One of the most important parts of any dream remodeling project is the type of flooring you choose. Not only does it need to be beautiful, but durability and ease of maintenance are of equal importance. Needless to say, selecting a dated shag carpet doesn’t compare with a gleaming wood floor or a luxury top-of-the-line tile – especially if you have kids or pets.
With that in mind, here are a few of the latest hot flooring products and trends – with a few tips on designer looks, colors, patterns and textures – to make your remodeling project sizzle — both today and tomorrow.
1. Vinyl: Vinyl flooring technology gets better and better every day with numerous options both in material and looks. Sheet Vinyl offers a DIY-friendly, affordable, waterproof choice with great designer patterns. Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) offers contemporary looks from wood and stone to marble and decorative patterns. These vinyl planks consist of classic wood grain and embossed surface textures that are tough to distinguish from the real thing. Best of all, LVT not only offers beauty, but with it comes easy-to-clean low maintenance – making it one of today’s more popular choices.
2. Tile: A popular option for its “use anywhere” versatility, tile is a great choice for bathrooms, kitchens, entries, hallways — you name it. Looks are equally versatile, ranging from luxurious genuine marble and travertine to ceramic, porcelain and the more affordable high-end imitators that rival the real thing. Today, intricate designer patterns and decorative tile shapes are hot, hot, hot! Less is more when it comes to grout — narrower joints, larger tile and better-quality grouts add durability and make for lower maintenance. Tile can be timeless and, with proper installation, can last a lifetime.
3. Hardwood: And speaking of timeless, natural hardwood flooring is a luxury staple that denotes enduring elegance. But a newer alternative, engineered hardwood, is taking the industry by storm. With looks that rival the real thing, this alternative to solid wood offers a genuine wood veneer surface over man-made materials for durability and affordability. Planks also offer greater stay-in-place dimensional stability. Designer hand-crafted quality accents provide authentic-looking scraped, wire-brushed and distressed surfaces. Overall, lighter woodgrains are gaining in popularity. Engineered flooring products are typically prefinished and can be refinished-in-place down the road based on the thickness of the wear layer.
4. Laminate: One of today’s more popular wood-look options, laminate flooring, is made to imitate hardwoods. It’s an attractive, easy to maintain, stylish alternative with a durable multi-layer design. Its low price point makes it an affordable choice for both homes and businesses. Laminate is one of the most DIY-friendly products and can often be installed to “float” over existing flooring materials. Latest trends are for lighter colors that make spaces feel more open. Larger and/or wider planks and random color variations are also popular choices.
5. Stained Concrete: Just because you have a concrete floor doesn’t mean that you need to cover it with a flooring product. These days stained and acid-washed designer surfaces offering a wide array of amazing durable beauty are rapidly gaining in popularity. As with laminate flooring, a stained, acid washed, or stone coated finish (www.daichcoatings.com) can be an easy DIY project. And you won’t find a finish that is more kid and pet proof or easier to maintain. Want one of today’s hottest trendy alternatives? Check it out before you cover it up.
6. Carpet: Whether wall-to-wall or area specific, luxurious carpeting remains a timeless staple for warmth and comfort. Luxurious large neutral fields, unique new patterns and bold splashes of accent color remain designer favorites that pair well with both wood and tile. These days, medium-to-large area rugs are used in harmony with other flooring materials such as hardwood, tile, laminate and LVT. They provide warmth, improve acoustics and can act as the perfect decorator touch to complete a space.
To explore your home improvement project, schedule a virtual or in-home design consultation with a member of the award-winning Carey Bros. Remodeling team at https://careybros.com/contact.
You can get more tips at our website at www.careybros.com/blog or pick up a copy of our book, “Home Maintenance For Dummies 2nd Edition”
