Hello AT,
We have to replace our hardwood floors in our loft condo due to water damage in a tiny area. They don't have our exact wood to replace the few boards that were damaged. Since the builder is replacing them all for us I thought it would be a great time to actually have a choice on the color. And we can't find anything that we like that looks like what we have now..
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Some of the other units in our place have floors that match the
mahogany cabinets. I don't really like the matching of the two,
thats why in the begining I choice slightly lighter. Would love to
go darker than the cabinets with a wider plank and was wondering
how a dark ebony color floor would look with the kitchen. Any
thoughts?
FYI: Our place doesn't get any direct sunlight but lots of natural
light. One entire wall is floor to ceiling windows. Willing to
change wall color in kitchen if needed. We are also going to be
selling our place in a few years and would like something that
others will also find appealing.
THANKS! Amanda
Dear Amanda,
We like what you've got and would go a little darker, but not much. We feel that black/ebony floors are looking a bit tired right now and that a deep brown is the way to go. We would recommend looking for a "coffee color" stain that will be more in line with your cabinets than your black countertops. This will also help to keep the rooms a bit brighter.
Anyone else??
agreed i think a darker stain will provide a little pleasing contrast with the colors of your cabinets.
Flooded with light like that, I'd say you could definitely afford to go darker if you can. Oftentimes, they'll only replace is-was, though. It depends on how cool they are.
Hey, looks like you're in the Spire building in midtown Atlanta.
I'm going to be the contrarian and say go light. Between all the black granite, the dark cabinets, and the dark gray concrete ceiling, I think a dark floor would make the space feel a little oppressive.
I have a friend with a south facing unit who went with natural maple and I think it looks great--light and airy.
Hi Amanda,
You live right down the street from me :)
I'm going to agree with "me too" above and suggest going slightly lighter. Like you, I love the look of dark woods myself but from what I have read light-medium wood colors are generally better for resale.
Hi Amanda,
I got Santos Mahogany floors in my house and love them. The grain has so many colors in it that you get light and dark mixed together.
I loved the look of, and originally wanted light maple, but found it shows every scratch (which fills in with black in time) and does not wear that well.
Here are the links for the Lumber Liquidators samples, but I would advise going with Bruce hardwoods instead of Lumber L.
http://www.lumberliquidators.com/assets/images/product_page/pdf_catalog/bellawood_cat.pdf
http://www.lumberliquidators.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=2952&categoryId=41§ionId=1&subCategoryId=70
Love your view!
I guess I'll be totally contrarian - I love the look of your interior. I wouldn't change a thing. If it was my place and I had your awesome decor, I'd try to find something close to what you had.
As to Lumber Liquidators, they seem to have really good prices - I wonder if anyone here has used them and would recommend them?
If I could have floors someone else was buying, I'd buy Walnut. Reclaimed (used), if possible. So sweet.
You're replacing the entire floor because of a tiny bit of water damage?? This seems nutso to me, unless the water damage is causing some kind of structural problem. Get a rug!
To I don't get it - She already said that the builder (not out of her own pocket) is replacing the wood in her unit because they no longer have the wood to match her current wood. If you don't have anything nice to say, why bother? Anybody else getting sick of people being so nasty in their blog comments??
Dark floors really show the dust
I used Lumber Liquidators for my floors (samples shown in my post above)
I would not recommend using LL because I had a bad experience, but it could have just been random. My wood was different heights and while it is not visible to the naked untrained eye, you can tell when you slide furniture across the floor.
I was in a time crunch and the installer and I opted to go ahead with the installation. The LL salesman who sold it to me said he'd make it right with a refund, but he was fired the following monday and LL would not honor my word or the word of an inspector that had taken photos to prove it.
Also my installer told me he could've gotten better quality flooring for cheaper, but who knows if that is true.
I love the look and feel of the floors, everyone who comes to the house thinks they are stunning, but I know the dirty secret that will make me think twice about using LL again.
You decide :)
DARKER? Are you out of your mind? Your walls look dark turquoise! I don't have a problem with dark floors, even going so far as to lust after nearly black floor boards, but those dark late-90s colors on your walls suck all the life outta that room. Do what you want with the floors, but what this post should really do is spark a debate on the reemergence of white walls. Stoopid Queer EYe for the Straight Guy got everyone making bold choices with their wall colors, which I think is find when what you're really trying to do is hide awful furniture, but white walls, clean lines, dark floors, all work to draw attention to good pieces of furniture and lighten up a room. This thing looks like the Adams Family house.
I like what I see in the picture as well. I'd get as close as I could to it, going only a shade darker if an exact match is not possible.
The problem with selecting a color that's good for resale is that you have to live with it between now and then. Floor color is only one of many supposedly make or break elements in a space.
I love your flooring as is, but understand what you mean about not being able to find a close enough match. I would go for a slightly darker shade if you must try to match your existing cabinetry, but not too much. Since you mentioned being willing to make a few changes before selling in a few years' time, I'd suggest considering a complementing wall colour before you make your final flooring choice. Then you may repaint the walls later. The whole "dark" look adds to the mystery, but I find a lighter kitchen opens up a small space and makes me a happier chef!
I forgot to add, in addition to repainting the walls later, you may also wish to consider installing a lighter coloured splashback above your workbench area. Hope this helps!
Since you're speculative about selling in a couple years, I would be cautious about going really dark. It might be smart to simply ask the builder which is the most requested wood, and make that your choice.
I would go light, even though I prefer dark wood. Your kitchen is very dark already, and light would look pretty and modern.