4 Flooring Trends To Watch in the New Year

The new year is almost here. As the snow sets in for some of us home remodeling projects turn indoors to remodel and redecorate interior spaces. Installing new flooring remains one of the most popular home remodeling projects. This type of home upgrade is a great way to add value to your home. If you are thinking of upgrading your floors in the new year there are four flooring trends to consider for your home.

Wide Plank Floors

It is hard to say whether “wide plank flooring” is really a trend, since has been around, in the Unites States alone since the first settlers landed on the Eastern shores. But the look of wide plank flooring has certainly evolved since the first 40” wide Pine board was installed way back when. At that time wide planks were installed for function and efficiency. Today we have the luxury of choosing wide plank flooring because they are unique and beautiful.

You can find wide plank floors in sizes from 3” – 20” wide, in a variety of species. Flooring in the 5-7” range is the most popular and affordable. When considering wide plank flooring, keep in mind that engineered flooring is more stable than wide plank solid flooring. Engineered flooring is made of a top layer of leather, wood, vinyl, laminate, then it is adhered to a thicker backing or substrate made of multiple layers of wood (see diagram below from Torlys Smart Floors. The top layer varies depending on the type of flooring it is – leather, cork, hardwood, vinyl, as does the thickness of the top layer).

Wide plank flooring remains popular because it helps create a more unique interior design aesthetic. A majority of flooring available today is only 2-3” wide! Wide plank boards naturally help reduce the number of seams in the floor making the rooms seem larger, more expansive and less busy. By choosing wide plank flooring you also have more variety of choices – some of which we will be talking about later on in this post – including cork flooring, laminate flooring, and vinyl flooring.

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Cork Flooring

Cork flooring is best known in the industry as a subfloor or sound deadening products for use in conjunction with your floor covering. Only recently has it become a floor covering solution.

Cork’s popularity is growing for a variety of reasons. It is environmentally friendly. Cork is a renewable and eco-friendly product. Cork flooring is affordable. Cork is also very comfortable underfoot providing a softer cushion of support which is preferred in spaces like bathrooms or kitchens where people may be standing for long periods of time.

Cork flooring is one of the more unique wide plank floors available due to its appearance.

The variegated textures and colors can be rustic or modern depending on the style of the room.

Grey Floors

The popularity of Gray floors shows no sign of waning. Whether it’s a soft milk-paint inspired hues or the dark gray of sun washed shingles.

So why are gray floors so popular?

Grey floors are versatile. They are neither too light or too dark, which makes them ideal for rooms of all shapes and sizes.

Want to make your room look larger? Combine light colored gray floors in wide planks with light colored walls for a fresh, bright look. Dark gray floors are perfect for modern interiors that want a cleaner appearance. Farmhouse styles floors benefit from gray floors, especially when paired with textures giving the floor a more rustic appearance. Gray floors are equally impressive in industrial designs as they play nicely with brick, copper, steel, wood, wrought iron and other natural interior elements.

Wide Plank Vinyl Flooring

Wide plank vinyl flooring, also known as luxury vinyl flooring or LVT, is gaining popularity in the industry. They are quickly becoming the floor covering of choice to replace industry staples like solid wood flooring and engineered wood flooring, and even porcelain.

Wide plank vinyl flooring offers a collection of benefits that you might not find in more traditional flooring. Unlike tile or porcelain that needs to be installed with grout, there are so styles of wide plank vinyl flooring, like those from Torlys Smart Floors, that can be installed without glue or nails. This is a huge advantage whether you are a do-it-yourself or hiring someone to do the installation for you. Clients also love that the wide plank vinyl flooring is so durable! It can easily be installed in high traffic areas including kitchens, bathrooms, restaurants and other commercial spaces. Most wide plank vinyl flooring is also waterproof! And in the case of Torlys Smart Floors, the vinyl flooring is dent, stain and scratch resistant – who wouldn’t love THAT Floor in their home or office. Like cork, wide plank vinyl flooring is more comfortable underfoot too which makes it a more popular choice.