# Neutral in a traditional room

Neutral, a DuraSeal stain, is a mid tone stain on red oak with a golden undertone (measured from its own picture: LRV 24). Here it is with Repose Gray walls, Greek Villa trim and Cascades as the deep note, chosen by the numbers.

A vision board by Powell Flooring, 1811 Union Valley Rd, West Milford, NJ 07480, 973-728-9717. AI assisted: the rooms are AI generated, simulated photos; the floor, the paint colors and every number are real.
Page: https://www.powellflooring.com/vision-boards/neutral-traditional

## The floor
- Neutral, DuraSeal stain on red oak: Stain · on red oak · 2-1/4 in strip
- Every color and detail: https://www.powellflooring.com/sherwin-williams-minwax-duraseal-stain-colors/neutral

## Measured from its own picture
- LRV (light reflectance value, 0 black to 100 white): 24
- CIELAB (D65): L* 56, a* 12.1, b* 27.4, chroma 30, hue 66.2 degrees
- Undertone: a golden undertone, warm without leaning red
- Neutral has a gentle movement from board to board (a spread of 2.1 in L*): calm, but not flat.

## Paint
- Walls: Repose Gray (Sherwin-Williams SW 7015, LRV 58.2, +34.3 from the floor). A soft neutral with a touch of warmth (hue 97°), so Neutral stays golden without turning yellow. Source: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/neutral-paint-colors/sw7015-repose-gray/
- Or walls: Revere Pewter (Benjamin Moore HC-172, LRV 55.1, +31.2 from the floor). A soft neutral with a touch of warmth (hue 95°), so Neutral stays golden without turning yellow. Source: https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-colors/color/hc-172/revere-pewter
- Trim and ceilings: Greek Villa (Sherwin-Williams SW 7551, LRV 84.2). 60 points over Neutral in LRV and warm enough (chroma 5.3) to read white, not blue, beside its golden undertone. Source: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/white-paint-colors/sw7551-greek-villa/
- Deep note: Cascades (Sherwin-Williams SW 7623, LRV 4.2). Deep and cool, about 132° around the color wheel from Neutral and 20 points darker in LRV, so each makes the other look richer. Source: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/green-paint-colors/sw7623-cascades/
- Lower cabinets or an island in Cascades, uppers and trim in Greek Villa. The floor at LRV 24 sits between the two (4 and 84).

## Wood, rugs and metals
- Wood a step darker: a charcoal wood, like our Heritage Brown stain sample. About 21 points darker than Neutral in L* (35 against 56), far enough to read as a choice.
- Wood a step lighter: a pale, bleached wood, like our Country White stain sample. About 16 points lighter than Neutral in L* (72 against 56).
- Rug or fabric, tone on tone: blush (#e5cdbb). 13 in chroma, half the warmth of Neutral (30), and 28 points lighter in L*.
- Rug or fabric, across the wheel: graphite (#3b4e59). Hue 246°, straight across the color wheel from the 66° of Neutral, softened to balance it.
- Rug or fabric, grounding: chocolate (#493b2f). A deep note at L* 26, 30 points from the 56 of Neutral, so a rug keeps its edge.
- Metal: unlacquered brass. A warm metal that agrees with the golden undertone of Neutral (hue 66°).
- Metal: aged brass. A second warm metal in a worn finish, so the brass beside Repose Gray walls never looks new and loud.
- Metal: matte black. Black works with every undertone; beside Neutral at LRV 24 it gives the room its outline.

## Room by room
- Living room: Repose Gray walls, Greek Villa trim and crown, a patterned rug in graphite and chocolate on the Neutral floor, furniture in a charcoal wood, unlacquered brass lamps.
- Kitchen: Cascades on the island, Greek Villa cabinets, aged brass knobs, the Neutral floor underfoot.
- Dining room: Revere Pewter walls, a table in a charcoal wood, chairs in blush, an unlacquered brass chandelier.
- Bedroom: Repose Gray walls, blush bedding, a graphite throw, nightstands in a pale, bleached wood.

## What to avoid
- Walls at the lightness of Neutral: Retreat (Sherwin-Williams SW 6207, LRV 20.9) sits 3 points from its LRV of 24, so wall and floor would blur into one.
- Wood that almost matches Neutral: a tone like our Weathered Oak sample, 3.6 apart (CIEDE2000), reads as a near miss. Go clearly darker or lighter.
- Walls that lean yellow: yellow on yellow flattens the golden undertone of Neutral (hue 66°).

## The room it suits
- At LRV 24, Neutral is a mid tone: it holds its color in a sunny room and hides everyday dust and pet hair better than a very dark or very light floor.
- At 2.25 inches a board, Neutral 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.
- Hardness: Northern red oak: Janka 1,290 lbf (the force to press a steel ball halfway into the wood; a higher number dents less under heels and chair legs)
- Finish: Stain on site, then clear coats (the color is in the wood, so a worn floor can be sanded and stained again)

## Sources
- 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.