When you get your hardwood floors refinished (or new ones installed), you're going to have the choice to stain them or leave them natural. The short answer to this question is this; Different stain colors affect how clean your space will look, how big it will feel and how well the wood floors will wear over time. Read on to learn the ins and outs of why you should or should not stain your hardwood floor. 
Stain samples on 3.25" wide red oak hardwood floors in St. Joseph, Michigan.
 

What Is Floor Stain And How Does It Work?

Staining your floor involves applying a dye that penetrates into the wood grain and changes its color. This dye is applied very thick and allowed to soak in. After it soaks in for a few seconds, your contractor is going to wipe off any extra stain that was not absorbed into the pores of the wood. Stain is completely different from “Finish,” also known as polyurethane, clear coats, or varnish. Finish coats don’t add color to your floor; they simply seal it up and protect it. The staining process must happen before the finish coats are applied.
 

What Is A Natural Wood Floor?

Natural hardwood floors refer to a floor that doesn’t have any stain on it. After the sanding process, the finish coats are applied directly over the raw wood. The finish still changes the color of the raw wood, though.
 

Factors That Affect Staining Your Wood Floor

As with most advice, it depends on your situation. Let's dive into it!

What Species Of Wood Floors Do You Have?

If you don’t know or aren’t sure, we recommend contacting a hardwood professional in your area to help assist you with this. Not all wood types are created equal when it comes to staining. Certain types of wood will stain more evenly and easier than others.
 
Red & White Oak: If you have red or white oak, these are ideal woods for staining. They take stain very nicely and are the easiest to work with.
 
Hickory: Hickory wood is extremely dense and difficult to stain. It ALWAYS requires water popping the wood grain to allow the stain to penetrate. When done properly, it takes stain very nicely. Be sure your hardwood contractor has experience staining hickory if this is the route you decide to take.
 
Maple wood flooring stained spice brown in Three Oaks, Michigan
 
Maple: Maple is also extremely dense and one of the most difficult to stain of the hardwoods. It often takes on a “Blotchy” appearance even when done correctly. This funky look is not for everyone! Again, make sure your contractor has experience staining maple before taking on your project; it’s very difficult.
 
Pine & Other Softwoods: If you have softwood, like pine or Douglas fir, these wood types also present some unique challenges for staining. In our opinion, softwoods often look best kept in their natural state rather than stained. Even with the most perfect sanding work done, these woods almost always take on a blotchy appearance when stained.
 
Exotic Woods: If you have Brazilian cherry, Brazilian walnut, or tigerwood, these are woods with predominant red undertones. We’ll touch more on undertones later, but for now, just keep in mind that it will be very difficult to move away from these prominent red tones in the wood.
 
Walnut: If you have Walnut, don’t even think about staining! Not because you can’t do it, but because you shouldn’t do it! We’re kind of kidding, but truly Walnut is a beautiful wood and it’s very uncommon to choose to stain it; largely because of how costly it is.
 
These are the most common types of hardwood, and your wood type most likely will fall under one of these categories. But, if it doesn't, make sure you consult a hardwood professional in your area to help you determine your wood type so you can make the best decision. Each type of wood presents unique characteristics and intricacies when it comes to staining.
 

How Much Wear and Tear Will Your Floor Get?

This may not sound like something that would affect your decision, but it’s a good thing to consider. Here’s why: depending on what color you may choose to stain your hardwood floors, certain colors are going to show wear and tear much worse than others. Dark hardwood floors will show wear and tear the most, while lighter stain colors will be more forgiving. If you think your floor may have a lot of traffic, you may want to consider choosing a lighter color for your floors or choosing to forego the stain entirely.
 
Pine wood flooring stained white in a home overlooking Lake Michigan.
 

Is The Color You’re Going For Achievable?

Like I mentioned earlier, specific undertones in the wood will sometimes make it very difficult to achieve certain colors. For example, we often have customers with red oak floors who want them to look like white oak. While there are products on the market that are aimed at achieving this type of look, just keep in mind that it’s never going to look exactly the same.
 

Advice On Bold & Risky Stain Choices

Remember that they are your floors, and you should choose what you like, no matter what we (or anyone else) think! That being said, here are some of the things we have witnessed and heard from our customers:
 
Very Dark Floors: Dark floors will show dirt very badly. Just prepare to be cleaning all the time if you choose a dark stain color! They also tend to make spaces feel smaller.
 
Gray Floors: Gray floors have a very modern look to them that can feel cold. If we are being totally honest, they remind us of fake hardwood floors like LVP and laminate.
 
Black Floors: Black stain is very similar to painting your floors. It hides the majority of the wood grain and takes away a lot of the character. If that is the look you’re going for, then great! Just make sure it is what you like before choosing this.
 
Work With Us?
If you are looking for hardwood flooring services, we would love to connect with you. We provide residential services to the following cities and surrounding areas: St. Joseph, Michigan; Kalamazoo, Michigan; New Buffalo, Michigan; South Bend, Indiana; Elkhart, Indiana; LaPorte, Indiana.
 
Commercial (Gymnasiums) Service Area:
Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois
 
If you need advice but are not in a service area, you can book a consultation with us here: https://LumberjackHardwoodFloors.as.me/