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.
If you make the classic choice of wood for its durability, warmth, comfort on your feet and easy repairability, a light colored option such as pine or ash, or an even lighter peach-hued maple, will do a great job of hiding dust.
Dark Flooring. At first glance, you might assume that dark flooring is the way to go when it comes to choosing flooring that hides dirt. However, dark-colored floors can show dirt in a totally different way. As dust builds up, you'll definitely notice it start to accumulate much faster on a dark floor.
Light Hardwood Floors
Easy to clean: Light hardwood hides dirt and scuffs better, making it easier to maintain. That means less need to break out the broom or shake your head over marks and scrapes. Expands your space: Lighter wood has a way of making a space feel bigger and airier by accenting natural light.
Dark-colored floors can make rooms seem darker and smaller. If a room doesn't receive a lot of natural light, a dark floor can make it appear gloomy and uninviting. When space is limited, as it often is in condos and apartments, dark floors can give the illusion of even less space.
Dark floors will not automatically make your room look smaller. While overloading a small space with dark colors will absorb light and make the space feel even smaller, dark floors can actually help to open a space up, if done correctly.
Hardwood Makes It Look Easy
Not only are hardwood floors timeless and versatile, but they are also easy to clean. Most hardwood floors are sealed with a finish, meaning a good dusting or vacuuming, followed by dry mopping, is all you need to clear away residue and leave your hardwood floors gleaming.
For kitchen flooring, durability and ease of cleaning are top criteria. Good choices are linoleum, ceramic tile--both very common--and wood. Linoleum is inexpensive and provides an easy-to-clean surface and comes in countless designs. Ceramic tiles are even better.
The best option is to go with floor tiles with some kind of design on them and are multi-colored, especially if you want to spend less time cleaning them. Some great colours include beige, ash grey, and you can even opt for slightly darker shades.
And should the wood floors be lighter or darker than the cabinets? Decorators all agree on the answer. Wood floors can be lighter or darker than the cabinets, as long as the colors complement each other. The best way to do this is to start your project by picking 2 complementary colors and an accent color.
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.
Many home experts agree that the floor color should be darker than the walls. The rule generally applies because lighter walls and a dark floor make the room seem larger. Most homeowners prefer a spacious looking interior. However, the rule can change with low ceilings.
A light-colored flooring such as light oak or a light-colored carpet will make the room appear brighter and more open. The same applies to the ceiling—use a light color or white to "open up" the space above. Increase the appearance of the size of the room by adding wall mirrors.
Dark brown hardwood floors in particular never seem to go out of fashion, they are always trendy and still in style. There's something about the contrast between dark wood floors and bright, light walls, white kitchen cabinets, furnishing etc. that epitomize a sophisticated and upmarket style.
Choose Dark Flooring
Unless the room is also small, going with dark flooring can actually draw the eye away from the low ceiling. Why not go with an espresso stained hardwood or a Brazilian Walnut? Add a fun area rug to draw even more visual interest to the floor.
Vinyl flooring is easy to maintain and requires no special care or maintenance. This is another floor covering that would enable you to trash the vacuum, as regular sweeping will be enough to keep your vinyl flooring looking just like new.
Tile Flooring
Porcelain and ceramic are some of the longest lasting flooring materials available, and they require little maintenance. Tile flooring is also moisture resistant, making it the perfect choice for areas where spills are common like bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms.
Light Hardwood Floors: The Pros!
#2: Hides dirt & light-colored debris better: Depending on the color hair your pets have, or any other type of debris you find on your floor, light hardwood floors will hide light-colored debris better than dark.
Black tile is even harder to keep looking clean than dark hardwoods. Super white is also a pain...they start looking dingy quickly. Anything with a high gloss is a night mare regardless of black (horrible) or white (insane). Working with a dark grout will certainly help.
Darker flooring offers an inviting feel and opens up a space. Whether you choose rich colours or softer dark colours, they both have their advantages when it comes to expanding the appearance of a room.
The best way to compliment your dark floors is with light colored walls. The color contrast will offset your flooring and give you a nice balance of light and dark. Not only that, but the lighter color will cause more light to bounce around your room making it naturally brighter, and feel larger.
Decorating Tips for Color
Light and bright colored walls are more reflective making a room feel open and airy, and maximizing the effect of natural light. Dark colors, on the other hand, absorb light, making a room look smaller. Soft/bright color tones tend to make a room not only look bigger, but also more inviting.
While dark hardwood flooring has a special beauty of all of its own and it has been fashionable for a while now, it's likely to fade out in favourability. Trend is going towards lighter woods such as natural oak.