BlessedMom Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 If you have ever had very dark wood or laminate floors would you please share the pros and cons and any wisdom you have for me? I am debating between very light porcelain tile floors or very dark wood. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in Austin Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 We have dark wood for almost our entire downstairs and I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in OK Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 We chose a dark stain for our floors. I love the way it makes the room look. However, dirt, pet fur, crumbs, etc. all show up really well. ;) I just have to stay on top of the vacuuming and it's not a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BakersDozen Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I can only share that the three friends I have who've put dark wood (laminate) in all regret it for this reason: However, dirt, pet fur, crumbs, etc. all show up really well. The dust here is terrible as it is so the dark flooring shows everything! I would be nuts with the scratches a darker floor would show; we have medium-oak and it still shows scratches however my friend's floors show the wear and tear much more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Thank Julie. Glad to hear you love them. Do you find they show everything and are a bit high maintenance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarfoot Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 We have hardwood with a dark stain and a "matte" finish, so it's not shiny. Will scratches bother you? They'll definitely happen, no matter how well it's finished. A really good sealer can prolong it, but you can't put off scratches in hard wood indefinitely.;) We've got dogs here, and they're hard on it, but so are kids, and furniture that loses a scuff protector, etc. I guess it just doesn't bother me a whole lot, as I sort of see it as part of the beauty of wood. We also have a large amount of Italian travertine, and while it's gorgeous, I wouldn't want it in an area where I'd be standing for large amounts of time, as it's so hard. I don't wear shoes in the house, though, so that may make it easier for you. Ours is also heated with an under-floor radiant system, which I LOVE at this time of year. If you live someplace warm, that wouldn't matter much. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in OK Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 No, not really. I vacuum every day or every other day (we have a dog and two white cats). Then I use my steam mop at least once a week to just freshen them up. We've lived here since July and haven't had any scratches in the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Heather, thanks for sharing your experience. LuvnMySvn. Thank you for sharing. The wear patterns showing are one of my major concerns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 When we bought our house the floors were black slate-look vinyl. This never looked dirty, but the house also has a huge sandpit for the kids, who were always tracking sand into the house. In late afternoon, when the sun was low the white sand would show up starkly against against the dark floors. It drove me crazy. We ripped up the vinyl to uncover white tiles underneath - these show up every bit of dirt, especially if the kids drop something stick on the floor, which they invariably do. When we refloor, which we will soon, we'll go for something at the darker end of the scale, but not too dark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 We had dark hardwood floors installed last year. Love them. They do show dirt and hair, but that's okay with me. If they're dirty, I want to know about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmiraGulch Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I have them and I LOVE them. In my last house I had lighter floors and these are so much richer and more beautiful. The downstairs of my house just flooded in December and I replaced my floors. Could have picked anything and went with the dark again. I have to mop a little more often, but it's worth it to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I suppose I live in such a dusty environment (in the woods) that dark floors show way too much dust and dog paw prints. We have maple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Inna* Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 My friend has a very dark wooden floors. It's beautiful, but shows every little dust speck, crumb, dog hair. She hates it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 The darker the floor the more every last speck of dust and/or animal hair will show up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rootsnwings Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I will just say we have white porcelain in our kitchen and it looks NASTY unless it has JUST been mopped. I seriously have to mop it daily, or it drives me insane. I can also see the drawback of having too dark of a wood floor. Could you guys do something middle of the road, color-wise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I'd pick the honey oak over the cherry. We had Pergo dark cherry colored laminate in our first home and it showed every scuff, dust particle and scratch. I love my honey oak laminate (from Costco). Dust doesn't show as much and neither do scratches. The cherry we had wasn't as "grained" as the oak we have now and it looked more fake. We found that laying the flooring perpendicular to the wall that gets the most sunlight helped to hide any seems or imperfections. We had them laid parallel in our first home. K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Our first house had Maple and our second house had Red Oak. Both were great! Neither really showed scratches much even though we had cats (matte finish is best) and really looked new/great for a very long time. Now we are renting a house that has dark hardwood (the owners had installed them not that long ago and have a dog). The dark hardwood looks terrible. They are so worn looking with gouges and scratches from them - they show EVERY little scratch or wear-down in the finish. It sounds crazy but I think it seriously cheapens this house. Like I said, these aren't old floors, but they really do look it. They are the pre-finished floors too (they have deep grooves between slats). Refinishing them will not look good IMO. Let's just say I'm glad I don't own this house. I'll be going with something more like a medium oak if I have my choice in the next house we buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 We chose a dark stain for our floors. I love the way it makes the room look. However, dirt, pet fur, crumbs, etc. all show up really well. ;) I just have to stay on top of the vacuuming and it's not a big deal. :iagree: We have a honey color through most of the house on pine floors original to the house (don't get me started on the evil that is pine floors). But my ds' room has dark laminate. It's gorgeous but shows every.single.tiny. speck of dust and debris and is so slick it's hard to clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasMom Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 We have the shiny, dark wood floors. They're very pretty and really dress things up. But if I could change anything, it would be to make them not shiny. I'd rather have the more "rustic" looking wood. My floors are only 4 years old, but already show a lot of scratches and dings. And yes, they do show every little piece of fuzz and dust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Dark wood will show dust more than a lighter floor would. However, a lighter floor will show mud and dark colored stuff more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I love, love, love my black walnut wood floor. It's not stained because the wood is naturally dark. There are some lovely natural variations in color. If I could go back, I would use the wood in more of our rooms instead of carpet. It's beautiful. You see crumbs, though, so you will need to sweep. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 We used ebony stain on our floors when we had them refinished about two years ago. We love them! So far scratches have not been a problem, but the floor guys left us a little bit of stain in case we need an occasional touch up. We had a medium colored stain previously, and while you can see the crumbs more readily on the dark, it doesn't bother us too much since we try to keep ahead of the sweeping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 It is possible that the owners of the house we're renting put in a cheaper quality of floors which is why they look so worn. They are the "rustic" style that has all the gouges in them purposely. But they just look so beat up, which is a sad thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Dark wood is gorgeous, but everything shows. Kind of like how a black car shows every little thing. To contrast, though, I've had white tile, too, and it also showed every little thing. I'd rather have the dark wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share Posted February 10, 2011 Thank you all for your responses. You have been very helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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