In general, dirt and debris will be far less noticeable on light floors compared to darker tones. This is certainly an advantage for busy households with kids or pets.
Light floors can hide small flaws, dirt, and debris, but anything larger will be very noticeable. Dark floors, on the other hand, can require less maintenance since dirt tends to blend in more –but keep in mind they will still need to be swept often as dust and pet hair shows up easily on dark floors.
So, what flooring looks cleanest? Typically, lighter color woods show less dirt and dust. Dark floors can easily show dust, while lighter floors mask it. Similarly, matte floors show less smudges, foot and paw prints than high gloss flooring.
Dirt and dust will show up more clearly on dark wood floors. A daily sweep with a dust mop can keep the floors cleaner. Have your family take off their shoes at the door so that less dirt and grime gets tracked in the house.
Dark floors tend to be more stylish and hide imperfections while light floors tend to show dirt less and last longer.
Light hardwood floors will open up the room and lend a more spacious appeal; therefore, they are more suitable for smaller spaces. On the other hand, dark hardwood flooring will anchor a large space and provide a warmer tone; hence it's suitable for open floor plans.
Ceramic tile with matte finish is an affordable option that works well for keeping dirt out of sight. This finish will also make your tile much less slippery when wet. Be sure to keep your tile sealed to keep moisture, stains and maintenance to a minimum.
Additionally, darker gray floors will show more dirt and pet hair than their lighter counterpart. Conversely, with a lighter gray floor, it can open up smaller spaces and create an illusion of the room being larger and works better to hide dirt and pet hair.
There are no hard or fast rules when it comes to whether your floor should be lighter or darker than your cabinets, but as a general rule of thumb, use darker floors with light cabinetry and vice versa. When it comes to striking the right balance between your kitchen cabinets and your floor, contrast is a useful tool.
It's unsurprising to us that the most popular color for floors is grey, and in particular, grey wood, like that shown above. Grey flooring is the ultimate neutral – easy to co-ordinate and color scheme around, dark enough not to show the dirt, and yet pale enough to reflect light.
Are Light Wood Floors in Style? The truth is that light hardwood floors will never go out of style. However, some shades are more popular than others. One reason is that they are neutral, offering decorators more options when finishing a room.
Even when the dark hardwood trend ends, dark hardwood flooring never goes out of style and is considered a timeless classic. Dark hardwood floors also hardly show dirt or scratches. This is ideal for families with children who might track in dirt from time to time or pets that might scratch up the floors.
Floors with a white finish go with almost everything. A light burlap-like color is a great choice because you still get a light floor, without installing a truly “white” floor. You can use a variety of wood species to create a light floor.
Advantages of light floors
Light floors have the ability to brighten any room. Therefore, if we like dark furniture, light floors will help us to create contrasts. White and light-colored floors make rooms appear larger from an optical point of view.
1) Light and dark flooring
These attractive, light and neutral colours give a room an open and airy feel, making it appear larger, whilst also drawing in the natural sunlight from outside.
According to design experts, the best wall colors for light hardwood flooring are cooler white, neutral off-whites, and soft grays. Avoid warm neutrals with yellow or brown pastel undertones that clash with warmer light flooring tones.
A good rule of thumb is that more delicate pieces of furniture go well with lighter floors, while heavier pieces match better with dark woods. This will help you preserve balance in the room so that everything gets its chance to shine within the space.
Light color flooring tends to brighten up a space and make it feel larger. Bright and creamy floor tones can help modernize a small room, adding an element of airiness. Be sure to snag as much natural light as you can or install warm artificial lights to make your small space as attractive and inviting as possible.
Dark wood flooring can make lighter wood furniture really stand out, whilst light wood flooring provides the perfect balance for darker furniture pieces. In fact, when you try to match wood shades in the home, if it isn't a perfect match it just looks like you've unintentionally failed.
If you're looking for a brief answer to whether gray is still popular for flooring, it's a resounding NO.
A con to using gray flooring would be the potential for gray flooring to go out of style if classic brown shades of hardwood come back on top in the future. Gray can also sometimes lack the warmth of wood colored flooring.
Calming effects
It's a great choice for those looking to create more calming spaces in their homes. We tend to see gray hardwood floors a lot in kitchens, but they are also a great choice for a home study or office—anywhere that could benefit from soothing tones.
White. White cars are one of the most common on the road because of their clean look. There's a good reason for that! They're excellent at concealing dust, grime, and water stains—as long as you're not driving on dirt or red clay roads.
While cool and white-toned colors can make the room feel clean, dark colors actually hide stains and dirt more effectively, and are easier to keep looking clean over time.
Dark tiles can hide dirt, dust, water spots, and hair and can also hide imperfections in the floor. For this reason, black floor tiles work really well in a contemporary kitchen.