Color inconsistencies in your client’s flooring can disrupt the flow and feel of a room—or even the entire property. As a contractor, you’re likely familiar with the many different flooring options available, but do you know how to color match new floors to existing floors?
Landmark Interiors explores the many ways you can streamline your next project. With careful planning, attention to detail, and a little bit of know-how, you can easily match new floors to existing ones, no matter the scope of the project you’re working on.
Understanding the Basics of Color-Matching New and Old Flooring
The outcome of your floor color-matching project hinges on several key aspects as you plan out and install the flooring. Consider the amount of sunlight exposure the existing floors have received. Direct sunlight exposure fades flooring over time, even if it has fade-resistant qualities, thus making it crucial to pick the right flooring to compensate for this natural lightening effect.
The age of the original flooring also plays a big role in color matching. As floors mature, their color naturally changes. For floors that are particularly old, it’s recommended to consider additional techniques, like refinishing, to embrace the visual contrast of incorporating transitional elements.
Follow These Handy Tips and Tricks
As you unpack your new flooring, mix the included pieces from each box. Mixing the flooring pieces creates a more visually balanced, blended, and natural-looking floor installation. Doing so avoids the manufactured and artificial look that can happen if you don’t mix up the varied plank and tiles in a single box.
Even if you buy the same flooring product later, there’s no guarantee it will be from the same dye lot as your original batch. The dye lot is a batch of material colored at the same time. Because these are applied at the time of manufacturing, dye lots will always carry slight differences with external factors at play, like aging or sun-fades.
Finally, don’t overlook the importance of sheen. If the existing floors have a matte, satin, or high-gloss finish, the sheen plays a big role in the overall aesthetic and appearance. Consider selecting new flooring with a similar sheen to achieve a seamless look, especially across large, open spaces.
Keep These Techniques in Your Back Pocket
Color matching the flooring of an interior space requires careful planning to achieve a match between new and existing floors. There are techniques you can leverage to bridge the gap and create a visually cohesive look.
One such technique is custom staining, a process that helps you achieve a match between flooring types. Custom stains closely replicate the faded and aged look of your original floors and are particularly useful for older floors that have mellowed in color over time.
If the new flooring is something like vinyl or laminate, we recommend using complementary colors. For example, it’s best to match the color family—like warm and cool greys, warm and cool beige. Doing so can bridge the gap between flooring types without disrupting the visual quality.
Find the Right Floor to Color-Match Your Next Project
The flooring professionals at Landmark Interiors have decades of experience in flooring. We can help you plan your next project to color-match new floors with existing floors, whether in a residential or commercial building. From color-matching suggestions to flooring visualizers, we offer a lending hand for any job you take on.
Contact us to learn more!