Matching Hardwood Floors

A guide to matching hardwood floors

While hardwood floors have incredible longevity, occasionally you’ll need to replace them due to wear or damage. At that point, you can choose to install contrasting or matching hardwood floors. Choosing contrasting wood in adjacent rooms can offer some visual variety. Matching hardwood floors between rooms provides a more cohesive appearance and a greater sense of flow throughout the house.

There are several keys to matching hardwood floors successfully. You’ll want to match the type of wood as well as the grade of the floorboard. You’ll need to match the width of the planks and the color of the finish as well. And depending on the amount of wear in adjacent rooms, you can choose to texture your new floorboards to create the appearance of an older floor.

At Carlisle Wide Plank Floors, our design consultants are experts at designing contrasting floors as well as matching hardwood floors to existing surfaces. We can help you explore the benefits of Birch vs. Maple or Ash wood vs. Oak, and help you decide whether to use matching or contrasting Black Walnut stair treads. And we’ll assist in selecting the exact shade of stain and grade of timber to create the perfect match between old and new floorboards.

Can you match existing hardwood floors?

Yes. By paying close attention to the species of hardwood, the thickness of the planks, the width of the floorboards and the color of the finish, it’s possible to achieve matching hardwood floors.

Can you put 2 different wood floors next to each other?

Yes. Choosing contrasting flooring is a viable alternative to installing matching hardwood floors.

How do you blend old and new hardwood floors?

When installing new hardwood floors, you’ll want to match the new floor to the existing floor very closely. If the color is slightly off or the type of hardwood is not the same, it may appear to be a mistake. Alternately, you can create a strong contrast between floors by using hardwood species with different personalities and hues.

How do you match a hardwood floor finish?

The best way to match a hardwood floor finish is to bring a section of a plank to Carlisle. Our custom color matching system can perfectly match a stain to the color of an existing floor or to a paint chip, a swatch of fabric or any other item you bring or sent to us.

Matching hardwood floor species

The first step in matching hardwood floors is to create a new floor from the same type of hardwood. At Carlisle, we offer a variety of hardwood floors to choose from.

• Red Oak offers deep, salmon tones and tight, consistent grain patterns that enable planks to be cut at exceptional lengths and widths.
• White Oak is right at home in any design scheme – casual, formal or contemporary. It features nutty brown hues and dramatic grain structure that runs from vibrant swirls to simple and sleek patterns. The dense fibers of White Oak make for a highly durable floor.
• Rift and Quartersawn White Oak features floorboards with a uniform vertical pattern of tight, straight parallel lines that run the length of the plank.
• Ash is highly durable, accepts stain easily and offers striking hues that range from a rich nutty brown to very light blonde.
• Birch offers floorboards with more character in the grain – from subtle swirls to flame-like effects – but without feeling overly rustic. The hues in Birch floorboards range from rich reddish-brown heartwood to blonde outer edges and warm amber portions, making this wood perfect for medium hardwood floors.
• Cherry offers inviting warmth with lustrous red hues that mature to a rich burnished auburn. With subtle but distinctive flowing grain patterns, Cherry is equally popular as a traditional and contemporary flooring option.
• Walnut floorboards feature beautiful chocolate hues with purple undertones and complex grain patterns. Known as an exceedingly attractive and resilient hardwood, Walnut can complement virtually any interior design and is often the best choice for medium dark hardwood floors.
• Hickory is one of the strongest and most durable of hardwoods. The hues in a Hickory floor can run from rich cocoa brown to beige to lighter blonde. And Hickory’s interesting grain patterns make it versatile enough for both modern and rustic decor.
• Brown Maple boasts rich, brown streaks in the heartwood and striking variations in color. With subtle and consistent grain patterns, Brown Maple can be dressed up or down. It’s often treated with a natural finish to highlight the raw beauty of this exceptional hardwood.
• White Maple features planks with lighter hues and subtler grain that are perfect for light hardwood floors. As one of the most stable hardwoods, White Maple is in high demand as a flooring option in both traditional and modern design schemes.

Ways to customize your matching hardwood floors

Carlisle offers a number of ways to customize new planks when matching hardwood floors to existing surfaces.

Wood grade

The grade of your floorboards determines how much character or personality of the original tree is revealed on each plank. Our Original Grade shows more of the natural color, grain variations, knots and mineral streaks, giving a floor a more relaxed and rustic look. Our Heirloom Grade minimizes these variations for a more formal look. And for our Signature Grade, our craftsman hand-select planks to create the perfect balance of Original and Heirloom grade characteristics.

Width

With Carlisle, matching the width of existing hardwood floors is easy. Our planks can be cut in widths from 4″ to 20″, depending on the species of wood.

Structure

We offer both solid wood and engineered wood floors. Engineered floors are made with multiple layers of material and a veneer of hardwood to create a plank with a stronger core for installation in areas with higher levels of humidity and moisture. Carlisle engineered flooring is among the strongest and most durable in the industry.

Texture

We offer a number of techniques for texturing or distressing new planks to give them the appearance of floorboards that have been lived on for generations. Our wire-brushed treatments can wear down the softer grains in new boards to reproduce the appearance of footworn or timeworn planks. We can add hand-scraped edges to recreate the look of boards that were once prepared for installation by hand. And we can add rough spots and saw marks to boards to reproduce the appearance of timber that was cut at early sawmills more than a century ago.

Color

Unlike many of our competitors who offer a limited selection of colors, we make it possible to stain your floor to virtually any hue, significantly simplifying the task of matching hardwood floors.

Why choose matching hardwood floors from Carlisle?

Carlisle has been handcrafting the finest wood floors for more than half a century. When you choose matching hardwood floors from Carlisle, your floor will be made with the most reliable timber grown in America’s forests and crafted with exceptional expertise and time-honored techniques. We know that every detail of your wide plank floor is important – from choosing planks that let the grain pattern and beauty of the wood shine through to selecting the exact stain of shade. Our expert design consultants will work closely with you to make sure your custom Carlisle floor perfectly reflects your sense of style and sophistication. With a wide plank floor from Carlisle, you’ll have a surface that will bring warmth and beauty to your space, serving as a welcome reminder of where you are, every time you return home.