Ah yes, good ol’ colors.

Which color tile? What color hardwood? Will it look funny if I put this color here? I hear these questions daily.

Here’s quick guideline to help you select your flooring colors:

• Think of color choices like a funnel with the lighter colors at the top and the darker, bolder tones at the end. Colors like beige, whites, off-whites, creams and other light/er shades are boring yes…but they are safe. That is, if you are remodeling the place in order to sell it, you can’t go wrong with these safe colors. More people (wider funnel) are likely to find these shades acceptable when inspecting a home than dark navy carpet or banana yellow wood (yes it does exist!).

• Medium tones/shades are warmer and really give the place some character, especially when well combined with fabrics and other pieces of a room.  These include your browns, greens, taupes and other medium tones.

• Dark colors like the deep reds, violets, charcoals, blacks, etc. are very personal and are usually only used in a custom setting since they make a very imposing impression. If you plan on moving or selling anytime soon, do not use these colors. If however you want to build your own little retreat in your home, these are perfect and when done correctly, look out of this world.

Don’t get pigeon-holed into having to select just one color, especially when redoing your bathroom or kitchen. Combine different colors for contrast and to highlight different areas of your room and/or walls.

A final tip on selecting hardwood colors: Some woods are photosensitive (change color over time with light exposure). Since hardwood already has a natural variation within each box, you will get a mixture of intensities of the same color you selected. So if you chose a color that has more red in it, your floor will be a spectacular mixture of auburns, scarlets,  burgundies and even strokes of brick. That’s the way natural hardwood shows.

I personally reckon it adds authentic character to your floor but some like a more consistent or still look. If that’s the case, go for either a maple (very low shade variation) or a laminate where you get a predictable color pattern.

If you’re unsure how it will look at night, please see my post:

At Night, Your Floors Look Black.

Happy coloring.