HOME TRUTHS: Floor Model

To contrast the gray walls and white moldings in my first apartment, I asked my floor refinisher to apply a black stain to the stripped oak floorboards. It seemed simple enough: He showed me a chart of sample wood-stain choices, I selected ebony, and he got to work. What I had pictured was a floor so dark the grain was nearly invisible. What I got was a medium-dark brown floor with a noticeable black grain. That's because the look of a stain varies, depending on the species of wood, variations in its grain, and the lighting and color palette in the room—factors I never considered (this was before the career in remodeling and design, of course).

“Stock stains are rarely precise,” says Dan Gorsegner, foreman of Gorsegner Brothers Hardwood Floors in Middletown, NJ, who recommends asking your refinisher to stain pieces of wood made from the same species found in your room in order to get an accurate sampling. If those results don't floor you, he suggests asking for custom color. A few of his favorite formulations include:

• PALE, PICKLED FLOORS (top) These offer versatility and provide a canvas of white for endless design possibilities. Mop a light wood bleach on the floor followed by an opaque white stain. While it's still wet, rub with a cloth to expose the raised wood grain.

Armstrong: Robbins Artesian Classics Collection in Natural

• WARMER-TONED FLOORS To enhance the wood's natural beauty, Gorsegner amps up red tones by combining three parts of a darker brown stain with one part of a lighter—and blonder—stain.

AndersonFloors: Virginia Vintage Collection in Bittersweet

• SUPER DARK FLOORS These create a dramatic effect in rooms with walls bathed in light paint. Mix a gallon of ebony stain with a pint of oil-based flat black paint. Add more black paint, mix, and test until you're satisfied with the color.