Warm tones are back big. The age of gray is going away. People are looking for honey oak, walnut brown, caramel, chestnut, even soft greige. People want cozy and not sterile. After the lockdown from Covid, people wanted to have homes that felt less institutional and more comfortable. Earth tones in paint colors have begun to come in that have more depth of color and provide more accent to furniture and flooring.
Planks have gone wide. Larger planks make the room feel bigger and 7”, 9”, and up to 12” planks are available. White oak has grown in the market as the more popular option right now. The warmer colors tend to hide dirt, and stains better.
Matte over Gloss. Low-sheen, oiled, wire-brushed finishes hide scratches, show more depth of color, and give a more natural look to the wood flooring.
If you have a solid wood floor, you can have it professionally sanded and change the colors and finish to a warmer tone. Red Oak floors can have the red tone removed so that the colors are softer and warmer. Matte finish can be used as a top coat to be reflective of light and to show more color in the flooring. There are other classic finishes such as penetrating oil finishes that give an extremely deep color, but there will be more maintenance to those types of finishes.
Popular Species of wood have changed. White Oak, Red Oak, and Hickory are becoming more popular with access to Maple and Walnut in many collections and some Ash. Hickory's trending for kitchens because of the warm natural color, it is durable but watch out for more natural looks with heavy amounts of knots. Some species and qualities offer a more natural look with more variation in the coloring of the wood when finished.
Wood is a natural product and one of the classic flooring options in the world. Luxury vinyl and laminate floors copy wood. Stains, finishes, species, how it is milled, and where it comes from all have a place in how the wood will look in the end. It has a story of how it get to you. You just have to decide how the story continues when you choose which wood flooring gets put into your home.
