An Informative Guide To Hardwood Floor Color Matching
Most of us dream of owning a beautiful house built with elegant hardwood floor. There’s a certain appeal of having hardwood floors constructed throughout your home. However, one of the problems many homeowners experience is a mismatched floor.
There are several factors that contribute to this dilemma. Recently, we experienced the same issue while renovating our house. As we were evaluating all areas in our house, we eventually realized that our floors didn’t match anymore.
We could either leave it as it is or do something about it and we chose the latter. For those of you that have the same problem, this article will provide you with some tips and advice to help you out with hardwood floor color matching.
Why Does The Color Fade?
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First, you need to be aware of the reason why your hardwood floors are fading. Here are some of the usual culprits:
- Sun – Direct sun exposure can pose as a problem. As we were moving our furniture to the other room, we noticed that the floor beneath the furniture became darker. Our living room is designed with big windows so that the natural sunlight can light up our room.
- Coating or finish - Ultraviolet or UV rays has the most impact on the changing color of the wood flooring especially since the wood itself is very sensitive to the sunlight. The coating or laminate of your hardwood floor can also contribute to the fading process.
In effect, the direct exposure has caused our floors to gradually lighten. This is why the areas covered by our furniture and carpet appear darker which is actually the original color of our hardwood floors. The longer you cover your floors, you’ll notice the difference more.
The UV light slowly transforms the color of the finish. Some types of hardwood floors that are coated with an oil-based polyurethane finish eventually change into a yellowish shade over time.
How To Match The Color Of Your Hardwood Floors?
Now that we’ve identified the factors that are causing your lovely hardwood floor to fade, the next important step you need to know is how to repair your mismatched hardwood floor. Generally, our floors are exposed to a lot of elements 24/7. Plus, with everyday use, the wear and tear of our floors can also speed up the fading of the surface.
It is quite hard to match the exact color of your original hardwood floor. The easiest and quickest approach is to replace the affected areas for a seamless transition. Here are some steps you can follow:
1. Match the tones
Try to match the faded tones of your hardwood floor with the new flooring you plan to install. Collect different samples of the same color but with different intensities. Compare the samples with your existing hardwood and pick the closest color.
Don’t panic if the colors aren’t 100% identical, as long as the tones are closely matched, the slight difference won’t be too noticeable especially once you start accessorizing your floor with rugs and carpets.
2. Stain it – Consider staining the hardwood floors
You can custom match the stain to the same intensity of the existing wood. A contractor is often required to water down the stain color.
In some cases, stain pens are used in areas where there are scratches in the flooring. Make sure you shake the pen well before using it. A stain pen can fill small cracks and nicks.
Make sure you wipe off any residue with a damp cloth. You can opt to seal it with an additional coating to make sure the imperfection is covered.
3. Choose the Flooring
Some interior designers may think twice about mixing different kinds of wood flooring mainly because it can disrupt the flow of the look and make the room feel more mismatched. However, this is not always the case. Choose a type of wood flooring that can complement your existing floor using the same color.
4. Use T-Moldings
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T-moldings are made of narrow raised strips of wood. These are used to connect the outside boards of each plank which also become part of the floor. It bridges the gaps between the hardwood.
This helps minimize the mismatched flooring by creating a transition between the old and new flooring. A T-molding covers up the smallest difference between the tones and color of the hardwood.
5. Match the thickness
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When you are combining two different types of wood, your floor can appear a little bit uneven. Make sure both match the same thickness to make your surface appear clean and even. Don’t forget to pick a color closest to your existing wood.
Things To Consider When Picking New Wood
Before picking out new materials to for your hardwood floor, here are some points to consider:
1. Color difference
As I mentioned, it’s quite hard to match the exact color of your floor. The next best thing is to pick a wood that resembles the same color as closest as possible. However, you need to identify the parameters of your color variance.
Do you prefer a slightly lighter or darker shade? Are you amenable to certain amounts of color difference? It all depends on your preference if you think it will look good on your house.
2. Wood grain
Wood flooring often forms a certain pattern. Your original wood may not have the same wood grain as your new one. You will often notice this once the wood planks are installed on your floor.
Keeping your old and new hardwood floor color matching isn’t as hard as it appears. These tips can guide you on your floor renovation project. Just make sure that whatever material you pick matches your original hardwood and more importantly, it should tie-in the overall look and feel of your house.
Sometimes the only way you can appreciate it is to look beyond the floors. The interior design of your home should reflect your aesthetics, style, and personality. After all, your home represents you as a person.
If you have any additional tips you’d like to share with us and our reader, feel free to leave us a comment below. Should you find this guide helpful and informative, please share this with your friends. In case you have questions, send us a message and we’ll respond to you the soonest.