How To Match Wall Colour With Wood Flooring
Fitting a wood floor clearly represents a significant investment, and you don’t fit a new one every week. So it’s understandable that you’ll want yours to complement the rest of your home.
Wood floors come in myriad different colours, patterns and tones, which you can combine with seemingly limitless shades for your walls (even a single colour family can incorporate hundreds of permutations). These are clearly the two biggest surfaces in any room, so of course they matter. Both need to work together to create your desired look and feel, and to make the most of your investment in your real wood floor, and to enjoy your space.
One good principle is to paint your walls in a neutral hue such as such as off-white, white or a pale grey, or even shades of brown. You can never go wrong with neutrals, whatever type of wood floor you have; go for off-white if you find brilliant white too stark.
Generally speaking, muted shades complement wooden floors. Green and brown, for example, can give a natural, organic look to a hardwood floor.
Alternatively paint walls your walls to contrast with your hardwood flooring. That would mean, for example, having warmer walls if your floor has cooler undertones – and vice versa.
It’s also worth bearing in mind the classic decorating rule that, in any room, you should only use three colours, split 60% for the main colour, 30% for a secondary shade and 10% or a colour accent (although, as mentioned, one colour incorporates many different options).
Know Your Undertones
Wooden floors, it may surprise you to learn, are not a plain, solid brown. A base colour is usually highlighted by tinges of widely varying hues. These are the undertones, usually classified as warm or cool.
Warmer undertones are shades such as red, yellow or orange, while cooler ones have a bluer or more purple appearance. If you place a blank sheet of A4 on the floor or wall, that makes it easier to identity the undertones against the white.
If you know your undertones, this serves as a colour guide for picking the right paint hue.
Which Should Be Darker – Walls or Floors?
Again as a general rule, you’ll typically be better off with floors being darker than the walls, and with a white ceiling. Ideally, to be precise, you’d go a minimum of three shades lighter. But quite a lot will also depend on your taste, style, furniture and the size of the rooms involved.
Getting Warm
Warmer colours, such as red, yellow or orange, go well in communal areas from dining rooms to kitchens and lounges, since they create a welcoming feel. Go for a medium-bright to dark paint.
If your floor is lighter in colour, warmer paints to consider include wine, mustard and pumpkin.
Light Wooden Flooring
This type of flooring is an excellent choice for hiding dog hair, dust and dirt, plus it shows scratches less easily than its darker counterpart.
Go for cooler white, neutral off-whites and pale grey wall colours. Warmer neutrals such as those with yellow or brown undertones could clash with warmer light flooring.
However, you can also be bold and opt for a bright primary hue without overwhelming the room, while dark plums and blues lend a cosy feel. Lighter colours will also, of course, make a smaller space feel larger.
Pastel or jewel tones also suit paler floors, with darker hues making for a rich, formal look.
Cherrywood Hardwood
If you’re lucky enough to have a floor in this beautiful material, think cool whites, lighter blues and a cooler shade of grey. Equally, light neutrals can open up a space. Even a soft, cool green could look pretty good, and can highlight your floor’s red tones. But aim for a cool shade to keep the spotlight firmly on the flooring.
Patterned Wood Flooring
Patterned flooring such as herringboned or chevron is currently very on-trend, and, again, highly versatile. Keep bold colours to a feature wall, and bear the undertones in your flooring in mind when making a final decision.
Medium Wood Floors
If your floor has warm and cool undertones, it can go with a range of wall shades. Cherry and oak are examples of these kinds of medium-coloured real wood floors. Pair up with neutrals, a white shade or brown, while tan or sand will enhance your wood’s natural warmth and give a cosy feel.
Dark Hardwood Floors
Dark wooden flooring is hugely versatile when it comes to colour pairing choices. White and beige are classic choices which offer pleasing contrast, with beige being ideal if you find plain white too sterile. Soft greys can enhance dark wood flooring’s natural undertones, while pastels tend to have a softening effect.
If you’re lucky enough to have a period property, deep jewel tones will give an opulent feel when combined with a dark wooden floor in larger spaces. Think maroon, wine-red, plum or emerald to add a blast of colour that doesn’t overwhelm (especially if you add some lighter colours to the overall décor and furniture).
Talk to us
Check out our range of real wood, laminate, LVT and vinyl flooring in our Basingstoke wood flooring showroom. Pop in-store for more advice about matching real wood floors with wall paint colours so you show both surfaces off to their best advantage.
