apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This really isn't a black or white issue (ha!). It really depends on the space, the light, the decor, etc.

I think... people renovate too much.

C'mon people. There's no right answer here, work with what you got.

I love dark, but chose light to match my light-furred dog. I can't imagine chasing fur-balls multiple times a day. Another nice thing about light floors is that the sun reflects off them in a beautiful way that I think I would miss if I had chosen dark.

"Our friend's considering swapping out her light floors for dark ones..."

If the existing floors are in good condition, why not live with what one has - or at least refinish the existing floors - instead of ripping out something and sending it to landfill to replace with something else?

Either way I won't vote as light and dark floors (and medium too) all have their places in good design.

I agree -- it really depends -- on the space, the light, the wood, the style, etc., etc.

Just -- don't make the dark floors shiny -- as matte as possible is the most elegant. Here in Europe, I see many floors that are not varnished, but seem to be just stained (or oiled) and otherwise raw. Gorgeous! The Christian Liagre showroom in Paris has wenge floors that are left au naturel (or so it seems)

When I refinished my badly beaten floors earlier this year, I briefly considered dark, but ended up going with clear poly over the 100 year old pine... and they are absolutely beautiful full of warmth and character.

We've just put in lovely wenge floors with a matt finish. They are simply gorgeous but our apartment is also flooded with light. I agree that loads of natural light is key and also I personally prefer natural dark floors like wenge where the grain is visible over flat stained floors.

I agree that they both can be gorgeous and it all depends on your space and taste.

I recently redid my floors as white. I have gotten comments about how it makes my place seem bigger and airier.

But I will say that the upkeep is kicking my butt. The mopping and sweeping is relentless. Especially if people come over.

it depends upon the space and the amount of light that comes into a room. i live in a small space that does not get much light, my floors are very dark. everytime i enter the apartment i feel as if i am stepping into a black hole.

eh, totally depends on the color of your cat...

I concur with all the people here who say it depends on the color of your pet! That said, I have a black cat and light floors - a darker shade might cut down on the amount of visible fur (and the amount of cleaning I have to do), but my apartment is really too small for that to work.

My partner and I chose an ebony finish when we had the red oak floors in our house refinished. Our house has a lot of very large windows and natural light, so it seemed like a great choice.
Plus, both my dog and partner have lots of black hair that sheds.
Unfortunately, it turns out that most dirt is light colored and the dark floors show every speck of dirt and dust that comes in the house. We are pretty clean and neat people, but it is a challenge, and we would probably avoid the dark floors next time we refinish them (hopefully not for another 10 or 20 years).

Medium tone!

I love light wood floors- especially when they're older, narrow boards with an uneven finish. However, I recently stayed in a house in England with older, broad, very dark floorboards that were stunning... I agree that it depends on the space.

I like how conscientious people are being about not wasting energy, money and materials to change up the floor coloring.

That said, in my fantasy abode I'd choose white or light floors. I'm also nurturing a little white fetish right now where every thrift shop item I score I want to refinish or repaint in white. I fantasize about white or light colored slipcovers for my couch, crisp white linens and curtains for my bedroom.

Could be the overwhelming amount of stuff I have crammed into our modestly sized apartment right now. I'm feeling like having lots of white around me would be soothing (not sterile). Also, if I'm going to continue with this fantasy, my cats miraculously stop shedding and my husband becomes spill-proof.

Dark floors show the dirt more than light floors, especially shiney dark floors. Think about black coats, black cars, black sweaters, etc.

I recently went through this tough decision. One great suggestion I got on AT was to put dark trash bags and then white trash bags on the floor to see which you like better.

I ended up going with dark.

Good luck.

If you're going dark, get a Roomba. You're going to be sweeping/dusting A LOT.

If you gotta change it, I would go with a nice medium shade. but it looks nice as it is!

I always thought I'd prefer dark floors until I moved into an apartment that had them. They were incredibly high-maintenance. I never swept like I swept then. Scratches were also more apparent. The apartment was west-facing and in serious need of light, and the dark floors didn't help with that situation.

if you go dark, instead of black or brown do a deep inky midnight blue. I've been dying to do it.

Dark floors are not suitable in a dark space. My parents had a lovely wenge floor (apart from the splinters) but it was way too dark for the long room with the only window to the built-in garden.

In a space with lots of direct sunshine however, I think every spot of dust would show on a smooth dark floor. So if you go for dark, make sure it has some structure to hide scraches and other irregularities.

First of all, I would kill for that room. Second, I think the architecture and style beg for dark floors.

I think dark floors are beautiful, but I live in a first floor apartment in Manhattan, so light floors are the only way to go for me. I simply don't get enough light to paint my floors dark.

I have dark (grey slate) floors and i have such a hard time coordinating it, whereas, if i had a light floor, eg wood, the options would be so much simpler!

I've had both dark and light floors in different houses. Dark is much harder to keep clean. If you go dark, choose a stain just a little darker than you want--the sun will fade stain over time. Also, make sure to ask for a water based sealant. It has a nicer finish, doesn't smell and dries much faster.