Technically, Ebony is a very dense black hardwood – it is so dense that it sinks in water. But, generally, when homeowners in Westchester County ask about Ebony hardwood, they really mean dark hardwood flooring, and usually that means oak flooring with an ebony stain.
Real ebony refers to several species of the genus Diospyros. The most common of these are Ceylon ebony (from India and Sri Lanka), Gabon ebony (from Western Africa) and Makassar ebony (from Indonesia). Ebony is the blackest of all known woods. The heartwood is usually the jet black the color we see in ornamental pieces. Very dense and hard with straight to slightly interlocked grain and a very fine even texture.the Janka hardness scale, Ebony is 3220. Generally, real ebony is not used in flooring, but rather is used in small ornamental pieces such as black piano keys, chess board pieces, cutlery as well as violin and other finger boards. It has incredible resilience to termites.
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For purposes of dark hardwood floors, the most common approach for homes in Westchester is to stain the oak floors with an ebony stain. This means that you can refinish your hardwood floors without needing to replace them. Ebony is the darkest stain and it gives you home a modern and sleek look. It’s chic, stylish and classy. The darker you go with the stain, the less you see the oak graining and this is another reason that many homeowners love this look. You can use ebony stain on other hardwood species, but it tends to work well with oak which absorbs the stain well and evenly.
For those that like dark hardwood flooring, but feel ebony is too dark, there are two other dark stains you may want to consider – Jacobean and Dark Walnut. These are also striking, but not quite as dark.
Ebony and darker stains do tend to show the dirt and scratches a bit more, so you may want to consider adding an extra coat of polyurethane for some extra protection. Also, we recommend a satin finish with ebony and dark hardwood floors. Satin has some sheen but less than the shiny appearance of semi gloss, so it looks classier and shows the scratches less.
Ebony hardwood floors tend to look great with cool toned paint colors such as ivory, grays, blues and some taupes. Some beiges also look classy and formal. We recommend to our customers that they test the stain color on their own floors before making the final decision on color (and we do this for our customers for no additional charge). We recommend that they do the same with the paint colors.
Dark flooring is fashionable, in fact haute couture, especially in Westchester County. In fact, it’s the most popular color range, and we have a lot of requests for specifically for ebony hardwood floors. It seems that the most popular seems to be a 50/50 blend of ebony/jacobean (sometimes called espresso) and 50/50 ebony/dark walnut. And, of course the pure forms of [easyazon_link identifier=”B00ISXFBRS” locale=”US” tag=”hwebony-20″ cart=”n”]ebony[/easyazon_link], [easyazon_link identifier=”B00ISXGK2I” locale=”US” tag=”hwebony-20″ cart=”n”]jacobean[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link identifier=”B00ISXGEXS” locale=”US” tag=”hwebony-20″ cart=”n”]dark walnut[/easyazon_link] are super popular (those are named from darker to lighter.
Due to high demand for super dark (or ebonized) floors, Duraseal recently introduced a new stain color called True Black. It’s even darker than ebony and it’s more opaque. (Note: these floors are challenging to maintain as they show every bit of dirt).
Above right, you can see Duraseal True Black (#199). And, below, you can see a stain test showing True black (left) vs Ebony (right).
Most of my customers who prefer dark flooring are going for a more opaque look – one that shows less graining. The darker you go, the less you see the graining and you also see less color variation in the wood planks. Many prefer this look both because it’s more contemporary and also because the floors are more uniform making it easier to decorate.
If you’re looking to buy the True Black stain, you can purchase it online at Amazon by following above link or clicking on the picture of the can. It’s not available in most stores yet.
Another way to make your floors a bit darker (as well as a more even and consistent color is do a water pop. This does cost extra and requires a very skilled floor refinisher. Going with a darker color is far easier and more practical. And, of course doing both is also an option.
More information on hardwood flooring and refinishing:
- Water based vs. oil based polyurethane: Which is better for refinishing hardwood floors?
- How long does it take to refinish hardwood floors?
- Dark hardwood flooring (see examples of other stain color options)
If you live in Westchester County NY, I offer color consultations to advise customers on paint colors and stain choices. My designer discount at the paint stores usually more than offsets the cost for the hour consultation. Read more here. Due to popular demand, I’m now offering phone consultations as well.
Do you need a local flooring contractor? Check out Home Advisors to find someone near you.
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Great post, Debbie and I love the color. So many are going towards that “espresso” coloring and this looks great. I love the color but if it’s off slightly from surrounding furniture it might look odd. Better go with the stainless and white like in the photos. Great!
I’m so glad you like it, Paul. Yes, it’s always good to have a good contrast, regardless of whether that is walls, cabinets or furniture.
Beautiful pictures of the floors. They make such a dramatic change to a room. I would imagine though you really need to be sure of the color. Can they be changed back if you choose?
DeWayne – Yes, that’s why I think it’s best to test on your floor before applying to the whole floor. We do this for our customers.
All that aside, if you don’t like the color, yes, you can resand and change colors…but, it’s basically going through the whole process again and will cost you extra.
Great Blog! The Ebony stain is a big trend right now. Many of our clients are asking about this color more and more.
So glad you are seeing the same trend. We do a lot of ebony, jacobean 50/50 blend of the two.
With the Ebony stain on Red Oak, does the red undertones show through
I am concerned about the red undertones showing through ebony stain if I pick red oak… I was told that Red Oak would show more grains versus White Oak so that is the reason I am considering choosing Red Oak… Please give me any feedback as to which way I should go
Thanks
If you are looking for as dark as possible, I would choose white oak. It is darker than red oak. Generally though with a dark stain such as ebony, you rarely see the pink undertones. White oak has plenty of graining, and personally I prefer the look of it over red oak because it has less graining and has a more modern look. White oak still has graining and tends to hide things well. It’s also a bit harder than red oak and a bit more water resilient (not waterproof at all, but does hold up better to minor bits of water).
Generally, ebony is dark enough to cover the red undertones, but white oak tends to look a bit darker than red oak and work very well with ebony.
Very helpful site! My wife and I prefer a dark floor and want a choice that will be be good for resale. We are considering an ebony stain on a hickory floor. We were thinking of going with 65/35 ebony/true black stain. It also seems you prefer the satin finish over the matte finish. Thanks!
Patrick – You should test it on your floors. I’m not sure how ebony and true black will mix. Ebony is semi transparent and true black is close to opaque. but, try it. I would also test ebony and 50/50 ebony/jacobean. The latter seems to be more popular in my area and generally better for resale, too. Sometimes, when it’s too dark, people get concerned about the dirt.
Definitely satin finish!