Vision board · Dark and moody

Black in a dark and moody room

Black from the Stanton Nero Marquina line is a very dark vinyl tile with almost no undertone, with an LRV of 4 measured from its own picture. Here it is with Saybrook Sage walls, Chantilly Lace trim, and Silver Satin on the cabinets, chosen by the numbers.

AI assisted The rooms are AI generated, simulated photos. The floor, the paint colors and every number are real.

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Black vinyl tile flooring in the kitchen of our raised ranch under the oaks. CutPile Photoreal Rendering, an AI generated, simulated photo. — AI generated, simulated photo. Kitchen in daylight, The raised ranch under the oaks.

Black vinyl tile flooring in the family room of our colonial on the cul-de-sac. CutPile Photoreal Rendering, an AI generated, simulated photo. — AI generated, simulated photo. Family room in daylight, The colonial on the cul-de-sac.

Black vinyl tile flooring in the great room of our cabin in the hemlocks. CutPile Photoreal Rendering, an AI generated, simulated photo. — AI generated, simulated photo. Great room in daylight, The cabin in the hemlocks.

12 in

WallsSaybrook SageBM HC-114 · LRV 46

TrimChantilly LaceBM OC-65 · LRV 90

CabinetsSilver SatinBM OC-26 · LRV 75

WoodA mid brown woodLike our English Chestnut sample

The floor, measured

Read from its own picture, not from a name.

LRV: 4
Lightness L*: 24
Undertone: Gray
Hue: 19°

A near gray, with almost no warmth. LRV is light reflectance value, the share of light a surface sends back, the same scale paint makers print on every chip: 0 is black, 100 is white.

Black is calm and even from board to board (a spread of 1.6 in L*), so it reads as one quiet plane.

The shaded band is within 30 points of the floor. A wall inside it blurs into the floor; BS 8300 asks for at least 30 points between surfaces that meet.

Walls, trim and cabinets

Named colors with the maker's code and LRV, each linked to its page.

Walls

Saybrook Sage Benjamin Moore HC-114 · LRV 45.5 · +42 from the floor

A soft, cool leaning color (hue 121°) that keeps Black crisp and gray.

See it at Benjamin Moore

Or walls

Clary Sage Sherwin-Williams SW 6178 · LRV 41 · +37 from the floor

A soft, cool leaning color (hue 111°) that keeps Black crisp and gray.

See it at Sherwin-Williams

Trim and ceilings

Chantilly Lace Benjamin Moore OC-65 · LRV 90 · +86 from the floor

86 points over Black in LRV, a clean white (chroma 2.7) that keeps Black crisp.

See it at Benjamin Moore

Cabinets

Silver Satin Benjamin Moore OC-26 · LRV 74.9 · +71 from the floor

A light color with some life in it, so cabinets float off Black (a 71 point step in LRV).

See it at Benjamin Moore

Cabinets in Silver Satin or Chantilly Lace: a dark floor needs light cabinets to float above it.

The palette, by the numbers
Role	Color	Maker and code	LRV	From the floor
Floor	Black	Stanton Nero Marquina	4
Walls	Saybrook Sage	Benjamin Moore HC-114	45.5	+42
Or walls	Clary Sage	Sherwin-Williams SW 6178	41	+37
Trim and ceilings	Chantilly Lace	Benjamin Moore OC-65	90	+86
Cabinets	Silver Satin	Benjamin Moore OC-26	74.9	+71

Wood, rugs and metals

Contrast, not a match.

Wood furniture

A step lighter: a mid brown woodAbout 15 points lighter than Black in L* (39 against 24). Like our English Chestnut stain sample.

Rugs and fabric

Tone on tone: pewter1 in chroma, half the warmth of Black (3), and 28 points lighter in L*.

Across the wheel: slate blueHue 199°, straight across the color wheel from the 19° of Black, softened to balance it.

Grounding: stone grayA light note at L* 69, 45 points from the 24 of Black, so a rug keeps its edge.

Metals

Aged brassA warm metal that agrees with the warm pieces in the room.

Polished nickelA bright nickel with a touch of warmth, for the gray undertone of Black (chroma 2.8).

ChromeThe brightest and coolest finish, crisp against Black at chroma 2.8.

Room by room

The palette put to work around Black.

Living roomSaybrook Sage walls and Chantilly Lace trim over Black, velvet in pewter with a slate blue pillow, aged brass lamps on low.
KitchenCabinets in Silver Satin so they float off Black, Chantilly Lace walls and trim, polished nickel pulls.
BedroomClary Sage walls, pewter bedding, nightstands in a mid brown wood, chrome on the lamps.
EntryA stone gray runner on Black, Silver Satin on the door, a polished nickel mirror.

What to avoid

The near misses, by the numbers.

Walls at the lightness of Black: Cascades (Sherwin-Williams SW 7623, LRV 4.2) sits within a point of its LRV of 4, so wall and floor would blur into one.
Wood that almost matches Black: a tone like our True Black sample, 3.2 apart (CIEDE2000), reads as a near miss. Go clearly darker or lighter.
Whites that lean yellow: beside Black, a near gray, they look dingy.

Questions

About Black and color, answered from the numbers above.

What wall color goes with Black flooring?

Saybrook Sage (Benjamin Moore HC-114, LRV 45.5): a soft, cool leaning color (hue 121°) that keeps Black crisp and gray. It sits 42 LRV points from the floor (LRV 4), more than the 30 points that keep a wall and a floor reading apart. Or Clary Sage (Sherwin-Williams SW 6178, LRV 41).

What trim and ceiling color goes with Black?

Chantilly Lace (Benjamin Moore OC-65, LRV 90): 86 points over Black in LRV, a clean white (chroma 2.7) that keeps Black crisp.

What cabinet color goes with Black?

Silver Satin (Benjamin Moore OC-26, LRV 74.9): a light color with some life in it, so cabinets float off Black (a 71 point step in LRV). Cabinets in Silver Satin or Chantilly Lace: a dark floor needs light cabinets to float above it.

What wood furniture goes with Black?

Contrast, not a match: a step lighter: a mid brown wood (like our English Chestnut stain sample). A wood like our True Black sample is only 3.2 apart (CIEDE2000) and reads as a near miss.

How do I put a room together around Black?

Living room: Saybrook Sage walls and Chantilly Lace trim over Black, velvet in pewter with a slate blue pillow, aged brass lamps on low. Kitchen: Cabinets in Silver Satin so they float off Black, Chantilly Lace walls and trim, polished nickel pulls.

Is Black a light or a dark floor?

Very dark: LRV 4 and L* 24, measured from its own picture, with almost no undertone. At LRV 4, Black is very dark: it is at its best in a big room with good light and warm lamps, and it shows dust, pet hair and fine scratches more than a mid tone.

What colors should I avoid with Black?

Walls at the lightness of Black: Cascades (Sherwin-Williams SW 7623, LRV 4.2) sits within a point of its LRV of 4, so wall and floor would blur into one. Wood that almost matches Black: a tone like our True Black sample, 3.2 apart (CIEDE2000), reads as a near miss. Go clearly darker or lighter.

The room it suits

Light, size and wear, from the floor's own record.

At LRV 4, Black is very dark: it is at its best in a big room with good light and warm lamps, and it shows dust, pet hair and fine scratches more than a mid tone.

At 16 inches a tile, a 12 foot room is about 9 tiles across.

Black is waterproof, so it belongs in kitchens, baths, mudrooms and basements as well as living spaces.

CoreSPC, a rigid stone polymer coreFirm underfoot and resists dents from furniture.
WaterWaterproof (the maker's word)Wet mopping is fine; a flood is not.

From the floor's own record

What only this floor's data can say.

One of our most-asked-for floors: estimated 2 times, chosen 2 times since 2023.

Black is lighter than 1 percent of the 1,198 vinyl floors we carry, measured the same way, and warmer than 4 percent of them.

The same look in real wood: Urban, Shaw Floors Eclectic Oak, only 1.5 apart in color (CIEDE2000).

To get this color on an oak floor you already have, the nearest of our stains is True Black (3.2 apart, CIEDE2000, from our own photographs on red oak).

Black, the specifications
Width	16 in
Thickness	6mm (5mm spc core + 1mm ixpe pad)
Installation	Float
Core	SPC
Construction	SPC
Carton	21.18 sq ft
Water	Waterproof (the maker's word)

The floor

Every color, price and detail on its own page.

Black

Nero Marquina · 13511

Waterproof vinyl tile · SPC · 16 in

$4.49 per sq ft · $95.10 a carton

Material only. Delivery and installation extra.

Black: price, specs and samples

Take it with you

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973-728-9717

Powell Flooring, 1811 Union Valley Rd, West Milford, NJ 07480

Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm · Open later by request

How we chose

Paint names, codes, hex and LRV as Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore publish them (each color links to its page).

BS 8300-2:2018 asks for a difference of at least 30 LRV points between adjacent surfaces, such as a floor and a wall, so the surfaces read apart.

The floor measured from its own picture in CIELAB (D65); the wood tones from our own photographs of 37 stains on oak.

A picture's lightness depends a little on how it was lit, so the floor's LRV is read from the evenly lit field the visualizer lays and rounded. See the real floor before you choose paint: visit the showroom, or ask for a free measure and estimate.