Hardwood flooring is often seen as classic and timeless. It can add character and value to your property, while creating a beautiful atmosphere. When you think of wood flooring, you probably imagine the typical golden Oak floor. There are so many more choices which can complement any modern or traditional style of home, make a statement or blend in subtly with your décor. Here are the top wood flooring trends of 2018:
1. Parquet Block Hardwood Flooring
Parquet block wood flooring is centuries old but becoming increasingly popular again. The flooring is made from either solid or engineered blocks of wood, rather than planks. This means that they are fitted in a different way and can look very different to typical hardwood flooring. The sizes of the blocks allow you to create geometric designs and unique patterns, such as herringbone, basket weave, or a chevron effect. Parquet flooring can immediately draw attention to a room and would be classed as a statement floor. With dramatic and eye-catching patterns, you can achieve a stunning and fabulous floor. The great thing about parquet block hardwood flooring is that it can be found in a different species of wood, offering different colour tones and grain patterns. Also, as with any hardwood floor, you could apply a colour stain, which would give a truly remarkable and unique floor.
2. Grey Wood Flooring
Grey wooden flooring has been extremely popular for the last few years and is still going strong. The grey floors that have been popular recently have been a medium stone-grey colour, which provide a clean, modern and minimal look. 2018 is set to change this slightly. You are more likely to see more pale greys with softer tones which offer a bright and airy atmosphere. Grey wood flooring is dominating the market now and there are so many alternatives out there. Make sure you order samples of the flooring first as there are so many different colour tones and shades available. Grey floors are ideal for any room in your house and tend to go well with most types of décor. The beauty of a grey floor is that it is still a natural product. It is versatile, and you can add layers of colour and textures with furniture and interior design.
3. Distressed Wood Flooring
Distressed wooden flooring is the perfect choice for traditional or modern homes. It will give you an aged and worn appearance, which will add character and charm to any space. Most types of distressed wood flooring have been distressed intentionally during production. Small imperfections are added to the surface of the floor and then it has layers of oil added for protection. The imperfections or distress marks complement the natural beauty of the wood. This is set to be a popular type of flooring in 2018. It can be found in different species of wood, colour stains and different sized planks, so they will definitely be something to give you a rustic appeal. If you want extremely distressed and worn flooring, have a look for a re-claimed hardwood floor. They can be hard to find and sometimes expensive, but you will have a truly unique and eco-friendly addition to your home.
4. Hand Scraped Wood Flooring
In previous years, high gloss, shiny floors have been trending, but that is all set to change in 2018. Its time to move on to more natural and authentic type of flooring. Hand scraped hardwood flooring has a textured and rustic appearance. The surface of the boards has been scraped by hand to reveal the natural beauty and charm of the wood grain pattern. The definition added to the planks is entirely unique. Because it is done by hand, it means that no two planks are the same. This is the perfect type of flooring if you want something slightly different, which still brings character and warmth to your home.
5. Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo flooring is becoming more and more popular due to its strength, durability, eco-friendly credentials, and cost effectiveness. The beauty of a bamboo floor is that you are still getting natural product that is of high quality, but it has so many more benefits than hardwood. Bamboo is an extremely fast-growing grass, that keeps re-growing after it has been cut down. This is what makes bamboo the eco-friendly alternative to hardwood flooring. A bamboo plant can reach full maturity within just 5 years, compared to decades for a hardwood tree. Bamboo has a distinctive appearance, depending upon which type of bamboo flooring you choose. Strand Woven bamboo is extremely durable and hardwearing; over twice as hard as Oak flooring, so is perfect for busy areas or even commercial properties. As bamboo flooring is becoming more sought after, there are far more options to choose from, including: parquet block, click fitting, distressed looking bamboo, grey bamboo and different finishes and plank thicknesses.
6. Wide Plank Flooring
Wide plank wooden flooring is becoming increasingly popular with homeowners. It gives a traditional and authentic feel to the natural wood product. Wide planks are usually classified as anything over 180mm. The most common widths are 190mm, 220mm and 240mm. To give the wide planks of flooring their stability, they need to be in an engineered format. You will struggle to find solid wood flooring wider than 180mm. Even if your flooring is engineered, you still get the beauty of a natural wood from the surface, but additional strength, stability and versatility from the base layers underneath. Wider planks of hardwood look great in a larger room with lots of space to show off the wider planks. Similarly, if you have a small area, a wider plank can help to add an illusion of depth and volume.
7. Staining your Hardwood Floor
Hardwood flooring is relatively versatile, especially if you choose an unfinished hardwood floor. This means that you can add different colour stains and finishes depending upon how unique you want your flooring to be. The more traditional colour stains are different shades of brown to enhance the colour of your wooden floor. However, tastes and styles are changing, and you can find almost any colour to stain your floor. The most popular colour stains of 2018 will be either ultra-dark or ultra-light. Extremely dark hardwood colour stains will give rich and mature tones. Be careful with a dark coloured flooring though; you are best to have a bright colourful décor with plenty of natural light to complement the darkness of the floor. A light-coloured flooring stain, like whitewash, can give a fresh, bright and airy look. When thinking about colour stains for your floor, you really can have any colour you can imagine, but be mindful of your décor and the style of your house.
8. Varying Plank Widths
Some types of solid wood and engineered wood flooring is available with random plank lengths, which creates a natural looking hardwood floor. 2018 is thought to bring about more creativity with flooring options and the possibility of varying plank widths to produce an alternative, trendy and unique looking floor. The down side of this is that you will struggle to get exactly the same colour and style of flooring in a wide range of different plank widths. And, when you do it could be quite costly to install as it would need thoroughly planning to minimise the number of wasted planks you would have left over.
