When shopping for new floors, one of the first ways to narrow down your search is to ask yourself if you want your floors to be light or dark. Maybe you think dark floors would make your space feel too small. Or maybe you’re worried that you’d spend all your time cleaning your light floors, to keep them looking brand-new. Whatever you might think you know about light and dark floors, it’s probably only scratching the surface. We’ll take you through all the factors that you should consider when deliberating light or dark floors.

First, you may not know as much about floors as your local All Flooring USA expert, but your initial preference is probably a good place to start. Think about interior designs trends that you are repeatedly drawn to, and that will give you a good idea of your own taste in floors. Next, look at the existing style of your home. While new floors are one of the higher home improvement costs, if you don’t have room in the budget to update the rest of your space, it might be a good idea to choose a floor that works well with the other elements already there.

The good thing about light floors is that they go with almost any aesthetic, bring airiness to a space, and match easily with other shades when choosing wall colors and furniture. Dark floors work with a more dramatic style, adding sophistication, coziness and contrast for other bright décor elements to pop.

The next step is to evaluate how much light there is in the space where you will be updating the floors. If it’s naturally darker, fewer windows to let in light, then lighter floors may help brighten up your space. If the room is already naturally bright, you may have an opportunity to choose a more striking dark floor. Most people believe dark floors make a room look smaller, and light floors make a room look bigger. That is true to some degree, but since there’s more wall space in each room than floor space, wall color has a great impact on the overall look of the room size-wise. In general, dark floors are better suited for larger rooms and open floor plans.

Another seemingly unrelated factor to consider is how often you clean your floors. Light floors can hide small flaws, dirt, and debris, but anything larger will be very noticeable. Dark floors, on the other hand, can require less maintenance since dirt tends to blend in more –but keep in mind they will still need to be swept often as dust and pet hair shows up easily on dark floors. So, consider your personal cleaning habits when deciding between light and dark floors.

If you are a pet parent, keep in mind that scratches are less apparent on light floors, but if your pet has dark fur, it will be more apparent on light floors. There are always scratch-resistant flooring options that you could install for a dark floor that is four-legged-friendly.

Still not sure whether light or dark floors are right for your home? Talk to our flooring experts. You’ll get help bringing your vision to life.