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I know that I want a dark hardwood flooring for my living room.
There are so many choice from and color variations that I have a hard time knowing what to choose. I want something that doesn't have a red hue and doesn't have too complicated grain but also not too bland.
Any tip to help me narrow down?
I saw some dark bamboo flooring as well. What is the pros and cons of bamboo flooring vs hardwood.
I can't answer your question specifically, but I do want to mention that keeping dust off our dark floor is now my life, with daily swiffering, daily swearing, and daily regret for picking out a dark floor covering.
I can't answer your question specifically, but I do want to mention that keeping dust off our dark floor is now my life, with daily swiffering, daily swearing, and daily regret for picking out a dark floor covering.
Mine as well. I really wish we went with a lighter color. Every little speck of dust shows up. Good thing my wife bought a Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner, otherwise I would not clean it as often as I do.
Have you lived with dark floors before? I've experienced all shades and types of wood floors in various houses over the years. The ones I preferred the most were busier grain in medium or natural finish. A natural oil finish on an oak is probably my favorite.
It has a lot---maybe everything---to do with my lifestyle, I have always had a dog, and also have lived in a dusty climate. On floors that are dark or very light, or have a minimal or invisible grain, hair and dust and bare footprints show up almost immediately.
That said, when they are freshly cleaned, for however long they look immaculate, they are stunning. If you have a lifestyle without pet hair or dust, or you have a cleaning staff, or you don't mind the constant upkeep, or have a high tolerance for less-than-perfectly clean floors, they are truly beautiful! A true wow factor. If I were choosing dark wood floors now, I would choose walnut, it's gorgeous and classic and so upscale! Also in a smooth finish (not the scraped), and real wood, not engineered. I have seen ebony stained oak too, and that was gorgeous also.
In the house I have now, I have an area with acid-stained emerald-green concrete floors, quite reflective. They look absolutely amazing when just cleaned. But it's so easy to leave footprints on the green floors, plus i have a light colored dog so the fur shows up constantly. If I were to choose again, it would be a low polish natural concrete with exposed aggregate!
Live and learn! This is not to dissuade you from choosing the floors you really truly love, just to share my real life example of living with dark floors!
We have no pet and that area is rarely used. So I don't really worry about the dust. I hope to get your opinion about the material as well as the stain.
I have light wood, and that is no picnic either. In the winter when the heat is on, the pieces of wood contract slightly, so the edges collect dirt and darken. I have had them professionally cleaned multiple times, but the edges never seem to go back to their original color.
I have dark hardwoods, and while I avree that they show dusr, I don’t seem to care. I had very light floors for many years, and I really like the grounding of the dark wood floor.
For the OP, remember that the floor is at least semi permanent. I don’t think you want to be too trendy here. Choose the color of floor you can live with for the next twenty years. Extremes are probably not a good choice for such a major investment. I would personally stay away from red tones, because they influence your other color choices.
I’m also guessing that almost black is probably going to get old after a while. But this is a guess on my part. Oak is always a good choice, but any hardwood that stands up to use should work. I think extremely prominent grain might compete with the rest of hour room and be distracting to the eye. But you know your taste, and I think you have many choices now. Basically, I’d say buy the thing you can afford, that you love and that you think will look great
for decades of use.
I had light floors in my last out (natural red oak) and it still showed dirt, the difference is that it showed the darker crud, and the dark stained wood I have now shows the lighter crud. The dirt and crumbs and crud is still there, regardless of the color of the wood.
But in any case OP, I think that people can't tell you what YOU like best. Get some samples, bring them home and see what feels like the best fit.
I have a dark mocha engineered hardwood and love it. I had a slab foundation and didn't want to add a subfloor required for full hardwood. It's not as busy as the discount flooring picture looks.
I just run the robo once a day. Both of my cats love chasing the robo around the great room.
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