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upnorthhey

Wall color for light oak floors-- warm or cool

UpNorthHey
10 years ago

Is there any convention about picking wall colors for oak floors? Do I look for a "cool" paint color to complement the light oak floors which are honey gold? I'd rather have a warm color because the LR only has west windows, but any kind of tan/taupe/beige seems tricky. Is there a good "warm neutral" color that would work?

Comments (3)

  • dabunch
    10 years ago

    It depends what you want to achieve. Do you want really warm rooms with lots of beige, or do you want some warmth, and also a clean, fresh look?

    Are your floors natural oak, with just polyurethane over them? I have natural white oak (Red oak looks more orange/red)with poly and they turned medium gold color. This color is very difficult to work with because a "fresh, clean" look is difficult to achieve. Warmth is no problem, but too much of the gold color can look overwhelming.

    I found that BM Shaker Beige is a good neutral no matter what the exposure is. It will probably look lighter in a West exposure. BM Powell Buff is a good one, too.
    I know that both go with honey oak floors because I tried them. These colors will warm up the space, but if you're looking for a "clean look" these colors are not it. I'm not an expert, but in my search and struggle with paint chips, I found that it is very difficult to find paint colors that will give you cozy, fresh and bright look at the same time.

    Unfortunately(long story why), I needed to brighten/freshen my open space area so I went with a very pale greenish, very neutral BM French Canvas, which, in my house may be a bit on a cooler side. It changes from pale green to blue depending on the time of the day and lighting. I wanted to tone down my floors. It makes the room look light, clean and fresh, and my décor and other things in the room keep it on a cozy side.

    I had BM Powell Buff before and it looked warm. I've seen BM Powell Buff in all the new construction in the neighborhood and it seems to keep its' hue. It looks much better in person than on the swatch.

  • UpNorthHey
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks dabunch! I have an offer on the house (1960s ranch) and the floor guy said there is oak under the carpet. He would sand, oil and finish with 3 coats of poly (Bonna). So it's hard to know how orangey or gold they may be.

    The current wall color is gray with sage accent walls and it felt so confining when we were over there yesterday (rainy day).

    So your question of warm vs fresh was very useful! I thought I wanted saturated colors, but on a rainy day the paint chips looked so dark! So I think warm and fresh is the way to go. Are you saying Powell Buff would fit the bill? (I don't think the green or blue tinge of French Canvas would work.)

  • dabunch
    10 years ago

    I struggled with paint because the lighting and the floors in my house drove me crazy. I even hired a decorator who was very nice but steered me in the wrong direction. I'm very sensitive to peachy/pink ( I don't like it on my walls), and it looks awful with my lighting and gold floors.

    I needed to brighten up the "open concept" with future resale in mind. We are not in a forever home. I can see us downsizing in the next 3-5 years (although, who knows what will really happen). BM French Canvas did its' job. If I had it my way and didn't have to worry about resale and my house was smaller, I would have possibly gone with a darker color. I cannot stand the thought of us getting older and getting the house ready for a sale with ME painting, or painters "annoying" me in the house.

    Now, about Oak Floors....I will tell you what I've learned:
    If you have an option of refinishing your oak floors, you can check into your options ahead of time as to the stain and or color you want. I don't know where you live, but in my area there is a place called "Dalene Flooring" where they display different stains of oak flooring.
    IF you go with a WATER BASED poly, without stain(and the floor is WHITE OAK), your oak floor will be much lighter and muted, and easier to decorate with. It will look more like natural maple, rather than oak. Again, you need to find out if its RED or WHITE OAK. If it's Red Oak it will look dull light red-ish with water based poly.

    The OIL POLY turns natural (no stain) oak floors to gold or orange/red. Eventually they look medium color gold, or orange/red, depending on the species of wood. This is my second house with such floors. If you have time and a preference of the floor color check into the staining or leaving the floors natural.

    I recently have seen some floors white washed, which are gorgeous...again, I would only go that route if I were in a forever home.

    Bottom line: I would choose the color of the floor that I like first then see which paint goes with it. Floor color is a messy and a big project, and you don't want to refinish the floors AFTER you move in. BM Powell Buff goes with many floor choices, and so does BM Shaker Beige. Both colors are prettier in person. You can buy a sample at your local BM store before you commit to any wall color ;)

    Water based poly on natural oak, or white wash will keep your oak floor light, and easier to decorate with . Also, some darker stained floors are easier to work with. IMO, the medium oak floors, gold or orange, are the most challenging. I'm sure if you Google or go on Houzz.com you'll find some images. Let me know what you find out.

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