The Downsides to Dark Hardwood Flooring
The Downsides to Dark Hardwood Flooring
Why Color Choice Matters
When choosing hardwood flooring, one of the first considerations for many people is color. The color choice often depends on your taste, the d?cor of your home and the tone you want to set for the area where hardwood flooring will be installed. Maybe you?re looking to create a warm and luxurious feel to a room and are considering dark hardwood flooring. While dark flooring is currently very stylish and popular, there are downsides to consider. Depending on your lifestyle, dark flooring may not be the right choice for you. Pets, kids? high traffic areas, even the amount of time you?re willing to invest cleaning your hardwood floors all play a part in the appearance of the flooring.
General Appearance of Dark Flooring
Checks and cracks, a natural characteristic of wood, are magnified on dark flooring, especially on those with a high gloss finish. In fact, all dust, dirt and damage is magnified on dark flooring. As well, when sunlight hits dark flooring at the right angle, even the slightest irregularity in the subfloor will be noticeable. If you truly have your heart set on dark flooring, consider going with a lower gloss finish to help minimize the appearance of any irregularities.
Damage and Repairs
Small dents and scratches that don?t penetrate the finish of dark shiny floors are very noticeable and basically impossible to repair, other than replacing the entire board. Repairs can be made when dents and scratches penetrate the finish, but the repaired area will typically have a lower gloss than the rest of the floor. Often, the repaired area will be just as, if not more, noticeable than the damage was. Again, by choosing a low gloss finish, the appearance of dents and scratches will be minimized. And the beauty of dark flooring with a low gloss finish is that dents and scratches can usually be repaired with a stain marker.
Dust, Dirt and Dog Hair
One of the biggest problems with dark flooring is that it will show every speck of dust, every bit of dirt and every dog hair. If you love your home to appear immaculate, you?ll be spending a lot more time cleaning dark flooring than you would with lighter coloured flooring. Even if you don?t mind the extra cleaning involved with dark flooring, the tendency for homeowners is to over clean the floors with hardwood floor cleaner. This eventually leads to a build-up of cleaning residue, leaving a dull film on the floor. Even the best hardwood floor cleaners will leave residue if the floor is cleaned too often. A good tip to avoid residue build-up is to limit cleaning to once a week and use paper towels to buff the floor when a film is noticed. Hardwood flooring is a lifelong investment and consumers want to be happy with their final choice. If you still prefer the look of dark flooring for your home, keep in mind the downsides and the ways to minimize such issues.
