Flooring Trends of 2015

One of the best ways to update your home, aside from a fresh coat of paint, is to update your flooring. There are a lot of choices when choosing flooring, giving you a range of materials, colours and patterns, and cost.

The biggest flooring trend of 2015 is switching your flooring choice to an environmentally friendly option. Bamboo and cork flooring are very popular choices because they are renewable resources, taking less than 10 years to mature compared to 60 years for traditional hardwoods. Engineered bamboo planks are made of thinly sliced stalks of bamboo glued to a backing material, creating a veneer sandwiched between layers of waterproof material. This makes them extremely durable and suitable for wet environments, though once damaged they must be replaced. Cork is resistant to mould and mildew, so it is suitable for any room in your home. The soft and spongy feeling makes it an appealing alternative to tile for rooms like the kitchen, where you stand a lot, and dishes are less likely to break on the softer floor.

Another green building trend is to use reclaimed wood, rather than new hardwood when choosing wood floors. Recovered wood from unique building sites, such as abandoned mills, bridges, barns, and warehouses creates a one-of-a-kind look. Each piece of your floor is rich with history and character that you can enhance and embrace. Refinishing the wood and giving it new life provides a look you just can’t recreate with newly manufactured wood.

A new member of the flooring line-up is luxury vinyl flooring. Gone are the days of standard patterns printed onto vinyl! Luxury vinyl gives a world of opportunity, mimicking the look of tile, hardwood, slate or stone, with the benefits of vinyl. Vinyl flooring is durable and waterproof, as well as being easy to clean and install. If you’re looking for the high-end look of hardwood or tile in your home, but aren’t sure about the cost or durability, luxury vinyl may be the choice for you.

Painted and stained concrete is another emerging trend. Painted concrete floors are suitable for basements, bathrooms, and even outdoors, and aren’t your typical grey concrete look. Stencilling concrete makes a great statement with your floor and the colours and design options are endless! Acid stained concrete can give an out-of-this-world look. Metallic pigments can be added or a variety of colours, creating a marbled look. Concrete floors are easy to maintain and clean up, and regardless of the finish, give some character to an otherwise plain floor.

With all the flooring options available now, there seem to be endless ideas for flooring choices. The limits have been lifted, allowing you to put previously off-limit choices like bamboo in wet environments, or beautify concrete floors for any space, inside or out!

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