Light or Dark FlooringEducational information for your flooring needs.
Light Vs. Dark Flooring - Pros and Cons
Light and dark flooring can make the exact same space look completely different. Each tone comes with its own advantages and disadvantages, so it's important you decide what is most important to you if the choice is not obvious. Below are the pros and cons that come with light and dark flooring. We highly recommend meeting with a flooring professional to make your final choice.
Light Flooring
Pros
- Makes spaces brighter and feel more open
- Easier to style
- Hides dust, hair and minor damage
Utilizing lighter floors to make rooms feel larger and more welcoming is a very popular interior design tool. For smaller spaces or rooms that do not get a lot of natural light, lighter floors are a great choice.
Darker floors are a bit of a statement, and lighter floors are more subtle and easier to work with. You will notice light floors are more common in apartments because they complement more wall colors, furniture colors, and styles than dark floors.
Light-colored floors provide great camouflage for dust and lighter hair so they almost always look clean. They'll also hide damage better than darker floors which, for busy homes, is another point in a light floor's favor.
Cons
- Too bright in overexposed rooms
- Shows stains
Some rooms get direct sunlight and it can be overwhelmingly bright when you add very light flooring, especially flooring with a shiny finish. This can be fixed with area rugs, but who wants to hide their brand new floor?
This depends on the flooring material you choose, but if you go with a material that is susceptible to stains like natural stone, stains will be easier to see. This is avoidable if you choose a material that is more durable, catch potential stains early and you keep up with refinishing or sealing your floor (if necessary for your material).
Dark Flooring
Pros
- Cozier, more modern feel
- Absorbs light, less prone to fading
- Hides darker debris
Darker floors make rooms feel warmer and cozier which is perfect for very large rooms or homes in cooler climates. Dark floors are also more of a statement and have a modern, luxurious look.
Similar to showing stains, fading greatly depends on the material, but it is not something that should be ignored. Flooring like hardwood and vinyl are prone to fading and if they are darker, their color will last longer.
Dark floors are great at hiding darker animal hair, dirt and debris. If you have a very busy home and find that dirt frequently gets trekked inside, darker flooring may be the way to go.
Cons
- Makes room feel smaller
- Shows dust and light debris
If a room doesn't receive a lot of natural light, a dark floor can make it a room feel small, gloomy and uninviting. When space is limited, as it often is in condos and apartments, dark floors can give the illusion of even less space. In a large, well-lit room, you don't have to worry about these problems.
Dust, light debris and light pet hair stick out like a sore thumb on dark floors. Unless you have a robotic sweeper, sweeping and mopping more is unavoidable.
Contact Weaver Carpets
At the end of the day, the choice is completely up to you and should complement your space and style. We highly recommend meeting with a professional flooring contractor to get information custom to your wants and needs and you can even get a few flooring swatches to see how your top choices look in your space.
If you are in the Denver Metro Area, Weaver Carpets would love to help you choose and install your brand-new floor. We offer wholesale flooring, so you can be sure you are getting the best deal. Contact us today!
