Over the years, hardwood flooring trends have come and gone. One year, it's most popular to install light wood flooring. The next year, dark wood is in again. Rather than follow the trends, it is a good idea to choose a wood floor color that meets your needs and will look good, year after year. While some people strongly prefer dark wood, light wood is often the better choice overall. Here's why. 

You can choose from a larger number of wood species.

If you were to go with a dark wood floor, your options would be limited. Walnut is one of the only common types of wood that's naturally very dark. And there are only a few types of wood that really take stain well enough to look good dark, like oak and hickory. If you go with light wood instead, you can choose practically any wood species other than walnut. Maple looks lovely light, although it won't hold a dark stain, and it's a very hard and durable flooring choice. Ash, oak, hickory, and chestnut are also suitable options when you choose a light finish.

Light wood hides dust more readily.

On a dark wood floor, you can easily see any dust or dirt that has accumulated and blown into the corners. Even if you keep a clean home overall, this little bit of buildup can make your home look less clean. Light wood hides the dust more readily, so your space will look cleaner for longer. That's really nice when you get busy and don't have time to sweep every single day.

Light wood makes your rooms look larger.

If you have a large room, you can get away with using dark wood without the space looking too closed-off and small. But for anything less than a larger room, light wood does a better job of keeping the space looking open and refreshing. This is because it reflects more light.

You can restain it darker if needed.

Once you stain a wood dark, it's nearly impossible to make it lighter. But if you initially install a light wood floor and later decide you'd prefer dark wood, you can have that wood restained dark later on. Starting off light gives you more opportunities to change.

If you need a new wood floor, then light wood is often your best choice. Contact a local wood flooring company to learn more. 

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