Enrich Your Home With Dark Walnut Floors

While all hardwood flooring types are beautiful, there are only a few that have the depth of color and wood grain found in American walnut. This prized hardwood has a rich range of colors in both the heart and sapwood, all of which are instantly recognizable as a classic. Walnut is also known for its durability, ensuring that your dark walnut floors will endure the test of time.

Dark walnut hardwood flooring stands out from other hardwood floors and there are a range of stain colors available to complement most interior designs. Whether you allow its natural color and patina to show, or you give it a rich, glossy finish, this is one wood floor that is sure to enrich your home.

What Makes Walnut Different

Walnut is definitely one of the more versatile types of hardwood on the market, as it is able to be used in a variety of ways. It’s a dense, durable hardwood that’s also very easy to work with. It holds stains and color well, and is extremely stable when installed.

Most walnut has a straight grain, but it can be found with a curly or distinctive grain pattern as well. The sapwood is a creamy, lighter color, but the heartwood is a rich, dark brown that has purple undertones. This color sets it apart from other hardwoods, which tend to be lighter or have yellow, gray, or pink tones to them.

The durability of walnut ensures that it can be used for years to come and still retain its beauty and strength. And unlike vinyl plank or laminate floors, real wood has the added option to refinish in the future. Antique and reclaimed walnut hardwood floors have already had a life in farmhouses and factories and still have decades of use left in them. Whether you choose a dark walnut hardwood floor that’s been sanded smooth and given a clear, satin finish, or you choose a rustic wood floor that still shows its original saw marks, walnut floors are sure to become the focal point of any room you install them in.

Using Dark Walnut Hardwood Flooring

Walnut can be used in all the same areas and ways you can use other wood flooring. The difference is that when using types of wood floors like white oak or maple, the color will tend to be lighter and warmer, which gives you a different look and a different color palette to work with for the rest of the interiors.

Walnut’s unique color and grain mean that you’ll need to adjust how you think about hardwood flooring in order to best bring out and show off its best qualities. These 7 examples can help you see the real beauty and depth of walnut, and give you a better understanding of how to incorporate these dark wood floors into your home.

1. Rustic and Dark

Rustic walnut has a very deep color and patina that’s perfect for creating a backdrop to formal settings, such as a formal dining room or office space. The saw marks, finish, and floor stain add interest to the floor, while the floor color dresses up the entire room. A dark floor like this works well with both warm and cool wall colors. A rich turquoise wall could produce a rich, contemporary look while a warm, burnt orange could make the floor glow.

2. Interest and Movement

While most walnut has a straight grain, some special walnut floors have a more interesting grain pattern that can really show through in the lighter sapwood. This wood flooring has a lot of variation and movement to it, that can make it the focus of a room. Pick out the darker tones as accents for things like woodwork or cabinets to play on that depth.

3. Transitional Design

This dark walnut hardwood flooring has a matte finish and visible knot holes, while the wood plank flooring itself is sanded smooth. This creates a unique look that will help the dark wood floor fit in well with many of today’s transitional designs. Use it to remodel a rustic modern home or a cottage-inspired design, anywhere you want to add a little depth to the room.

4. Curly Grain

This walnut is an excellent example of how the grain can vary. The dark walnut stain and patina are allowing the grain to really come through and shine, making the floor the highlight of the room. The lights and darks of the walnut flooring make the charcoal couch an ideal mid-point, providing balance to the living room design.

5. Subtle and Formal

This walnut flooring has been given a finish that lets its grain blend in a little more, giving it a more subtle and formal look. A walnut floor like this can be used in formal living rooms, dens, and anywhere you want to highlight the depth and the beauty of the space.

6. Contrasting Warmth

The white cabinets in this room would make the space look sterile if the floor was too light in color. That’s why the dark, walnut color is the perfect way to balance the white and warm up the space. A dark walnut hardwood floor like this one that features light and dark color tones can also allow you to introduce other dark woods into the furniture and decor with ease.

7. Traditional Style

There are few hardwoods more traditional or iconic in color and grain than walnut. A mid-toned walnut floor is the ideal way to set the stage for a traditional setting in your interior design. The many shades and undertones in the floor let you introduce other woods into the room, adding more depth as well.

Invest in a Richer Floor

Dark walnut hardwood is one of the most unique flooring materials available. Whether you’re creating a rustic look or something more subtle and formal, walnut is the ideal complement to many styles. Consider a walnut floor for your next diy home remodel or in a new house to capture these wood looks for yourself. We’re happy to help you choose the right walnut floor to match your home or business interior. Contact our team of experts today to get started!