HOW WOOD FLOOR TRENDS HAVE CHANGED: THE EVOLUTION

Since the beginning of humanity, flooring has been ever-changing. From dirt, sand, straw, wood, concrete, and much more, we’ve undoubtedly tried all materials. This is because we’re always optimizing for better. In terms of flooring, many trends have started and vanished because of the style, comfortability, durability, and heat retention capabilities.

But, within recent years, floor trends have come and gone. Let us explore how significantly flooring trends have changed over the years.

How have wood floor trends changed?

Knowing about trends and the evolution of humanity is rather interesting, especially in terms of wood flooring.

Basic and glossy: 1970s to 2000s

From the early 70’s-90’s, a superior floor design was basic and shiny. The flooring color consisted of red oak and blond-colored wood. Including with these colors was the width. Nowadays, flooring is much broader. However, back in the 2000s, most wooden floors planks were only 2 1/2” wide.

This flooring had mixed feelings, you either love it or hate it. Nonetheless, you still see this type of flooring in some properties. This trend got left behind because people started developing a love for distressed, organic, and reclaimed wood, which leads up to the next trend.

Distressed and organic: 2000 to 2010

Heading into the new millennium, and that’s the 2000s. During these years, the world went through a variety of different trends, but the most evident was distressed and organic wooden flooring. The flooring found in properties was a lot cozier than the basic and glossy colors found in the last trend.

These floors had a much darker visual appearance, and many homeowners opted-in for styles like Tuscan brown, rustic, and reclaimed. Although many people within the industry say that this trend has been wiped out, I’d say otherwise. This flooring is still highly used in posh restaurants, village pubs, and various hospitality industries.

Wide and matte: 2021+

Now we head onto today’s trends, and from 2010 to today, the flooring style has changed the most. Nowadays, instead of dark, thin, and organic wood floors, many people choose engineered wide plank flooring.

The first major difference between the trends is the width. With engineered wide plank flooring, many property owners choose a width of 6 to 7 1/2”. However, there are also more significant differences. Instead of dark and cozy designs, many engineered wide plank flooring comes in a bright white oak matte finish.

Pretty much anything that looks clean, natural, light, and soft, which is remarkably different from the previous bold, exotic, and rich trends we were once used to.

Now you’re aware of the wooden floor trends over the recent years, let’s dive into why people have gravitated towards the trend we have today.

Why is engineered wide plank flooring trendy?

As mentioned, people in today’s age are highly favorable to engineered wide plank flooring. This isn’t just because the technology of creating wooden planks has changed. But, as time moves forward, clever home designers have discovered that this type of flooring can provide you with an astonishing amount of benefits when applied correctly.

It makes the room look bigger

The most prominent visual advantage that engineered wide plank flooring can provide you is making the room look bigger. If this is your desired outcome and reasoning for implementing engineered wide flooring, you need to think about this carefully.

Although a huge benefit of wide plank flooring is that it can make space appear visually bigger, it can actually have the opposite effect if you don’t apply it correctly. This normally occurs when you opt-in for too wide a plank, but staying around the 6 to 7 1/2” wide benchmark is perfect.  

They offer unique flooring designs

Wide planks are perfect for developing non-traditional flooring designs. With engineered wide plank flooring, it comes in an array of different styles. People prefer light, soft, and simple colors within the market, which invites brightness into a room.

Also, because modern styles are light, it doesn’t mean that dark and chic styles don’t suit wide plank flooring. Many businesses choose dark-wide plank flooring within the hospitality industry to offer a cozy and appealing look.

More durable options

Apart from offering a much better visual design, many people consider wide plank flooring a much more durable option. This is due in part to the core construction. Engineered flooring typically comes with either a solid or engineered plywood core. This allows the plank to move (as all wood flooring naturally does) significantly less than say a solid wood. Meaning throughout the seasonal changes, you will have less trouble managing floor gaps due to temperature and moisture differences.

Increase property value

Lastly, another reason why engineered wide plank flooring is trendy is that it adds value to a property. This is now considered a modern design, and that’s what current home buyers are trying to purchase.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many reasons why the engineered wide plank is becoming increasingly popular. This trend is undoubtedly here to stay to offer a unique and prominent look.

After reading, you should be knowledgeable on the floor trends in the last 20+ years. The wide plank will most certainly be here for the long haul, as it looks visually stunning and has some great design attributes.