2 Outdated Hardwood Flooring Trends You Should Avoid
Posted on: 7 December 2015
As soon as you decide to install hardwood floors, through a place like National Carpet Mill Outlet, in your home, you might draw from a long list of memories regarding flooring you have seen in the past. Unfortunately, some of those older hardwood styles might make your home look dated, which could ultimately affect your home's value. Here are two outdated hardwood flooring trends you should avoid and why:
1: Parquet Hardwood Flooring
If you plan on laying that hardwood flooring on your own, you might zero-in on versions that claim they are easy to install, like parquet. Parquet flooring, prized for its basket-weave pattern and interlocking squares, is easy to customize and sometimes made from real wood. Unfortunately, while parquet might seem like a great way to add a little visual interest to your floor, most people these days shy away from those busy-looking squares.
Although parquet was a prized flooring choice in the 1800's, when each piece was custom-cut, sanded, and attached to the floor with tiny nails, the look became mainstream in the 1960's and 1970's. Unfortunately, even a brand new parquet floor might make your home look like it hasn't been renovated in years, since people tend to associate them with the hippie era of home building.
Parquet flooring also has a few other disadvantages. Since parquet is comprised of several pieces of wood glued together and then arranged in a pattern on your floor, there are loads of seams where water can penetrate the surface. Unfortunately, if water can make its way between those squares, the wood can warp, the pieces can come loose, and you might be faced with a full-scale flooring replacement.
These days, most people lean towards plank flooring, which contains fewer seams and is more reminiscent of the traditional, well-made homes built during other eras. If you are concerned about making a plank floor interesting, consider asking your flooring contractor about colored wooden border inlays or hand-scraped planks. Both upgrades will give your flooring character, without looking cheap.
2: Reddish Stains
That interesting stain with red or orange undertones might seem like an easy way to make your home feel more inviting, but if you aren't careful, it might also clash with all of your interior paint colors and furniture. Older stain colors were typically reddish or contained orange pigments, which were designed to bring out the natural tones in the wood and to give your home a warm look. However, homeowners these days tend to gravitate towards these modern stain colors:
- Ebony: If you want to make your home stand out instead of your floors, consider an ebony finish. Ebony is a black stain with cool undertones, and it can add a great contrast between white crown molding and cream, beige, or even colored walls.
- Jacobean: For a warmer look, try a Jacobean stain, which is more of a dark brown color. Jacobean stain is interesting because it brings out the character of the wood and creates a gorgeous, multi-faceted rubbed look.
- Gray: It might seem crazy, but gray hardwood flooring stains are a modern trend that isn't going away anytime soon. In addition to disguising dark and light dirt alike, gray floors can give your home a silvery glow—while remaining neutral.
To keep your floors looking clean, opt for a satin or matte finish instead of high-gloss stain. Matte and satin finishes disguise dings and scratches better than glossy floors, which might mean that your flooring will look better for longer. If you are concerned about that gray or dark-brown flooring falling out of favor in the future, don't despair. Hardwood flooring can be sanded down and refinished later if you ever change your mind about the color or the finish.
By choosing the right style of hardwood floor, you can make your home look clean, modern, and beautiful.
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