# Red River Hickory in a traditional room

Red River Hickory, from the COREtec Originals Classics line, is a mid tone vinyl plank with a golden undertone (measured from its own picture: LRV 23). Here it pairs with Pale Oak walls, Swiss Coffee trim, and Naval 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/red-river-hickory-traditional

## The floor
- Red River Hickory, COREtec Originals Classics: Waterproof vinyl plank · WPC · 5 in (SKU VV023-00508)
- Price: $6.39 per sq ft · $169.14 a carton. Material only. Delivery and installation extra.
- Every color and detail: https://www.powellflooring.com/floors/coretec/coretec-originals-classics-vv023/red-river-hickory

## Measured from its own picture
- LRV (light reflectance value, 0 black to 100 white): 23
- CIELAB (D65): L* 54.8, a* 12, b* 27.1, chroma 29.6, hue 66.2 degrees
- Undertone: a golden undertone, warm without leaning red
- The grain and color of Red River Hickory move from board to board (a spread of 4.9 in L*), which helps hide everyday wear.

## Paint
- Walls: Pale Oak (Benjamin Moore OC-20, LRV 68.6, +45.9 from the floor). A soft neutral with a touch of warmth (hue 95°), so Red River Hickory stays golden without turning yellow. Source: https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-colors/color/oc-20/pale-oak
- Or walls: Creamy (Sherwin-Williams SW 7012, LRV 81.2, +58.5 from the floor). A soft neutral with a touch of warmth (hue 89°), so Red River Hickory stays golden without turning yellow. Source: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/white-paint-colors/sw7012-creamy/
- Trim and ceilings: Swiss Coffee (Benjamin Moore OC-45, LRV 81.9). 59 points over Red River Hickory in LRV and warm enough (chroma 5.7) to read white, not blue, beside its golden undertone. Source: https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-colors/color/oc-45/swiss-coffee
- Deep note: Naval (Sherwin-Williams SW 6244, LRV 4.5). Deep and cool, about 163° around the color wheel from Red River Hickory and 18 points darker in LRV, so each makes the other look richer. Source: https://www.sherwin-williams.com/en-us/color/color-family/blue-paint-colors/sw6244-naval/
- Lower cabinets or an island in Naval, uppers and trim in Swiss Coffee. The floor at LRV 23 sits between the two (5 and 82).

## Wood, rugs and metals
- Wood a step darker: a charcoal wood, like our Heritage Brown stain sample. About 20 points darker than Red River Hickory in L* (35 against 55), far enough to read as a choice.
- Wood a step lighter: a pale, bleached wood, like our Country White stain sample. About 17 points lighter than Red River Hickory in L* (72 against 55).
- Rug or fabric, tone on tone: blush (#e2cab8). 13 in chroma, half the warmth of Red River Hickory (30), and 28 points lighter in L*.
- Rug or fabric, across the wheel: graphite (#384b57). Hue 246°, straight across the color wheel from the 66° of Red River Hickory, softened to balance it.
- Rug or fabric, grounding: chocolate (#46382d). A deep note at L* 25, 30 points from the 55 of Red River Hickory, so a rug keeps its edge.
- Metal: unlacquered brass. A warm metal that agrees with the golden undertone of Red River Hickory (hue 66°).
- Metal: aged brass. A warm metal that agrees with the golden undertone of Red River Hickory (hue 66°).
- Metal: matte black. Black works with every undertone; beside Red River Hickory at LRV 23 it gives the room its outline.

## What to avoid
- Walls at the lightness of Red River Hickory: Retreat (Sherwin-Williams SW 6207, LRV 20.9) sits 2 points from its LRV of 23, so wall and floor would blur into one.
- Wood that almost matches Red River Hickory: a tone like our Neutral sample, 1.0 apart (CIEDE2000), reads as a near miss. Go clearly darker or lighter.
- Creamy yellow walls: yellow on yellow flattens the golden undertone of Red River Hickory (hue 66°).

## The room it suits
- At LRV 23, Red River Hickory 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 5 inches a board, Red River Hickory lays about 29 boards across a 12 foot room.
- Red River Hickory is waterproof, so it belongs in kitchens, baths, mudrooms and basements as well as living spaces.
- Wear layer: 20 mil (about 0.51 mm of clear protection over the printed wood, the part that takes the traffic)
- Core: WPC, a wood plastic composite core (a little softer and quieter underfoot)
- Finish: UV Acrylic
- Water: Waterproof (the maker's word) (wet mopping is fine; a flood is not)

## 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.