Just like to other finishes in your home, such as the woodwork, cabinetry, hardware and overall décor, selecting a hardwood floor stain to compliment your style is an important decision that should not be taken lightly. In addition, the right floor stain can provide a functional benefits.
Whether you’re having new hardwood floors installed or planning to resurface existing wood flooring, it’s probably time to rethink your stain color. After all, floor stain trends do change over time. If you’re planning to sell your Chicagoland home in the near future or just want to give your home a nice update, selecting the right floor stain can increase your home’s perceived value and create a pleasing, updated look.
The top considerations you should think about when comparing stain options include:
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Your Hardwood Flooring Type
The species of your hardwood flooring is important because each type of hardwood has different properties that pair uniquely with each color of stain. Because of its light color, hardwood flooring that is made of oak works well with most color stains. Other hardwoods, however, especially those that are darker in natural color, are less flexible. For example, maple and birch wood is less porous than oak hardwood and does not soak up stains as well. If you have pine, maple or birch hardwood flooring, it’s often best to leave these hardwoods in their natural state to showcase their true beauty.
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Exposure to Natural Light
It is important to consider the lighting that your wood flooring will be exposed to for multiple reasons. First, if your hardwood floors will be subject to direct sunlight, you’ll want to think about how the wood stain could fade over time. Darker stains on light colored hardwood floors could change rather drastically over time. Second, if your space doesn’t have a ton of natural light, a lighter stain can help to make the room feel larger and more open. Darker floors with less natural lighting can make a room feel small and more enclosed.
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Contrast with Other Interior Finishes & Wall Colors
If you’ve got dark painted walls or cabinetry you may want to embrace a lighter color stain for your hardwood flooring. On the contrary, if your walls are painted lighter colors, a darker hardwood floor stain may be a good choice. In general, it’s wise to avoid to having your floors and walls be too matchy-matchy. When everything is dark, it can make your space look small; when everything is too light, everything in the room looks like it blends together.
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Planned Use of Hardwood Flooring
Alongside your hardwood flooring stain considerations you’ll also want to think about the type of traffic you expect for your wood floors. Are you staining wood flooring for an upper level of your Naperville home that includes bedrooms and hallways? Or a main level floor that includes multiple entrances, exits and key living areas of your home? Darker stained hardwood flooring in high-traffic areas can highlight dirt, dust and pet hair while minimizing imperfections. On the other hand, lighter hardwood flooring stains, which showcase the natural character of the wood, can help to hide dirt, dust and scratching. The stain you select coupled with the expected traffic could affect the longevity of your wood floors or your cleaning habits!
The ability to sand and re-stain hardwood floors is one of top qualities of real hardwood. If you’re looking to update the style of your home, updating your hardwood stain is a great way to modernize your home and renew your floors without undergoing a full renovation.
