People can be intimidated into thinking that dark hardwood floors aren’t a good choice, settling for something easier to maintain, especially with a young family and dog. There was (and is) some logic to this. While beautiful, these floors are high maintenance. They have to be vacuumed at least once a day because -as predicted- every speck of dirt, dust, and dog hair shows. Other materials and colors are more inexpensive and durable. Dark hardwood is more commonly installed in bedrooms to avoid surface scratches.
The distressed tones for these hardwood floors can go a long way in achieving that rustic feel that any home would love to have. However, one of the problems with dark-colored hardwood floors is that the stains would always be visible. This can’t be completely fixed. Dark tones on hardwood will be very reflective so a satin or matte finish is used to control the amount of light that will be reflected. These commercially available finishes will reduce the reflections to a noticeable extend. If you love dark tones in hardwood floors, weekly attention to detail is the price you pay to keep you house as beautiful as possible.