Coordinating Wood Floors with Wood Cabinets in the Kitchen

When a kitchen has a design scheme that features matching colors, the entire interior design stands out. Because the floors and cabinets attract a lot of attention in a kitchen, many interior designers focus on these elements during renovation projects. If you want to upgrade your kitchen with matching design elements during an interior design project like a professional, you should consider using the strategies in this guide.

Hardwood Floor Types

The main hardwood floor types are solid hardwood and engineered hardwood. A solid hardwood floor is made from solid pieces of wood, which is why the layers are extremely durable and strong. You can mount multiple matching cabinets on solid hardwood flooring in your kitchen confidently because each individual wood slab is usually ¾ inches thick. Engineered wood is also made with layers like solid hardwood flooring; however, the layout is slightly different. On the top layer, there is a slab of natural wood that's made from a specific wood species. The bottom layer of engineered flooring consists of natural wood. In the center of an engineered slab, you'll find five to seven layers of plywood that are arranged in a crisscross pattern.

Hardwood Floor Options

The hardwood flooring that you choose is the base component that will influence the entire kitchen's design scheme. Each type of hardwood floor has a unique color tone and grain pattern. Although brown shades are the main color options for wood flooring, every wood species will have its own color characteristics. The most popular hardwood flooring options include:

• Pine: Pine has a straight grain pattern and a very light brown color scheme. This type of wood flooring is designed with a large or small knot that matches the panels on an average cabinet. If you want a bright, cheerful kitchen, pine flooring is a practical starting point.
• Maple plank: Maple flooring is a great base foundation for a vintage kitchen. When compared to oak, maple is much stronger. However, if you want to place maple floors in your kitchen, you'll need to select slabs that have appealing shades of brown because maple wood doesn't stain well.
• Red oak: Several suppliers provide red oak flooring for kitchens. By installing red oak floors, your kitchen will wow a crowd because red oak slabs are timeless materials that feature appealing grain patterns.
• Ebonized hardware: Ebonized flooring should only be considered if you want to update your kitchen in a very unique way. When wood is ebonized, a chemical reaction happens that turns the material black.
• Reclaimed wood: Reclaimed wood flooring can give a kitchen a rustic vibe. You can easily match cabinets with reclaimed wood flooring since reclaimed materials are made from old farmhouses and warehouses.
• Brazilian cherry: Brazilian cherry is a stylish flooring material that has a rich red color. It can handle high heat, grease, and other kitchen hazards because every grain is dense and strong. Since many cabinets are available with reddish paint, the process of matching Brazilian cherry floors with Brazilian cabinets is simple.
• Eucalyptus: If you want to match other items besides cabinets in your kitchen, you'll benefit from installing eucalyptus flooring. After your eucalyptus cabinets are on the wall, you can enhance the space by scattering other eucalyptus items in the kitchen, such as bowls and cutting boards.
• Douglas fir: Douglas fir is commonly used to make cabinets and kitchen furniture. If you want modern design elements in your kitchen, Douglas fir can help you renovate the space in a dramatic way.

Kitchen Cabinet Stain Colors

Depending on the supplier, a typical kitchen cabinet may or may not be stained. Stain products and paint products are not the same. When paint is applied to wood, it stays on the top layer. After a stain is brushed on a piece of wood, it soaks through the material. As a result, wooden materials that are treated with a coat of stain get an extra layer of protection. Popular stains include:

• Simply White: If you're going to install light brown hardwood floors in your kitchen, Simply White is a suitable stain option for your cabinets. Although white stain and light brown wood don't match, the white tones will blend well with the light brown wood elements because both shades are in the same warm color spectrum.
• Golden Pecan: Golden Pecan works well in a kitchen that has pecan flooring. However, if you want to see the bounder or trim that connects the floors to the cabinets more clearly, simply coat your cabinets with a coat of stain that's slightly lighter or darker than your floors.
• Golden Oak: Golden Oak is a rich shade of brown, and it can enhance the grains on a natural wood floor. If you want to match bland cabinets with oak flooring, this stain color is a practical choice.
• Jacobean: Jacobean is a very dark brown shade and is ideal for a vintage kitchen. You can match this stain with rustic flooring that has dark, vibrant wood grains.
• Dark Walnut: Dark Walnut is available in a variety of dark brown shades. No matter what tone you select, the shiny finish will blend nicely with walnut flooring.

Wood stain products are available in a variety of shades, so you can easily stain cabinets with a color that matches your flooring. Because a stain isn't a long-term solution, you'll have to reapply a layer on your cabinets regularly so that the wood will maintain the protective properties.

Cabinet And Flooring Matching Tactics

In order to match the hardwood floors and wooden cabinets in your kitchen properly, you'll need to ensure that the colors have the same hue and tone. You shouldn't guess when trying to match colors because you may get inaccurate results. By visiting a store with one of the following items, you won't have to guess during the color scouting process:

• Pictures: Pictures can help you pick a matching color if you snap the shots like a professional. In order to produce pictures that highlight colors accurately, you'll need to implement procedures to let natural light shine on your flooring or cabinets. If you visit a hardware store with a professional photo sample, an employee can help you select more accurate matching paints or flooring.
• Floor samples: If possible, you should try to take a hardwood floor slab or a cabinet piece from your home to the hardware store so that someone can match the color. In most cases, you can remove a cabinet door or a floor slab using household tools.
• Sample products: During a complete renovation project, you can easily match cabinets with your flooring by picking a new color scheme for the kitchen. For this task, you'll need to bring a product to the hardware store that has a practical color scheme so that an employee can pick matching stains and flooring materials.

Painting Strategies

The process of enhancing kitchen cabinets with paint is simple because you'll get great results by applying straight brush strokes. However, since errors can happen along the way, you must implement strategic preparation procedures in order to protect floors, cabinets, and other vulnerable items in the kitchen.

If the kitchen cabinets aren't installed, you should tackle a paint project outdoors on a driveway or on a lawn. By painting outdoors, you won't have to ventilate the harsh fumes that emit from paint and stain products.

In order to paint or stain cabinets that are mounted on a wall without making a mess, you'll need to put plastic covers on vulnerable floors and counters. If the kitchen doesn't have great air circulation, simply open all of the windows in the surrounding spaces.

Additional Matching Tactics

Redecorating your home gives you the chance to upgrade to wood flooring that coordinates perfectly with your wood cabinets, providing a harmonious, cohesive look that will make you want to get in there and cook every day. If you want some additional tips to help you ensure that your flooring matches or, at the very least, coordinates with, your cabinets, this advice will help.  

Focus on Cool or Warm Colors

Every color fits into one of two different groups – cool or warm. Warm colors tend to be more red, such as a wood floor made from hickory. Cool colors tend to have more blue or green to them, even if they are not outright blue or green. For example, white oak fits into this category.

When you're looking for wood flooring that coordinates with your cabinets, spend some time looking for one that fits the same color group. Otherwise, you could end up with a kitchen that clashes. 

Balance the Shades That You Choose

Balance is another key to coordinating floors and cabinets. You don't want your kitchen to look top-heavy, or out of balance. If you have dark wood cabinets and you choose a very light wood floor, then the room will look top-heavy. On the other hand, you can go with a dark floor if you have light wood cabinets, or choose a shade that matches entirely in order to create a cohesive kitchen.

Grain and Pattern

Also consider the overall grain and pattern of your kitchen cabinets. Some types of wood have a natural, large grain, while others tend to run smaller. Although there's no way to get them to match perfectly (unless you go for a custom kitchen and redo everything at once), you can find grains that go well together and balance each other out, such as larger grained wood flooring to go with a set of smaller grained cabinets.

Consider Your Overall Style

What style is your current kitchen? Whether you prefer a modern farmhouse look or something more traditional, this plays a role in your choice of flooring as well. Some types of flooring, such as eucalyptus have a more modern look, while few things are more classic and traditional than walnut.

Choosing the Best Flooring

Picking a type of hardwood flooring from Hardwood Bargains that coordinates perfectly with your wooden cabinets is a totally doable task. You just need to remember to balance out the shades in the room, choose complementary grains and patterns, and keep your overall wood tones and style in mind. With these things in mind, you create your dream kitchen that you’re sure to love!  

Sources:

Design Tips for Kitchen Flooring and Cabinets | SF Gate

24 Gorgeous Kitchen Cabinet and Wood Floor Color Combinations | Home Decor Bliss

The Do's Don'ts (and Maybes) of Choosing Cabinets and Countertops | Home Advisor