One of the first things that are likely to attract you to a timber is its appearance. You walk into a showroom and a particular timber looks attractive. Possibly the colors and tonal variation fits well with other features in the home or intended destination for the floor.
This is a good first step however it is important to recognize that the appearance of this timber is governed by several things. These include the coating that has been applied to the timber. Many people have chosen a timber based on a small board only to be disappointed when the timber is delivered to site because it looks entirely different. Not that the appearance will be 1000 shades different but it will be different without the coatings. Coatings play a huge role in the final appearance of the timber. Therefore when choosing a timber “ask to see the timber in its raw state and inquire as to what finish has been used on the display board.” In this way you will actually know what you are looking are. I have spoken to many people who frankly thought that they were looking at different timbers simple because the finish on the timber was so different in each location. Yes, it can make that much difference.
Interestingly, timber floor coatings generally add a color to the floor. Polyurethane for example has a straw or yellow color and the drying process may draw tannin in the timber to the surface for added color. [The exception to this being waterborne polyurethane, which is basically, clear or light grey.] Oils are a traditional finish, which will generally darken the appearance of the floor.
From just these few comments is easy to see how important it is to know the finish that is on the surface of the timber flooring; for example you may be drawn to the yellow tones in the timber when in fact it is the coating that is yellow while the timber has a blonde tone.
When considering the appearance of a timber floor it is also good to look at an area of flooring that exceeds 1m. In timber there are variations in color that may not be apparent on a small display board. Therefore as you short list your timbers down to a small number of choices you can make sure of your decision by asking to see a large area where the timber has been installed. This will introduce your to the range of tones that naturally occur in the timber. You will then be far better quipped to make an informed choice. Timber, being a natural product does have natural variation. People are often surprised by the tonal range that naturally occurs in timber. With laminated products where a picture is used rather than timber or in a floating floor/engineered floor it is possible for closer color matching to occur than where a natural timber floor is installed on site. Where the floor that is sought has little tonal variation then the floating or engineered product may be a more appropriate choice. In some modern settings I have seen this used very well indeed.