The Downsides to Dark Hardwood Flooring

WHY COLOUR CHOICE MATTERS

When choosing hardwood floors, one of the first considerations for many people is color. The color choice often depends on your preference, the décor of your house and the tone that you would like to set for the area where hardwood flooring will be installed. Perhaps you're looking to create a warm and luxurious feel to an area and are considering dark hardwood flooring. While dark flooring is presently very stylish and popular, there are downsides to consider. Based upon your lifestyle, dark flooring may not be the ideal selection for you. Pets, children' high traffic areas, even the amount of time you are willing to spend cleaning your hardwood floors all play a role in the appearance of the floors.

GENERAL APPEARANCE OF DARK FLOORING

Checks and cracks, a natural feature of wood, are magnified on dark floors, especially on those having a high gloss finish. In fact, all dust, dirt and damage is magnified on dark floors. At the same time, when sunlight strikes dark flooring at the ideal angle, even the smallest irregularity in the subfloor will be evident. If you genuinely have your heart set on dark flooring, consider going with a lower gloss finish to help decrease the look of any irregularities.

DAMAGE AND REPAIRS

Small scratches and dents which don't penetrate the end of dark shiny floors are extremely noticeable and basically impossible to repair, aside from replacing the entire board. Repairs can be created if dents and scratches penetrate the finish, but the fixed area will typically have a lower gloss than the rest of the floor. Often, the fixed area will be equally as, if not more, noticeable than the harm was. Again, by choosing a low gloss finish, the visual appeal of dents and scratches will be minimized. Along with the attractiveness 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

Among the biggest problems with dark flooring is it will show every speck of dust, each piece of dirt
along with every dog hair. If you love your home to appear pristine, you'll be spending a lot more time cleaning darkish flooring than you'd with lighter coloured flooring. Even in the event that you don't mind the extra cleaning involved with dark flooring, the trend for homeowners would be to over clean the floors with hardwood flooring cleaner. This eventually leads to a build-up of cleaning residue, leaving a dull movie on the ground. Even the best hardwood flooring cleaners will leave residue if the floor is washed too often.

Hardwood flooring is a lifelong investment and consumers want to be happy with their final choice. Should you still prefer the look of dark flooring for your home, keep in mind the downsides and the ways to minimize these troubles.