Flooring by Colour

Choosing a floor colour

Wood, laminate and vinyl all shift in appearance depending on the light falling on them. A colour that looks warm in a south-facing kitchen at midday can read quite differently in a north-facing hallway after dark. That is why we send free samples, and why we suggest looking at them in the actual room rather than at the kitchen table.

The eight flooring colour families

Natural and light flooring

Our largest group at 77 floors, and the safest starting point. Pale oak tones that make a room feel larger and bounce what daylight you have. Unfinished and invisible-oiled floors sit here too, since those finishes leave the timber close to its raw shade. Works with almost any wall colour, which is why it is the most popular choice for whole-house projects.

Grey flooring

41 floors, from soft silvers through to deeper slate. Grey has been the defining floor colour of the last decade for good reason: it sits well with white and navy kitchens, and it hides dust better than very pale or very dark alternatives. Worth seeing in person, as greys shift more between daylight and artificial light than any other family.

Brown flooring

31 floors covering the traditional mid-tones, from light brown oak through coffee, chestnut and cocoa. The classic wood floor look, and the easiest to pair with existing oak doors, skirting and furniture.

Golden oak flooring

27 floors in warm honey and caramel tones. Golden oak brings warmth to a room that pale or grey floors do not, which makes it a good choice for north-facing spaces and older properties.

Smoked oak flooring

18 floors. Smoking is a process rather than a stain, reacting with the tannin in the oak to darken it from within. The result is a richer, deeper colour with more variation between boards than a surface stain gives you.

White-washed flooring

Pale, chalky oak where a white pigment is worked into the grain. Includes white-brushed floors, where the brushing opens up the grain before the pigment goes on, leaving a subtle two-tone effect. Suits coastal and Scandinavian schemes.

Dark flooring

Deep browns through to near-black. Dark floors make a strong statement and work best in rooms with plenty of natural light, or where you want a deliberate contrast against pale walls and units. They show dust and footprints more readily than mid-tones.

White flooring

Our smallest group, and all tile-effect rather than wood. White marble, terrazzo and stone designs in LVT and laminate, for bathrooms and kitchens where a stone look is wanted without the cost or the cold.

Matching your floor to the rest of the room

Work with what is staying

Hold a sample against your skirting, door frames, kitchen units and anything else you are not replacing. Most regret comes from a floor that looks fine on its own but fights with the woodwork around it.

Consider the room size and light

Pale floors make small rooms feel larger and lift dark spaces. Darker floors suit larger rooms with plenty of light, and give a more enclosed, formal feel. If a room gets little natural light, a warm tone will do more for it than a cool one.

Think about the whole house

If the floor runs through several rooms, or you can see one room from another, keeping to a single colour makes the space feel bigger. Changing colour at every doorway breaks it up. Our flooring by room page covers what suits where.

Flooring colours: frequently asked questions

Which floor colour is most popular?

Natural and light tones, by a clear margin. They suit the widest range of interiors and are the least likely to date.

Do dark floors make a room look smaller?

They can, particularly in a room with limited natural light. Dark floors work best where there is plenty of light, or where you want deliberate contrast against pale walls.

What is the difference between white and white-washed flooring?

White-washed is oak with a white pigment worked into the grain, so the wood still shows through. White flooring is tile-effect vinyl and laminate in marble, terrazzo and stone designs.

Will the floor look the same as the photograph?

Close, but photographs are taken under studio lighting. Order a free sample and look at it in the room it is destined for, at different times of day.

Does the colour vary between packs?

Slightly, yes. Wood is natural and shade varies between production batches, which is why we recommend ordering your full quantity at once. Use the flooring calculator to work out how much you need.

Can I mix colours between rooms?

You can, and it works well where rooms are visually separate. Where rooms flow into one another, a single colour usually looks better.

What if I cannot decide between two?

Order both samples. There is no charge and no limit on ordering again later.