{"id":325,"date":"2012-07-30T21:20:39","date_gmt":"2012-07-30T21:20:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/napervillehardwood.com\/blog\/?p=325"},"modified":"2026-01-07T04:45:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T04:45:55","slug":"dark-stained-hardwood-floors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/napervillehardwood.com\/blog\/dark-stained-hardwood-floors\/","title":{"rendered":"Thinking of Staining Your Hardwood Floors a Dark Color?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lately we\u2019ve been getting a lot of requests about dark stained hardwood floors. Seems like deep, rich, dark colored floors are as popular as ever. We\u2019ve been doing 3 to 5 of them a month lately. Good thing we love doing them!<\/p>\n

\"Dark<\/p>\n

So we thought we\u2019d put together a blog post to answer the most common questions we are asked about choosing, applying and living with dark stained floors.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go through them one by one\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Can my Floors be Stained Dark? Does it Make a Difference What Kind of Wood I Have?<\/h5>\n

If you have red or white oak (which makes up the majority of Naperville and Chicago area homes) then there is no problem at all. Oak takes a stain very well and we can stain from a light color all the way up to dark colors, as you can see us using in the photo below…<\/p>\n

\"Staining<\/p>\n

But… if you have a naturally dark exotic wood floor, like Ipe or Jatoba, then we will strongly suggest that they should not be stained for two reasons:<\/p>\n

1) they already look nice and dark naturally \u2013 these are the woods people try to emulate when they stain oak \u2013 so why mess with mother nature, and<\/p>\n

2) they have natural oils in them that can make them extremely hard to get a consistent, even look.<\/p>\n

\"Kitchen<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How Dark can I Go?<\/h5>\n

Pretty much as dark as you want really. This is one of the darkest floors we have done…<\/p>\n

\"Dark<\/p>\n

It\u2019s possible to make your hardwood floors solid black if you really want them to be that dark, but most of our clients choose something lighter like a black\/white hardwax oil mix,\u00a0 or Jacobean\/Ebony stain mix or a Coffee brown color.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll make up some large sample boards for you to view in your home setting to compare with each other so you can see for yourself how dark you can handle.<\/p>\n

\"Dark<\/p>\n

There are different finishes that allow us to layer colors, such as Rubio Monocoat which can be fumed, have a dark pre-color and then a dark oil applied over top. The photo below shows the result of a three-layered Rubio Monocoat system for very dark floors…<\/p>\n

\"Very<\/p>\n

In order to get a more even color and depth, plus a few shades darker, we go also go through a process called water popping when staining floors darker colors. You can read a previous blog post about this process here:\u00a0 Water Popping Hardwood Floors<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What Dark Stain Colors and Mixes Are the Most Popular Right Now?<\/h5>\n

Lately we have been doing a lot of Ebony with Jacobean. For those that don’t want a pure black or dark brown color, this mix looks really nice. You can see a 50\/50 Ebony and Sedona Red mix in the image here (covered with Pallmann Magic oil<\/a>)…<\/p>\n

\"Pallmann<\/p>\n

There are also a lot of clients are choosing 50% Ebony and 50% Neutral like on the staircase below. We have samples of each that we can show you in person.<\/p>\n

\"Ebony<\/p>\n

Another color that looks great, and is a mix or dark and light, is this mix of Rubio Monocoat Pre-Color Easy with White Oil…<\/p>\n

\"Rubio<\/p>\n

You can see us applying the white oil over the black base here…<\/p>\n

\"Applying<\/p>\n

I love dark floors so much, I even have them in my own home…<\/p>\n

\"Pallmann<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How Easy are Dark Floors to Maintain?<\/h5>\n

A lot of this comes down to the finish system you put on top of the stain not so much the color of the stain itself. The stain color will be covered by at least 3 coats of finish. Many of our clients love OSMO Polyx Oil<\/a>\u00a0or Pallmann Magic Oil<\/a>, which are very easy to maintain, as is our extremely durable high quality water based finish system.<\/p>\n

In my own home we used Magic Oil and are very happy with it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Will Dark Stained Floors Scratch Easy?<\/h5>\n

This also depends greatly on the quality of the finish system used.<\/p>\n

If a cheap finish is applied then it will scratch as easy as a light colored floor with a cheap finish. The only difference is the scratch in the dark colored floor will show through more noticeably as the color of the natural wood underneath is lighter.<\/p>\n

\"Dark<\/p>\n

It\u2019s because of cheap, poor quality finishes that dark stained floors have this reputation of showing scratches easily.<\/p>\n

If you use a high-end professional grade finish system, either a quality hardwax oil or a commercial grade water-based finish system, like we do here at Tadas Wood Flooring, then you won\u2019t have this issue to worry about.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Will Dark Floors Show Dirt More Than Lighter Colored Floors?<\/h5>\n

Yes, unfortunately this is true. Dark floors are a lot more maintenance than medium or light colored wood floors.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just like how dark colored cars look dirtier quicker than beige cars\u2026 not that they are dirtier, but they look dirtier faster because you can see every light colored speck on them easier with the dark background. Hardwood floors are the same.<\/p>\n

Every single speck of dust, every single strand of dog hair and every tiny piece of lint will be much more noticeable on a dark surface.<\/p>\n

\"Dark<\/p>\n

You need to be prepared to sweep your floors at least every other day to have them show off their beauty. But at the same time, if you\u2019ve invested so much into such a beautiful hardwood floor, you should be looking after it and caring for it properly\u2026 so you wouldn\u2019t let it get too dirty anyways right :)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Will It Make My Room Look Too Dark?<\/h5>\n

Again our answer for this is \u2013 it depends. Especially on the look and style you\u2019re going for in your place.<\/p>\n

Most people that ask us this are looking for a more open, light feel. It\u2019s pretty obvious that lighter floors will brighten up small dark rooms and make them look bigger because they reflect light. On the other hand, dark floors will absorb light and have the opposite effect in a small room.<\/p>\n

\"Dark<\/p>\n

If you have bigger, more open rooms then it\u2019s not as big an issue unless you have dark maroon or chocolate brown walls. But then again, walls can be easily painted to something lighter if need be.<\/p>\n

Dark stained floors will help anchor a room and give you the freedom to put light, bright colors on the walls \u2013 or even just white \u2013 that will add brightness to the room. We love this look and so do most designers we work with. It\u2019s a very glamorous, classic look that will go with a lot of different furniture styles.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In Conclusion\u2026<\/h4>\n

Choices, choices, choices!<\/p>\n

We know this is one of the hardest decisions you\u2019ll need to make when it comes to having your hardwood floors sanded and refinished.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s even harder when you\u2019re surfing the web trying to compare colors that don\u2019t seem to match from one photo to the next. Our advice\u2026 don\u2019t bother. The color will depend on the camera, the lighting, time of day, if the picture was photo shopped or not and a bunch of other factors.<\/p>\n

\"Staining<\/p>\n

The best thing to do is have your professional hardwood floor refinisher come over with real samples that are a sufficient size to allow you to make a good decision. Put them in every room and live with them for a few days seeing how they look in different light and at different times of the day.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a big decision so you may as well take your time and get it right, it\u2019s not easily reversible.<\/p>\n

\"Tadas<\/p>\n

In the end, staining hardwood floors is going to come down to personal choice just like a car color. Some people know that black cars are harder to keep clean but they love the look of them so much that they buy one anyways.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a personal decision you\u2019ll need to make.<\/p>\n

When you do, if you live in Naperville or the surrounding area, we\u2019ll be here to help transform those beautiful hardwood floors into the perfect shade of stain you\u2019ve been dreaming about.<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

Updated Jan 2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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