“Matching” Existing Hardwood Flooring

We often receive calls from prospective clients on both the residential and commercial flooring side that are looking to have new hardwood flooring put down that “matches” their old hardwood flooring.  It is a truly difficult proposition to explain, we can do our best, but the reality is, it is never possible to “match” the floor.  Various factors affect change on a hardwood floor from the moment it is installed.

The main impacts are from environmental factors such as relative humidity inside a home, the amount of sunlight they are exposed to, the simple exposure to the air will result in color changing over time.  Dependent upon the wood and the amount of time the product has been down the result will be different.  For example, an oak hardwood floor will become a richer yellow color over time whereas a Brazilian cherry floor will go from a brighter and lighter red color to a rich dark brownish red.

Even if we know the exact type of floor and the manufacturer it was purchased from its never going to look exactly the same.  If it’s a site finished product vs. prefinished it will certainly be much closer of a “match” but we hesitate to use the word match.

We find it to be imperative that our clients are aware of the aforementioned factors and that expectations are set correctly.  We have gone as far as purchasing a box of the new wood and laying it out for our clients in order for them to get a better understanding of what the new floor is going to look like when adjacent to the existing floor.

Please feel free to reach out to us at the info@hudsoncarpet.com email address if you have any hardwood floor “matching” questions.