What Wall Colors Work Best with Hardwood Floors?

It’s a common question, what wall colors work best with my hardwood floors?

We’ll answer this by looking at popular flooring choices, including light and dark hardwood, white oak, and hickory.

Pro tip: Buy sample cans of several colors to paint various sections of your walls. Before you commit, notice how the color changes in hue or contrast depending on the light and time of day – the color may change significantly!

Light hardwood floors are easy to pair color with. The most important thing is to consider the floor’s undertones. If it’s warm, consider a warmer wall color; if it’s cool, then opt for a cooler color.
Featured Floor: Silvian “Luonto (Nature)”

Wall Colors for Light Hardwood

The traditional take on light hardwood is to go with a lighter color wall like white, cream or soft gray. For those of us who need and desire a bright space, then complementing the floor with a light tone makes a lot of sense.

However, the current trend is moving away from light walls, so you don’t have to feel constrained by the status quo. Pairing light hardwood with colors other than white or cream can certainly work well and provide a good deal of warmth. If your furniture and feeling is one of Scandinavian design, then a soft gray is a perfect choice.

When making wall color choices, you always want to take note of your floors’ undertones, and light hardwood flooring is no exception. For instance, if you choose a gray paint with brown or “greige,” then you will want to pair with a warmer floor. If you are drawn to gray paint with blue undertones, then you want to select a cooler floor.

Medium to dark tones give a rich, deep look to a space. You can contrast the floor with a light color wall or a light earth tone like green or blue.
Featured Floor: Killarney “O’Grady”

Paint Colors For Dark Hardwood

Dark flooring is a favorite choice today. Depending on the furniture and style of the room, it can achieve a traditional or a very contemporary look.

With dark hardwood flooring, you want to go lighter with wall color in order to complement the floor. Lighter shades will offer great contrast and really highlight your dynamic floor.

While some folks choose white and cream, earthy shades like green or blue go with a dark floor well. These soft colors will look great against the dark hardwood and serve to brighten up the space.

White oak flooring is a popular option and for good reason. When going with a lighter white oak color, consider adding contrast with a darker wall color.
Featured Floor: Silvian “Luonto (Nature)”; Project By: Chandelier Development Inc., Nashville

White Oak and Wall Color

Given the lightness of white oak, you can go darker to deliver appropriate contrast. The typical choices are charcoal or pastel. We like charcoal for its warmth, but pastels (like light blue and mauve) also pair well with white oak. Pastels are a great option for rooms with little natural light since they will brighten the space.

Hickory floors are a great option for a durable floor with a lot character. You can pair hickory with many colors depending on the undertones of the stain color, like we talked about with light floors.
Featured Floor: Yosemite “Yellowstone”

Colors that Look Best with Hickory

In addition to mid-century modern, green is also trending right now. We see it in living spaces and even on kitchen cabinets. Sage and other subtle greens go particularly well with hickory flooring. Pay attention to the undertones and choose grays or blues to avoid greens which could end up looking too dark when painted.

Wall Colors for Light Hardwood

Paint Colors For Dark Hardwood

White Oak and Wall Color

Colors that Look Best with Hickory

We’re Here to Help