As you can see, the baseboards and window trim have been refinished. (Note that the actual color is quite a bit lighter than you see in this photo. My photography skillz leave a lot to be desired.) All of the Tobias material has been applied to the walls (you can only see a hint of a bean in this photo) and the ceilings have been painted (we went with a soft, warm white as opposed to a color or a dark grey, and that saga is another story for another time.) In addition, the light fixtures have been hung…and the wood floors have been sanded, revealing their true gorgeousness.
I love the naked floors.
But unfortunately, they can’t stay that way. No matter what, they have to be coated in something, or the wood is susceptible to damage.
So we’ve been trying to figure out how to stain and coat them.
We’re putting down samples of color to start the decision-making process. From the start, we’ve leaned toward doing a darker brown on the floor.
We don’t want the floor to match the color of the wood trim, but contrast it. Otherwise, the window trim, door trim, baseboards, cabinets, and floors would all be the same wood color…and I think it would get to be too much.
So any medium brown (like the first two swatches here) run the risk of being too matchy-matchy with the trim and cabinet color. But I’m afraid a simple clear finish (the sample in the far back) would be too pale and get a little lost.
So this is the color we’re considering now, and here are the reasons:
1. It is “different enough” from the trim and cabinet colors so as not to look matchy. And it does pick up some of the darker areas/marks on the trim.
2. There’s something about a darker wood floor that seems a little more old fashioned to me…whereas a clear-stained wood floor may convey a little more of a contemporary feel. (Note that old fashioned is a little more of what I’m going for.)
I’d love your opinion about the floor color! Am I riding a horse into a blazing barn? Or do you think darker is indeed the right direction?
I’d also love to hear from you about the finish coat of the floors. I think a high gloss shine would look out of place in this space, so I’m leaning toward more of a matte finish.
But as is always the case…I have no idea what I’m talking about!
Thank you for your help and advice,
Pioneer Woman