Hardwood floors: We love them for their elegant finish, easy maintenance, and solid durability. Nowadays, many Colorado homeowners are opting for sleek hardwood flooring over carpeting. But, when it comes painting your walls, how do you color coordinate with a wood finish?
In residential painting, it’s important to make sure that wall colors complement the tone of the flooring. Even a subtle difference in the shade of a hardwood finish can impact whether a paint color coordinates or clashes with the flooring.
If you’re painting the walls in your Denver home and have hardwood flooring, fret not. Here, we’ll cover everything you need to know about matching paint colors to hardwood floors.
Paint Color Considerations for Wood Flooring
The Color of Your Hardwood Floors
As we already mentioned, the specific shade of your hardwood flooring can make a big difference in the best paint colors for your walls. On a basic level, hardwood floors usually are all brown, with black or white-painted hardwood being exceptions to the norm. But, the minute differences in shade and tone between different wood stains are remarkable.
The Purpose of The Room To Be Painted
When it comes to coordinating hardwood floors with paint colors for your Denver home, it’s all about contrast. Are you seeking high contrast between your walls and floors for a striking, dramatic look? Or, perhaps you’re painting a bedroom and want minimal contrast for a light, calming ambiance. Consider the purpose of the room that you’re painting and the mood that you want to evoke.
Rule of Thumb: Lighter Walls, Darker Floors
Generally speaking, your walls should be a lighter shade than your floors. So, we’ll break up the ideal paint colors for hardwood flooring according to light and dark shades.
Best Paint Colors For Light Hardwood Floors
Light hardwood flooring can brighten a room for an airy, beachy atmosphere. Lighter hardwood floors can even seem to open up a room, making it appear larger than it really is.
Light Wood Shades
Examples of light-colored hardwood include:
- Bamboo
- Birch
- White or blonde oak
- Ash
- Maple
Best Paint Colors For Light Hardwood
The most complementary paint shades for light hardwood floors include:
- White
- Ivory, cream, or off-white
- Tan, beige, or taupe
- Light gray
- Cool-toned pastels, such as pale blue or green
Best Paint Colors For Dark Hardwood Floors
Dark hardwood floors provide a neutral look for interiors and a wider array of complementary paint options. Wood grains are also more visible in dark hardwood than in light hardwood. As an added perk, dark hardwood floors offer the practical benefit of fade-resistance.
Dark Wood Shades
Examples of dark-colored hardwood include:
- Ebony
- Dark walnut
- Teak
- Mesquite
Best Paint Colors For Dark Hardwood
Typically, light wall shades with dark hardwood is a safe bet. If you pair a dark wall color with dark hardwood flooring, it will darken the room and give it a closed-off appearance.
That being said, you can also pull off medium jewel tones with a dark hardwood. The dark flooring will make the vibrancy of a jewel tone pop.
With those ideas in mind, here are a handful of popular paint colors for dark hardwood floors include:
- Gray and greige
- Tan, beige, or taupe
- Ivory, cream, or off-white
- Light pastels, including blue, green, pink, and yellow
- Light violet
- Citrine yellow
- Coral red
- Emerald green
Matching With Other Hardwood Shades
Other hardwood shades, namely those with red undertones, require different color considerations for residential painting.
Cherry Hardwood Flooring
Cherry hardwood has a striking appearance on its own. Its rich, vibrant red hues are beautiful in any Colorado home. But, due to its eye-catching look, cherry hardwood is more limiting than other hardwood options when it comes to choosing paint colors.
Here are our favorite wall colors for cherry hardwood:
- Pure white
- Pale blue
- Deep green
Red Oak Hardwood Flooring
Red oak has soft, warm, red hues and is lighter than cherry. It pairs particularly well with yellow and orange paint tones, or even bright red if you’re looking to add drama to a room.
If warm tones aren’t your thing, red oak can also be complemented by various blue shades, including navy and aquamarine.
