How To Mix Wood Tones Throughout Your Home

Decorating is a personal choice. What colors you select, what patterns you use, even the materials you use to create your perfect look is all up to you. 

Still, there are a few design rules that make everything in your home flow a little better. Ever walked into a room and felt something wasn’t quite right? The designer missed one important element that tied everything together. And in a lot of cases, that element is the wood tone of the floor. 

Sure, you can mix different colors with different hues. And you don’t have to have the same wood flooring in every room in your home. But there are a few simple tips that can help you decide what to install. 

Contrast the tones

The days of matching are long gone. But that doesn’t mean you should create a look that will be hard to live with for years to come. Mix and match your tones by incorporating different design techniques into each room. If you like dark wood on the floors, mix it with lighter wood furniture or cabinets in the kitchen. 

Don’t forget white

Sometimes the best to show off wood is to mix it with white. White kitchen cabinets can be enhanced by a dark wood floor. Add butcher block countertops on an island, and you have a beautiful way of tying it all together. 

Pay attention to undertones

Colors come in a variety of hues and tones. Warm colors work well together. Cool colors work equally well. But when you start mixing them, you might start seeing a problem. Decide how you want your home to feel, then use those tones and colors throughout. You’ll see a gentle flow as you move from space to space just by focusing in on your preferences. 

Use the rule of threes

Three is a perfect number in the design world. As you move throughout your home, using three different colors and tones in different ways can tie everything together. This allows each wood tone to be distinct and speak for itself, without overwhelming the rest of your design ideas. 

Still having trouble deciding the right wood choices for your home? Give us a call. We can help you create the perfect look for your home. 

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Not Sure Which Hardwood Floor Is For You? Use Samples

Do you know what hardwood flooring is a good fit for your home? Or are you still having trouble deciding on which color would be best? 

We see it all the time. People stop by to look at samples, and quickly become overwhelmed. Don’t worry. You’re not alone. It can be a difficult choice to make, especially when you know you’ll live with your decision for a very long time to come. Not Sure Which Hardwood Floor Is For You? Use Samples

The last thing you want is buyer’s remorse. What can you do to move past it? 

That’s the best reason to take a few samples home. What you see on the showroom floor isn’t quite how it will look inside your home. We know that. That’s why taking samples home is so important. What should you do from there?

Live with your choices

This isn’t something you can bring home for an afternoon and make your decision immediately. Live with your selections for a few days. See your choices at 9am and 9pm. See it in daylight and see it with artificial lighting. Do you like the shades, color, and patterns in the different lighting conditions? 

Go barefoot

Instead of laying out your choices in a small section of your home and making your decision, place the samples in every corner of your home. If you’ll be adding hardwood to a room, be sure to place the samples in that room and live with them for a while. If it’s being installed in the kitchen, stand on it while making dinner. If it’s going in the bathroom, stand on it while getting ready in the morning. Do you like the looks? Do you like the feel?

Coordinate your decor

Are you changing up the decor throughout your home? Or are you mixing your new flooring with items already in place? Be sure your final selection mixes with your paint, style, and furniture choices. Be sure your hardwood mixes with your design ideas. There is a difference between light and dark wood, wide or narrow planks. Ask yourself how well your choice will go with the rest of your design ideas. 

Stay open minded

Now may be the time for a change. And by bringing a sample home, you may find yourself leaning to a choice you never thought you’d make. Purchasing flooring is a long term investment. There are many materials, styles, colors, and brands on the market today. Don’t come in with specifics in mind. Instead, work with a flooring consultant on what style matches your lifestyle instead. You may be surprised at your final purchase. 

And you may fall in love with it for a long time to come. 

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Have Hardwood Flooring? Never Do These 7 Things

Are you considering adding hardwood flooring throughout your home? Nothing beats its beauty. 

But hardwood isn’t like other types of flooring. It provides different strengths and weaknesses when compared with tile or carpet. Yes, hardwood can be a beautiful addition throughout your home. But there are a few things you should never do. 

Leave your shoes by the door

Have Hardwood Flooring? Never Do These 7 ThingsIf you love wearing high heels, be sure to leave them by the door. Every time you walk across your hardwood, it has the potential of leaving tiny divots in the floor. And it’s not just high heels; any shoe has the potential for bringing in dirt or sand from the outside, and tracking it across your hardwood floor. With every step, tiny scratches can work their way into the wood, scuffing and marring the finish. If they have moisture, they can leave water behind, penetrate into the grain and warp your hardwood. 

Leave rugs in one spot

While you may love the current setup of your living or dining room, experts agree you should never leave a rug in one spot for too long. The sun will gradually lighten the wood and bleach it out compared with the surrounding wood underneath. This can be difficult to fix as the wood changes characteristics. 

Use your steam mop

Steam mops and mops that spray as you pass by are all the rage. And they work great on tile. But if you use them on your hardwood, the moisture can wreak havoc across your room. The more moisture you put onto your hardwood, the more it can settle into the cracks and warp the wood. 

Let your pets have free reign

Remember the advice to take off high heels before walking across your floors? The same advice holds true for your pets. Those tiny, sharp nails work similarly to your high heels. Keep them cut trim and short to keep damage to a minimum. Also, realize that your pets will damage hardwood. You will have to maintain and refinish them more frequently than homeowners without pets. 

Use Vinegar as a cleaner

Vinegar works as a natural household cleaner in all kinds of areas of your home. But keep it away from your floors. The acidity in vinegar will strip away the chemicals used to adhere your planks to the floor and keep the beautiful look you’ve grown accustomed to. Instead, follow the advice of the manufacturer of your hardwood planks. 

Place furniture directly on the wood

Take a look at the furniture throughout your home. Tiny legs on bookcases and sofas can dent your hardwood. Chairs can scratch and dent as they are moved throughout the room. And if you have hardwood in your office, be sure to add protection before using caster and rollers on your chairs and files. 

Put off refinishing

It’s easy to put off refinishing indefinitely. But every year your flooring is subjected to a little more wear and tear. And that means individual floorboards may be at more risk. Most manufacturers will recommend you refinish hardwood every 10 to 15 years, depending on use. Be sure to check with your manufacturer when you install. 

Are you ready to install hardwood throughout your home? 

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The Trouble With Some Hardwood Flooring Contractors

Home maintenance and construction products can sometimes bring out the worst in people. Ask your neighbors about jobs-gone-wrong. Everyone seems to have a story about a remodeling project that cost them dearly. You hire them. You pay them. They disappear before the job is finished. And they leave with a big mess in their wake. 

But it doesn’t have to be like that. Many flooring contractors are experienced, trustworthy, and will do a great job. They offer you a fair price and follow through on every promise made. 

The Trouble With Some Hardwood Flooring ContractorsHow do you find them? Research. Never jump at the first “great deal” you find. Instead, step back and evaluate the offer. “Great deals” are most often a little too good to be true. And you’ll pay the price. 

What should you watch out for?

A contractor that is easily offended by questions. A reputable contractor will answer every question you have and encourage more. They will be available before, during, and after installation to ensure you are fully satisfied. 

A contractor that is vague about licensing and insurance. If they can’t prove they have the proper credentials to be in business, they won’t have the protection necessary if something goes wrong. It’s not a matter of offending the contractor – it’s a matter of protecting your home. It’s your home, and if something goes wrong on the job, it could be you that pays the price. If an unlicensed contractor leaves you with a mess, your homeowner insurance won’t pick up the tab to correct the problem. 

A contractor that doesn’t mention moisture testing with hardwood installation. Depending on what hardwood you select for your home, it’s important to test your home’s conditions for proper performance. Wood should always be acclimated to your living space before it’s installed. If a contractor doesn’t discuss this with you ahead of time, don’t trust them to give you the best service possible. 

A contractor that pushes the sale. Installing new flooring should always be based on the best time for you. If they try and push it because a flooring is on sale, or there’s a reason to act fast, it’s better to let the “deal” go. A reputable contractor knows that new flooring is a big decision. This will be in your home for years to come. They won’t push or hurry you based on their desires for a sale. Instead, they’ll take their time to ensure the final flooring is right for you. 

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Have Leftover Stone or Wood Flooring? Here’s What To Use It For

Did you overestimate for your DIY stone or wood flooring project? Do you have enough extra materials that you’re wondering what to use it for?

While it’s great to keep a few extra pieces of stone or wood planks for damaged areas of your flooring, any more isn’t necessary. Fortunately, you don’t have to leave it stored in your basement collecting dust. There are many uses you can use it for. Have Leftover Stone or Wood Flooring? Here’s What To Use It For

Create an accent wall

When most people think of accent walls, they tend to think of paint or wallpaper. They use a different color or pattern to add “wow” to the decor of the room. 

Instead of paint, consider adding wood or stone instead. Wood can bring out a rustic flair to any room in your home. Add wood planks behind your bed. Or continue the look of stone from the floor into the shower stall in your master bath retreat. You can also add uniqueness to a mudroom or laundry room – it’s a great way to carry your theme from room to room. 

Just be aware that not all materials work in every room. You wouldn’t want to use wood planks on a kitchen wall where they might be damaged from splatters and grease. 

Add curb appeal

Do you have too much stone from a recent upgrade to your outside walls? Or from adding an outdoor kitchen in the backyard? Why not continue the look to your front yard and add to your curb appeal too. 

By stacking stones, you can create planter boxes, mailboxes, even lamp posts that accentuate your landscaping. You can get lots of ideas online. And when you find looks you love, head over to Pinterest and create a pinboard with your favorites. Then you’ll have inspiration any time you have a few extra hours on your weekends. 

Add household decor

Depending on how much wood and stone you have left, you can continue your quest for making individualized and personalized decor for every room in your home. 

Extra stones or pebbles from a shower install can be transformed to knobs or pulls on your vanity. 

Wood can be transformed into wall hangings or even small pieces of furniture. 

Want to make a grand entrance? Try combining stone and wood for an original look to your entryway. 

The possibilities are endless when you do a little investigating online. You’ll quickly find many ideas to use all of your leftover materials. And maybe even a few ideas where you’ll need a little bit more. 

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What Plank Size Should You Use In Different Room Sizes?

We see it happen a lot. Someone selects a wide plank for their hardwood floors, installs it, and hates the look almost immediately. Why does this happen?

In truth, a lot goes into deciding how wide your planks should be. As a professional installer, we look at a variety of things before making recommendations: the overall dimensions of your room, the width and the length of the room, what rooms the hardwood will be installed in, and how your rooms flow. 

So what is considered wide? How do you know what width is best for you? What Plank Size Should You Use In Different Room Sizes?

For traditional wood floors, most standard planks run between 2 ¼ to 3 inches in width. When you see a traditional oak wood floor, chances are it was installed using this width. It works well in any decor – from country to rustic, to modern. If you want clean, consistent lines, nothing can be more beautiful. 

But in the last several years, boards have been getting wider. Think 4 inches, 6 inches, 8 inches and beyond. 

When you increase the width, you’ll also have to make another decision: do you want all of your hardwood the same width? Or do you want to lay your floor using random widths? This is a personal choice; there is no right or wrong answer. All one width tends to have a more elegant look and feel, while mixing and matching widths tends to be more modern and contemporary. 

The wider you go, the fewer seams you’ll have on your flooring. If you move from a 3 inch to an 8 inch plank, you can reduce the number of seams in your room by as much as 80 percent!

Wider width creates drama throughout your room. It can turn an average room into Wow. 

Are you ready to update the hardwood flooring in your home?

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Is Summer Humidity Ruining Your Wood Floors?

Humidity in Denver? That’s probably the last thing on your mind when it comes to installing wood floors throughout your home and caring for them so they’ll last for years. 

Yet it’s true. Even here in the dry state of Colorado, summer brings in more humidity to your home than any other time of the year. Is Summer Humidity Ruining Your Wood Floors?

When you run your furnace, it dries out your living environment. When you flip on your air conditioner, it adds moisture back into your home. And if you’ve ever been around where we get brief, afternoon showers, you know after it leaves and the temperatures rise once again, muggy is the only way to describe it. 

That doesn’t just impact you. It impacts your floors too. 

Wood is a living organism. It contracts when it’s dry. It expands when it’s moist. And if it receives too much moisture, it quickly rots away. 

When you install hardwood into your home, the best place to start is with the acclimation process. The time frame depends on your home, and whether you’re installing natural wood, engineered wood, or laminate. Anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks should do the trick. It’s also important to give your wood floor a chance to breathe after it’s installed, before you apply stain and sealants too. 

Studies show that the ideal atmosphere is somewhere around the 50 percent level for moisture content. If you let it drop below, the wood can dry out. And if it gets a lot more moisture, it can warp and change. This is why wood is not good for bathrooms where humidity levels can be much greater. 

Humidity can come in many forms. If your floor continually gets wet from condensation, moisture, or even puddles of water, it can seep into your wood floors causing them to expand over time. Without a place to go, you’ll find cupping or crowning between the planks. 

Cupping occurs in the middle of the board with both sides rising. Crowning creates the center of the board to rise higher than the edges. Both are caused by moisture impacting the wood from underneath. As the floor dries, it separates and causes the planks to have gaps. 

Thinking of installing hardwood in your home? Stop by today. We can help you select the right hardwood flooring for your home. 

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What Works Best In Small Spaces, Light Or Dark Floors?

Have you ever noticed how some design trends just don’t work in your home? You find the “perfect” look in a magazine, try to recreate it only to hate it in your own home?

It might not be the flooring you’re installing; it might be the size of the space.

Light typically creates an airy, open feeling. Dark anchors and helps define your space.

Light colored floors are timeless. Because they work well in all kinds of spaces, they tend to be the easiest to decorate around.What Works Best In Small Spaces, Light Or Dark Floors?

Light colored floors are versatile with any floor space, ceiling height, or lighting choices. You’ll never have to use lights to brighten up a room.

Light colored floors are also a good choice for homes with pets as they won’t show scratch marks as easily as dark floors.

Because light colored floors are always in style, they can tend to seem a bit boring and blend in with the background. If you want to make a statement with light color floors, look for a wood with strong texture and color variations in the planks.

Dark colored floors make a bold statement and bring out the look of your design. It’s the perfect way to make your furniture and color choices pop.

Dark colored floors work in any area: open concept, well lit rooms, offices, kitchens, studios – wherever you want to create a unique look. Dark colored floors make a room darker. Be aware of that before you place them in a small bathroom.

Dark floors also have higher maintenance. Dust and scratches show more easily. They require more cleaning and care.

No matter what you decide to go with, samples can be your best friend. Be sure to ask for samples of your favorite choices and bring them home and live with them in your room for a few days. Be sure to view the same in all conditions, day and night, sunny days and dark overcast skies. See the end result with the lighting in place to determine where you’ll need to adjust.

Still have questions about selecting light or dark flooring? Stop by. We’re here to help.

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So You Chose Hardwood Floors For Your Home

One of the most popular choices for home flooring is hardwood. For many homeowners, they wouldn’t think of installing anything but hardwood.

But did you know there are many different styles of hardwood – and not all of them work well in each home? Each wood flooring type offers a unique set of characteristics and benefits. If you install the right one, you’ll have a flooring choice that can last for years.

OakSo You Chose Hardwood Floors For Your Home

Oak is the most common wood floor used throughout Colorado. It’s highly resistant to dents and deep scratches, giving it the edge if you want your hardwood floors to show without covering them up with area rugs. Oak comes in a variety of stain colors and has a unique grain pattern which gives your home personality and design.

Mahogany

Mahogany is prized for its beauty and color. You’ll find mahogany is often used to make furniture, boats, and other fine home products because it’s highly durable and water-resistant. That is also why many choose it for flooring. It provides a classic and timeless look for your home.

Ash

When you see a light colored hardwood floor, more often than not, it’s ash wood. Ask is perfect for people looking for a hard, durable flooring option that will last for years. It’s some of the toughest, hardest wood in the marketplace. Ash is differentiated from hickory by white dots, and is often less expensive than other comparable woods.

Hickory

Hickory is most common in log or rustic settings, and has one of the hardest exteriors for flooring choice. It’s ideal if your home gets a lot of foot traffic. Hickory has a close grain without much pattern.

Pine

Pine isn’t a hardwood. It’s one of the softest woods and is great for people that are looking for the beauty of hardwood flooring but aren’t quite sure of the rough touch underfoot. It’s growing in popularity due to its pinholes and knots.

Cherry

Cherry is a hardwood that darkens with age. It can produce a great finish and is easy to maintain. It’s also one of the easiest to scratch. It’s difficult to work with, but it can make a good choice when properly installed.

Walnut

Walnut makes a perfect flooring choice because it is strong and durable. It’s knowns for it’s light to medium chocolate brown color. But it can be one of the pricier hardwood flooring choices. The texture and final appearance are often what homeowners like about this choice.

Bamboo

No, bamboo isn’t a hardwood. But many people associate it as such because of its performance. It’s a sustainable option because bamboo is actually a form of grass. It comes in two shades – natural light color or it can be boiled for a darker tint. Because it has been popular for a number of years, its flooring qualities continue to improve, making it a great choice for families that are looking for a greener flooring choice.

What type of hardwood flooring is right for you?

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What Hardwood Stains Well?

Looking for the right hardwood for your floors? It’s more than the stain you ultimately select. It comes down to the wood you choose.

The most popular wood choices are vastly different. They range in extremely soft to hard, with undertones in a full spectrum across the map. Not only does hardness affect how a wood will accept stain, but also the appearance of the natural color.What Hardwood Stains Well?

  • Birch has pink undertones and is extremely soft.
  • Pine has yellow undertones.
  • Poplar has green undertones.
  • White oak has the most neutral undertones.
  • Red oak has red undertones.

Because hardwood starts out with certain colors already in place, the stain you use ultimately plays into the final appearance.

For example, if a stain starts with red undertones, it will play well into hardwood that has red undertones already in place. White and red oak will let the darker, red tones shine through, pine may have a lighter, yellow-reddish appearance.

It’s not just the type of hardwood that matters. It also depends on the grain. Tight grains won’t take the stain as well as other grains. And higher-quality wood will always perform better than cheaper, lower qualities. This is especially true if you will be installing hardwood and you have a desire to sand it and change the color more than once in the coming years.

  • Oak has large pores and stains very well
  • Ash accepts all hues of stain
  • Chestnut takes stain well
  • Pine is preferable with light stains only
  • Birch and maple do not stain well
  • Cherry – why would you stain it? It looks great without
  • Dark woods are also often best left alone with just a finish to keep the natural look in place

In our experience, oak is one of the most versatile hardwoods you can work with. It stains evenly every time and looks good no matter what stain you ultimately choose.

Pine is one of the most difficult, and is a good choice if light, natural looks are your desire now and in the future.

How can we help you choose the right hardwood for your project?

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