Is Light Or Dark Wood Flooring Better?

Is Light Or Dark Wood Flooring Better? So, it’s time to consider getting some new flooring installed but there’s a question echoing in your mind. Light or dark? Which type of wood flooring will work best for your room?

It can seem like a difficult conundrum at first but don’t worry, there are a few things you can consider before making that final decision. Though it mostly comes down to personal preference, let’s take a look at a couple of the differences to see which is better.

The Size Of The Room

You might not realize it if you’re not the most interior-savvy person but the size of the room is an important factor when choosing wood flooring. Lighter flooring actually works much better in smaller rooms.

It’s because they can add a certain level of depth that you wouldn’t be able to get from dark flooring. Your smallest rooms will be able to look more inviting and much larger with light wood flooring, which gives lighter flooring the first win in a comparison of the two.

The Foot Traffic

You’ll want to consider how often the room is used in your home. This one is probably more obvious than the size of the room and is what most people consider before settling on a color. The fact is that a room with more foot traffic will need to be able to keep up with the fading and the dirt that can get walked all over it.

Initially, you won’t notice too much of a difference between either type of wood flooring.

However, once the time starts to tick by, you’ll start to see more scratches and dents forming on a lighter floor. Darker wood flooring is better at hiding marks and scratches, which gives it an advantage for rooms with heavier levels of footfall (like living rooms and hallways).

Keeping Them Clean

Let’s look at the maintenance of the types of wood flooring next. Is one easier to maintain and keep clean than the other? It can be entirely dependent on the finish of the flooring and whether it’s laminated or not.

For comparison though, we’ll consider both the light and the dark wood flooring to have the same finish to see which is better. You’ll have a much better time hiding dirt and dust on light wood flooring, as the colors basically match the wood.

However, you’ll have a better time with maintenance on the darker wood flooring because they won’t show markings nearly as easily. It depends on the room and the level of footfall though. Different rooms will create different dirt and cleaning hurdles.

If one had to be chosen over the other, then light wood flooring is the answer.

Style Choices

There’s always the consideration of style and the potential impact that could have on general resale value if ever you choose to sell your home.

Everyone naturally has different tastes in these things and while one homeowner might prefer a dark floor, another could just as easily prefer a lighter one. However, if you want to know the best option, it’s a good idea to look at current trends.

The most popular choice for most rooms at the minute seems to sway towards light options. People are much happier now decorating their interiors to look lighter and more welcoming, with light walls (often white or light grey) and light flooring to match.

That means that for resale potential and overall style choices, a light flooring style will definitely work better for you if you’re stuck between the two.

Is Light Or Dark Wood Flooring Better? – Conclusion

In summary, we don’t believe it’s actually fair to rate one higher than the other. Everyone has a personal preference and that should be respected. However, if it was to be looked at objectively, then light wood flooring is the clear winner.

It just goes with a lot more styles in an interior design and can be easy to workaround. It’s great at hiding dirt (though you should make sure you keep on top of cleaning still) and it’s welcoming in any room.

While dark flooring has its merits, light flooring wins out right now. That’s not to say that won’t change over the next few decades or so when style tastes change. Light wood flooring just works better overall.