Very few things in a home can make such a difference to both form and
function as new floors. Flooring reflects not only your style and personality,
but also your lifestyle. The right floor can make it easier to keep your home
cleaner, hide imperfections, and set the mood for a cozy living space. And
although flooring has generally been an “anything goes” environment for a while
in home design, there are certain trends that have been a lot more popular than
others. Here’s a brief round-up that should make your flooring search a little
easier.
Hard Flooring Options
Hard flooring is any kind of flooring
with a solid, and generally non-porous, surface. It’s a pretty big group of
materials, really. Hard flooring offers many benefits. The materials are more
resilient to regular use, so wear life is longer. And cleaning is easier
because there’s no fibers to capture things like pet hair, loose skin cells,
dirt, and microbes. Some of this year’s most popular hard flooring options
include:
- Vinyl Plank. Vinyl
plank is designed much like laminate flooring, with a tongue and groove
locking system that creates a watertight seal when properly installed. The
difference between vinyl plank and laminate flooring, however, is that
vinyl plank is made from solid vinyl, rather than being several layers of
different materials sandwiched together. It’s a great choice for wet areas
like kitchens and bathrooms, and for households with pets and children. As
a bonus, vinyl plank is available in a huge range of patterns, from
synthetic marble to the super hot high variation wood-like floor patterns.
There’s a vinyl plank product for basically any situation.
- Wood-Look Porcelain Tile. If you want something that will last longer than vinyl plank,
but still look like wood, wood-look porcelain tiles are a great option.
They look like wood planks, but are made from extremely durable porcelain.
It’s an option that’s very permanent and will last for many, many years to
come. They can also be purchased in the high variation wood patterns,
though the effect is less obvious than with vinyl plank since there is
grout between the tiles.
- Terrazzo. This
might be the coolest flooring you’ve never heard of. Although it’s
popular, many people don’t know the term for it. Terrazzo is that tile
flooring that’s made from concrete with lots of inclusions like glass,
shells, or other interesting bits mixed in. It looks great in mid-century
modern homes, or those decorated in the style. And since concrete is
extremely durable, it will last and last.
- Reclaimed Wood. There are lots of places you can go to buy reclaimed wood,
sometimes referred to as “architectural salvage.” When a building is being
torn down, firms can sometimes acquire the materials, especially if the
building is historic. You can also talk to individuals you know who are
looking to commit crimes like removing all the original hardwoods from a
home they’re remodeling, and pick up the flooring for cheap. It can be
labor intensive to install reclaimed wood floors, but you’ll end up with a
totally unique look and keep building materials out of the landfill, so
it’s kind of a double win.
What About Carpet?
Homeowners have run hot and
cold about carpet across the generations. Sometimes they’re in, sometimes
they’re out, and usually there are some people who are still really into them
even when their popularity is waning. Right now the trend in carpets is to opt
for carpeting in limited spots, like using carpet runners for stairs. Carpet
tiles are seeing some popularity, especially since they come in a ton of fun
colors and tend to have a very low nap, making them easy to keep clean. If you
want more carpet, look for large area rugs or keep your carpet in low-use rooms
like bedrooms. “Maximalism” is making a big comeback, encouraging big patterns
and colors with big personalities. Clashing is the new matching, it would seem.
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