area of the floor, you will be able to see how the stain highlights the wood veins. Make sure to consider how the wood veining looks before settling on a stain.
If you have pets or kids, you know that things can get pretty messy. This is an important consideration when choosing a floor stain. Dark stains will show imperfections, dust, dirt, and hair more than lighter stains. So, if you have a pet that sheds or kids that drop crackers in their wake, you may want to consider a light stain that will not show quite as much.
Stephanie Mickelson contributed to this piece.
The choice between staining hardwood floors light or dark ultimately depends on personal preference and your desired aesthetic. Light stains tend to create an airy, warm, and spacious feel, enhancing the natural grains and making rooms appear larger. On the other hand, dark stains offer a rich, sophisticated look, adding drama and depth to the space. Consider factors like room size, existing decor, and desired ambiance when deciding which stain suits your preferences and complements your home best.
The cost of staining hardwood floors depends on several factors, including the size of the area, the type of wood, the complexity of the job, and the chosen stain. The cost to refinish hardwood floors is between $600 and $4,500. Experts always recommend refinishing before staining since it involves sanding and repairing the wood floor.
It’s possible to tackle the job of staining hardwood floors yourself, and this route may also save you some money. However, you should only DIY this project if you have the experience and confidence to do it right. If you’re refinishing, for example, you’ll want the results of your sanding to be pristine, especially since the stain will accentuate any flaws from sanding. If you’re unsure whether your work will be up to par, enlist the help of a local wood floor installer to ensure a gorgeous, flawless result.
