Hardwood flooring is by far the most favored floor covering for many homes. It continuously grows in popularity, which is why a lot of flooring products are created to mimic the appearance and feel of genuine hardwood. Despite many hardwood flooring alternatives available these days, nothing beats the real thing. Natural beauty, timeless appeal, long-lasting durability—these features make hardwood flooring so unique and a stand-out from the rest. With all these positive attributes of hardwood flooring, it is worth enough to spruce up its look and style, so it can be functional and durable for a longer time. One of the simplest ways to upgrade the aesthetic value of your hardwood flooring is by staining and refinishing. In the previous blog, we’ve talked about how to change its color, but today, we put together stain color trends to help you create a distinctive look for your hardwood flooring.
While we know that stain color trends vary from person to person as different people have different preferences and tastes, this is only a guide to help you decide the best choice for your home. It is important to accentuate these stain color trends to the style and design of your home, too. Choose something that you really love and will blend well with any décor in your home. So, without further ado, here are some stain color trends that can be perfect for your hardwood floor.
Gray-Toned Hardwood Flooring
Gray hardwood flooring has been on the rise! Not too light, not too dark, but will surely give a wow factor to your home. An increasing number of homeowners are choosing gray-toned hardwood floors because it has a sleek, bold appeal. Gray hardwood flooring is probably one of the best stain color trends as it can enhance the character and depth of the floor while giving us a timeless, classic appearance. It creates a nice medium to personalize your style and complement it with any décor inside your home. Not only it is a great choice for your hardwood flooring, but it is also an incredible color for your walls and cabinetry.
While gray hardwood flooring is an ideal, livable option, keep in mind that it can be a bit challenging to create gray tones on your wood floor. This is because you need to blend two colors and apply a water-based polyurethane to prevent it from becoming yellow. You may need to ask help from a professional hardwood flooring contractor to achieve the best results.
Wire-Brushed Hardwood Flooring
If you are looking for a vintage look and a modern version of distressed hardwood, then wire-brushed wood flooring is the best choice. This is trendy, but it involves a tricky process. A wire-brushed wood floor is normally two-toned with two passes of staining. The main color is a darker tone, then you need to wire brush the floor to pull out the wood grain. Once done, apply the second color (normally lighter tone) to create contrast and glaze. The result will give you a stylish, textured floor that will increase the value of your home. It is also a good way to mask your home’s daily wear and tear such as dirt and minor scratches. Wire brushing is a great choice if you have hickory and oak wood floors because these wood species have stronger grains.
Because the process of creating a wire-brushed wood floor is labor-intensive, it is usually created and sold in prefinished form. It is also one of the most expensive stain color trends that you can incorporate into your hardwood floor.
Dark-Toned Hardwood Flooring
The trends towards darker hardwood flooring keep growing. Some homeowners opt to stain darker colors on their hardwood floor to create additional drama and style. Others choose darker colors because it can be easier to clean and maintain.
Dark-toned hardwood flooring is one of the easiest stain color trends to pull off. However, it does not make less in terms of aesthetic appeal. While it shows less color variation and wood grains, darker stains on your wood flooring is a perfect choice if you are taking a contemporary route. Customizing your style is much easier to achieve because the color is more uniform. You don’t need to worry about hiding dust and dirt as well.
For darker stains, you can choose Ebony or Jacobean. Ebony is a cool-toned color that gives a deep espresso look, while Jacobean shows a rich, dark brown tone. Whichever stain you select, both can surely spruce up your hardwood flooring.
Another example of a dark-toned floor is graphite. A richer brown or graphite wood flooring elevates the wow appeal of your home when it contrasts with a light-colored wall. This makes space look taller and much brighter. It is also great for hiding imperfections on your existing floor.
Natural Look Hardwood Flooring
No need to spend much money and effort to upgrade the look of your hardwood flooring. When it comes to style, less is sometimes more. The real beauty of genuine hardwood flooring comes out by just simply applying natural stains with an incredible wood finish. It may sound more traditional, but it captures the true essence of wood flooring: timeless and classic.
The best thing about the natural look of your hardwood is that it blends well with any décor inside your home. Whether it be a rustic, contemporary, or modern style, a natural look complements any design. It never goes out of style, which is why it is still included among stain color trends year after year. To achieve a more upgraded appeal, try to incorporate wood finishes. Depending on your preferences, you can have matte, satin, glossy, and semi-glossy finishes. Satin and matte finishes are more practical and popular choices because they are easier to maintain.
Light-Colored Hardwood Flooring
Dubbed as the opposite extreme of dark-toned flooring, light-colored wood floors never go out of trends as well. Light colors are consistent and relaxing. It may be neutral, but it complements any design of your home. Going light is usually less expensive. Plus, it holds up better and lasts longer than other stains.
While it can blend well with any style you prefer, light-colored hardwood flooring is very ideal for modern-looking houses. Some wood species that work best with light color stains are fruitwood and golden oak wood. You may also talk to a local hardwood flooring contractor to find out other great selections of wood species that complement light-colored stains.
Whitewashed Hardwood Flooring
Popular during the 1980s, the whitewashed floor is coming back with a modernized look. The present-day whitewashed wood flooring has a more matte finish yet more subtle in appearance. It is particularly popular with wider plank hardwood floors. For a modern look, it works best on a white oak floor.
Similar to gray-toned hardwood floors, whitewashed flooring is expensive. This is because you must apply a water-based polyurethane for an added coating to provide extra protection and durability. Also, water-based polyurethane makes your floor last longer and prevents it from yellowing.
Mid-Toned Hardwood Flooring
Mid-toned wood floors are included among stain color trends because they can balance other colors and styles on your floor. Though they tend to work best in traditional homes, they are also great in hiding imperfections, particularly if the hardwood floor is already old.
One of the most popular mid-tone colors is Provincial. It has a brown stain and is very neutral, so it blends well with anything, although it looks great in traditional homes. In case you want a tad browner than Provincial, you can try a special walnut stain. A special walnut stain works best in a contemporary style of houses.
Red-Toned Hardwood Flooring
While red-toned hardwood floors might be less popular and more limiting than brown tones, they still offer a unique look and character to your home. Some of the most popular red tones are Sedona red, red mahogany, red oak, and mesquite red. These are all pretty red tones.
Other red-toned wood floors can either have a hint of red or brown color. For instance, English chestnut is characterized as having a mid-toned reddish-brown shade. On the other hand, colonial maple and Golden Pecan will be your choices if you decide to go for a lighter red tone flooring.
Although red-toned hardwood flooring is a bit challenging to blend well with another décor inside your home, it is best to consult a professional hardwood floor contractor near you to provide you more options and design ideas.
Blonde Hardwood Flooring
Blonde wood floors are so versatile and very ideal for any type of space and style. Whether you want to achieve a relaxed type of setting or sophisticated appearance, blonde hardwood floors complement any home design. This makes it perfect for homeowners who want to personalize the style of their home. With blonde wood flooring, your design ideas can be limitless.
Honey Hardwood Flooring
Honey hardwood flooring is a little darker than blonde flooring. This trend creates a warm, rich shade surface to make your room or space much larger and more open. Honey is a color classic, so it can surely blend well with the interior of your home. The cozy, warm tone of honey wood flooring is expected to be around in years to come.
What Stain Color Trends Are Perfect For Your Hardwood Floors?
Choosing the best stain color trends for your home can really be a fun experience. However, it can also be quite challenging, especially if you do not know where to start and what to select. There are a number of options to choose from, so you must know what to consider when deciding the right stain for your hardwood flooring. To guarantee that you are getting the right hardwood flooring stain, here are some factors that you must consider first.
Determine The Overall Design You Want
Staining your hardwood floor can change the overall color and appeal of your space or room. The color you add to your flooring can either enhance or destroy the appearance of the entire room. Hence, you must already know the overall design you want to achieve in your space before you even choose the type of stain for your floor. For instance, dark-toned stains are great choices if you want a modernized look in your room. If you opt for traditional home designs, you can choose mid-toned stains. On the other hand, if you have dark walls, it will blend well with a lighter color or stain. You can also try to mix and match stains, so you can personalize your style.
Know The Type Of Wood Species
What kind of wood are you planning to stain? Not all wood species are created the same. They have different structures and can absorb stains and finishes differently. Thus, you need to know what kind of wood your floor is made from.
Some wood species absorb stains much quicker than the others. For instance, exotic hardwood takes time to absorb stains, so it may not achieve the color you want for your floor. On the other hand, oak wood absorbs stains much faster. Our best recommendation is to talk to a local hardwood flooring contractor before you start staining your floor. This way, you will know the best options and methods to stain and refinish your hardwood floor.
Consider The Furniture And Décor In Your Room
The type of stain you will use on your hardwood floor should complement any décor or furniture inside your room. This is important to create harmony in your space. Before you even choose any stain color trends, you must already know what furniture or décor you will put in. Ask for samples of wood stains from a local flooring shop or contractor, so you can visualize how it will look with other decorations inside the room. You can also schedule a consultation with a professional hardwood flooring contractor, so they can determine the best design ideas for your home.
Have You Already Made A Choice?
There you have it! These are the best stain color trends that you can use for your next hardwood flooring makeover. You can try to mix and match them in some areas of your house and see how it can affect the overall appearance of your home’s interior. However, if you are still in doubt as to which hardwood flooring stain is right for your home, don’t hesitate to contact us. Book for a free in-home consultation with us and enjoy great deals for your next flooring project!