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Design Dilemma: Changing the Color of Your Wood Floor

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You may have a light beech wood floor, a dark mahogony wood floor or a mid-tone oak wood floor. And you’ve probably lived happily with whatever floor you happen to have. Then, one day, you may have awakened to find you were ready for a change. Can you really make a change in your wood floor color without completely pulling up the planks?

You bet!

Your options include:

Colored oils.  If you’re looking to vary the tone of your wood without making a drastic change, a colored oil may be your best option. Solid wood floors in pine, oak or beech that usually finished with a colorless oil can be shifted into a different wood tone by selecting an oil of a different color. You can find oils in variations of brown, gray, off-white and black. Check with the manufacturer of your floor and the manufacturer of the oil to ensure that whatever oil you choose will work with your floor.

Wood stains. If you opt for a wood stain you’ll find you can achieve a greater variation in color than with simple colored oils. If you want to take your beech or pine floor much darker, it’s possible to achieve that through using a wood stain. Not only is there a huge range of stain colors, but it’s even possible to adjust a stain color yourself by concentrating or diluting the stain.  Most wood stains come in colors like “antique pine”  and “light oak” but you can also find stronger more definitive colors of black, white and red if you’re going for a more contemporary look.

Varnish. You can change the color of your wood floor also by choosing a different colored varnish.  You can choose either a water-based or oil-based varnish which will also help lend some resilience to your finish. If you want to go darker, a clear varnish will usually create this effect. A colored varnish in shades like  “beech,” “rich mahogany,” “oak” or “pine” can allow you to change your pale floor into something much darker or to give your honey-coloured wood an even warmer look.

The most dramatic change: paint.

Stains, oils and varnishes can give your wood a different tone, but it seldom leads to truly dramatic changes. That’s especially true if your wood is a dark variety to begin with. So what if you want to take your ebony floors to a much lighter finish? Try paint. Not only will you be able to create almost any shade you choose but you can also create different patterns. Again, check that you are buying paint made to withstand the beating that floors normally take. Be sure to use a primer first. Depending on the paint color you choose, you may  need several coats. The big benefit of painting a floor is that you can dramatically change the look and feel of your home at relatively low cost. And if you tire of the color you’ve chosen, just grab a paintbrush!

Images: decor.lux-interior.com; apartmenttherapy.com