Vision board · Traditional

Colonial Maple in a traditional room

Colonial Maple, a DuraSeal stain, is a mid dark stain on red oak with an amber undertone, measured from its own picture at LRV 20. Here it is with Stonington Gray walls, Swiss Coffee trim, and Cascades as the deep note, 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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Colonial Maple stain on a red oak floor in the living room of the lake house on the cove. CutPile Photoreal Rendering, an AI generated, simulated photo. — AI generated, simulated photo. Living room in daylight, The lake house on the cove.

Colonial Maple stain on a red oak floor in the great room of the 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.

Colonial Maple stain on a red oak floor in the living room of the farmhouse on the rise. CutPile Photoreal Rendering, an AI generated, simulated photo. — AI generated, simulated photo. Living room in daylight, The farmhouse on the rise.

12 in

WallsStonington GrayBM HC-170 · LRV 59

TrimSwiss CoffeeBM OC-45 · LRV 82

Deep noteCascadesSW 7623 · LRV 4

WoodA dark walnut toneLike our Golden Brown sample

The floor, measured

Read from its own picture, not from a name.

LRV: 20
Lightness L*: 52
Undertone: Amber
Hue: 55°

An amber undertone, warm and a little orange. 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.

Colonial Maple has a gentle movement from board to board (a spread of 2.2 in L*): calm, but not flat.

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

Stonington Gray Benjamin Moore HC-170 · LRV 59.4 · +39 from the floor

Its undertone leans green (hue 117°), which quiets the orange in Colonial Maple (hue 55°) instead of echoing it.

See it at Benjamin Moore

Or walls

Sea Salt Sherwin-Williams SW 6204 · LRV 63.2 · +43 from the floor

Its undertone leans green (hue 133°), which quiets the orange in Colonial Maple (hue 55°) instead of echoing it.

See it at Sherwin-Williams

Trim and ceilings

Swiss Coffee Benjamin Moore OC-45 · LRV 81.9 · +62 from the floor

62 points over Colonial Maple in LRV and warm enough (chroma 5.7) to read white, not blue, beside its amber undertone.

See it at Benjamin Moore

The deep note

Cascades Sherwin-Williams SW 7623 · LRV 4.2 · -16 from the floor

Deep and cool, about 143° around the color wheel from Colonial Maple and 16 points darker in LRV, so each makes the other look richer.

See it at Sherwin-Williams

Lower cabinets or an island in Cascades, uppers and trim in Swiss Coffee. The floor at LRV 20 sits between the two (4 and 82).

The palette, by the numbers
Role	Color	Maker and code	LRV	From the floor
Floor	Colonial Maple	DuraSeal stain on red oak	20
Walls	Stonington Gray	Benjamin Moore HC-170	59.4	+39
Or walls	Sea Salt	Sherwin-Williams SW 6204	63.2	+43
Trim and ceilings	Swiss Coffee	Benjamin Moore OC-45	81.9	+62
The deep note	Cascades	Sherwin-Williams SW 7623	4.2	-16

Wood, rugs and metals

Contrast, not a match.

Wood furniture

A step darker: a dark walnut toneAbout 19 points darker than Colonial Maple in L* (33 against 52), far enough to read as a choice. Like our Golden Brown stain sample.

A step lighter: a pale, bleached woodAbout 15 points lighter than Colonial Maple in L* (67 against 52). Like our Natural stain sample.

Rugs and fabric

Tone on tone: blush14 in chroma, half the warmth of Colonial Maple (32), and 28 points lighter in L*.

Across the wheel: graphiteHue 235°, straight across the color wheel from the 55° of Colonial Maple, softened to balance it.

Grounding: chocolateA deep note at L* 22, 30 points from the 52 of Colonial Maple, so a rug keeps its edge.

Metals

Unlacquered brassA warm metal that agrees with the amber undertone of Colonial Maple (hue 55°).

Aged brassA second warm metal in a worn finish, so the brass beside Stonington Gray walls never looks new and loud.

Matte blackBlack works with every undertone; beside Colonial Maple at LRV 20 it gives the room its outline.

Room by room

The palette put to work around Colonial Maple.

Living roomStonington Gray walls, Swiss Coffee trim and crown, a patterned rug in graphite and chocolate on the Colonial Maple floor, furniture in a dark walnut tone, unlacquered brass lamps.
KitchenCascades on the island, Swiss Coffee cabinets, aged brass knobs, the Colonial Maple floor underfoot.
Dining roomSea Salt walls, a table in a dark walnut tone, chairs in blush, an unlacquered brass chandelier.
BedroomStonington Gray walls, blush bedding, a graphite throw, nightstands in a pale, bleached wood.

What to avoid

The near misses, by the numbers.

Walls at the lightness of Colonial Maple: Retreat (Sherwin-Williams SW 6207, LRV 20.9) sits within a point of its LRV of 20, so wall and floor would blur into one.
Wood that almost matches Colonial Maple: a tone like our Golden Pecan sample, 2.1 apart (CIEDE2000), reads as a near miss. Go clearly darker or lighter.
Pink or peach beige walls: they pull more orange out of the amber undertone of Colonial Maple (hue 55°).

Questions

About Colonial Maple and color, answered from the numbers above.

What wall color goes with Colonial Maple flooring?

Stonington Gray (Benjamin Moore HC-170, LRV 59.4): its undertone leans green (hue 117°), which quiets the orange in Colonial Maple (hue 55°) instead of echoing it. It sits 39 LRV points from the floor (LRV 20), more than the 30 points that keep a wall and a floor reading apart. Or Sea Salt (Sherwin-Williams SW 6204, LRV 63.2).

What trim and ceiling color goes with Colonial Maple?

Swiss Coffee (Benjamin Moore OC-45, LRV 81.9): 62 points over Colonial Maple in LRV and warm enough (chroma 5.7) to read white, not blue, beside its amber undertone.

What accent color goes with Colonial Maple?

Cascades (Sherwin-Williams SW 7623, LRV 4.2): deep and cool, about 143° around the color wheel from Colonial Maple and 16 points darker in LRV, so each makes the other look richer. Lower cabinets or an island in Cascades, uppers and trim in Swiss Coffee. The floor at LRV 20 sits between the two (4 and 82).

What wood furniture goes with Colonial Maple?

Contrast, not a match: a step darker: a dark walnut tone (like our Golden Brown stain sample), or a step lighter: a pale, bleached wood (like our Natural stain sample). A wood like our Golden Pecan sample is only 2.1 apart (CIEDE2000) and reads as a near miss.

How do I put a room together around Colonial Maple?

Living room: Stonington Gray walls, Swiss Coffee trim and crown, a patterned rug in graphite and chocolate on the Colonial Maple floor, furniture in a dark walnut tone, unlacquered brass lamps. Kitchen: Cascades on the island, Swiss Coffee cabinets, aged brass knobs, the Colonial Maple floor underfoot.

Is Colonial Maple a light or a dark floor?

Mid dark: LRV 20 and L* 52, measured from its own picture, with an amber undertone. At LRV 20, Colonial Maple is mid 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 Colonial Maple?

Walls at the lightness of Colonial Maple: Retreat (Sherwin-Williams SW 6207, LRV 20.9) sits within a point of its LRV of 20, so wall and floor would blur into one. Wood that almost matches Colonial Maple: a tone like our Golden Pecan sample, 2.1 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 20, Colonial Maple is mid 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 2.25 inches a board, Colonial Maple lays about 64 boards across a 12 foot room, the busy, tailored look of a classic strip floor.

A sand and finish of red oak strip floors in any room above grade.

HardnessNorthern red oak: Janka 1,290 lbfThe force to press a steel ball halfway into the wood; a higher number dents less under heels and chair legs. How hard is that? The Janka scale
FinishStain on site, then clear coatsThe color is in the wood, so a worn floor can be sanded and stained again.

From the floor's own record

What only this floor's data can say.

The same look in waterproof vinyl or laminate: Smoked Amber, Stanton Enchanted Forest, only 3.5 apart in color (CIEDE2000).

The nearest of our other stains is Golden Pecan (2.1 apart, CIEDE2000, from our own photographs on red oak).

The floor

A stain we put on your own oak floor.

DuraSeal

Colonial Maple

Stain on red oak

Stain · on red oak · 2-1/4 in strip

Colonial Maple on our stain page

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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.

Janka hardness from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory Wood Handbook (2021), Table 5-3b, at 12 percent moisture.

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.