Hardwood is a fantastic investment for both you and your future home sale prospects. For example, did you know that even the type of color can improve your resale value? It’s wise to look for coloured flooring that appeals to your tastes and your eventual sale prospects.
What color hardwood is best for resale? Dark coloured and stained hardwood always sells best. It’s warm, it pairs well with a wide palette, and it’ll show off your furnishings.
Why does hardwood color matter so much?
The color of your hardwood flooring can change the whole look of a room! It can make it seem larger and taller, and paired with delicate tones and hues, can create a calming aesthetic.
Some hardwood colors are also easier to clean and care for. Shrewd homebuyers won’t just look for a finish or style that looks nice. They’re looking for floors that are easy to clean and keep free from scratches.
Natural light pouring in through windows and doors will reflect off hardwood floors, too. Homebuyers will look for flooring that doesn’t create too much glare or overpower their senses.
Why is dark-stained hardwood so popular on resale?
Dark hardwood is timeless. Its rich, polished tones blend well with bright and deeper hues, which are superb for reflecting light.
It’s also less likely to show natural knots and warps in the wood. While light hardwood won’t show scratches as easily, you’ll still see all the natural blemishes.
Dark stained hardwood is different from flat-out black color flooring, however. Black hardwood has a niche, but it’s not as natural or easy on the eye.
Intriguingly, dark hardwood can also make small rooms seem larger! Try pairing dark wood flooring with bright painted walls in tighter spaces. They’ll seem taller and roomier.
Is light hardwood good for resale?
Light hardwood is a popular choice among homeowners and can therefore resell well. This is ‘pure’ hardwood in that it’s not stained. This ‘naked’ flooring is preferred by households with cats, dogs, and children, as scratches don’t appear so easily.
Light hardwood sells well with families looking to cut down on cleaning. It’ll also contribute to a lighter, airier feel throughout the home.
However, you’re unlikely to resell with light hardwood if your property has lots of windows. Matched with natural glare, light flooring can become quite overwhelming!
Many homeowners prefer dark hardwood as it’s easier to match with modern furnishings and decor. Providing it’s of good quality, light wood can do the same, though it’s much less flexible (aesthetically).
What are some trendy hardwood colors?
White hardwood (specifically the washed variety) is proving very trendy in the New 20s. As with all trends and crazes, take this with a pinch of salt, as it may not resell well forever!
Whitewashed flooring gives a rustic appeal that’s rare outside of rural buildings. Staining and painting hardwood this way is hard work, too!
For a cool balance between dark and light hardwood, gray tones are proving trendy. While hard to match with some furnishings, gray wood floors provide calm tones to busy spaces.
Colors aside, homebuyers are shunning certain finishes. For example, mattefinished hardwood floors are proving more popular than gloss.
Gloss flooring is fairly tacky and can show all kinds of marks and dusty spots! Flat, matte colors are more timeless and will match easier with various furnishings.
Try not to follow trends in hardwood colors unless you wish to sell on within the next few years. Otherwise, you may have to refinish and re-polish your floors at an extra expense.
Hardwood colors that never resell well
Bright, unnatural-colored hardwood, such as yellow or red, never do well on resale. Yellow flooring is pretty dated now, and even in the right space, it never pairs well with natural light.
Brown, natural tones that bring out natural grain in the wood are timelessly popular. Niche colors such as green tones and even blues won’t sell well to a wider market. The right buyer may love an artificial palette, but that won’t improve your property value!
As mentioned, black, too, is a highly niche hardwood color. It’s not easy on the eye, and it’s one of the worst choices for showing fluff, dust, and scratches.
Avoid orange tones for your floor, too, as it’s hard to paint or polish over. As with yellow, orange hardwood went out of fashion many years ago!
FAQs
What is more popular – dark or light hardwood floors?
Dark hardwood floors are endlessly popular. They’re the most versatile, the easiest to clean, and it’ll absorb sunlight. Light hardwood is popular, but less so with people who want to save time cleaning and refinishing their floors.
What color of hardwood floors shows off the least dirt?
Pine-colored hardwood tends to show off less dirt than others. When looking to hide dirt, choose a hardwood option with visible grain and a mid-range tone. Dark hardwood can hide dirt and smudging, but it doesn’t always hide scratches so easily.
What’s the best hardwood color for a busy family home?
Light-colored hardwood is ideal for busy homes, as it’ll naturally hide accidental scuffs and scratches. Homeowners with lots of pets or very young children will find lighter shades easier to clean overall. However, these colors don’t absorb sunlight well and don’t sell as well as darker options.
What are some popular dark hardwood colors?
Teak is a very popular dark hardwood as it resists a lot of damage while expensive at point of sale. Walnut is popular as it’s rich and robust, and always adds a lot to resale value.
What are the best light hardwood colors for resale?
Maple is a very popular light hardwood as it’s among the best for hiding scratches and blemishes. Red oak is also a popular resale option as it’s one of the more durable, if heavier.
