2022 | COMPLETE GUIDE: FLOORING TRENDS

Floor trends keep changing with time, and if you are installing a new floor or upgrading an already present floor, it is important to consider the right type of flooring trend to follow. This is important because if you do not follow a flooring trend that is latest, or that is growing, or if you followed a flooring trend that is fading or has lost its popularity, your floor would become outdated. It would appear as a floor that has gone out of trend. If this happens, a lot of people have to redo their entire flooring to make it look like it is still in trend or it is not an outdated one. But redoing the entire floor costs a lot of money.

To avoid this kind of situation, it is very important to learn about the different flooring trends that are popular at this and the ones whose popularity is growing or fading. If you know these two things, you can choose a flooring trend to follow in 2021 that will last for the next few decades. Meaning that your floor will remain in trends for the long term. Trending floors not only make your home look up to date, but they also match most of the interior settings, furniture, and kitchen cabinet styles and colors. So, carefully choosing a flooring trend in 2021 is also important in this regard as well.  Below is a list of few flooring trends that are popular, and whose popularity is not on the decline but the rise.

Solid Hardwood Flooring Trends in 2021

When it comes to flooring trends, no list is complete without discussing the hardwood flooring trends. It is one of the oldest flooring trends that are still alive and very popular as well. There are a lot of sub-trends in the solid hardwood flooring that is on the rise. Most of these flooring trends are related to the specific hardwood species or specific hardwood shade. Solid hardwood floors are the type of floors that are made up of unprocessed hardwood.

It is unprocessed in this regard that it is not engineered, it is just cut and shaped into the hardwood flooring planks. There are a lot of reasons for the popularity of the hardwood floors, including their beautiful and softer look and feel. They are easy to clean and maintain nature, comfortable and warm under feet, and their ability to last longer than most other flooring options.

Here are two common categories in the solid hardwood flooring trends.

• Trending Solid Hardwood Species: There are unlimited options when it comes to choosing hardwood flooring species. From Oak to Mahogany, all types of trees are used in making the hardwood floors. Tree species such as bamboo and cork are also used for flooring purposes. But not all the hardwood flooring species have the same value or the same feature. That is why not all the hardwood flooring species are trending the same as well. Some hardwood flooring species are more common than others, while some are becoming obsolete in the coming days. oak, walnut, hickory, maple, and cherry are some of the trending hardwood flooring species.
  
  The reason for these species on the trend is because they have all the best features that hardwood flooring offers, such as a beautiful looking floor that is comfortable under the feet and that can survive for long. Apart from these, these hardwood flooring species are comparatively easily available and affordable. While hardwood flooring species such as Mahogany are also still in trend but those are very expensive hardwood flooring species. That is why those are not very common.
  
  Trending hardwood flooring species are Oak, walnut, hickory, maple, and cherry.

• Trending Solid Hardwood Shade: Apart from hardwood flooring species, the other thing that helps set or create a trend is the look and shade of the hardwood flooring. Every hardwood flooring species has its look. You can use that natural look of the hardwood species, or you can improve it into a more modern hardwood flooring option.
  
  Every hardwood species falls under two different flooring shades, light hardwood flooring, and dark hardwood flooring. Each has its pros and cons. For example, the light hardwood floors are easy to maintain and clean. This is because they have a lighter surface that can mask the scratches and dust from the surface of the hardwood floor. Also, the lighter hardwood floors have their disadvantages as well. Such as, they are difficult to finish into a specific color stain. The lighter surface of the hardwood floor makes it difficult to stain these floors and create the look that you want.
  
  Meanwhile, the dark hardwood floors are known for their comfortable, contemporary, and beautiful look and feel. These hardwood floors can be finished into whatever stain you want with ease. Apart from this, these dark hardwood flooring species are often considered a sign of luxury. Not only this but also the dark hardwood floors do not change their color as much as the lighter hardwood flooring species do.  But these hardwood floors also have their disadvantages, such as they are extremely hard to keep clean and maintain properly. This is because their darker surface does not mask any of the dust particles or scratches. That is why it requires frequent cleaning.
  
  Trending hardwood flooring shades in 2021 are dark and cool-toned, gray and gray blends, light, natural, and muted, whitewashed, and lightly whitewashed.

Solid hardwood floors can be installed in any part of the home, including the kitchen, halls, bedrooms, entryways, living rooms, and dining rooms as well. Their extreme durability and long-lasting ability make them the most suitable choice for any part of your home. So, if you are planning on choosing a solid hardwood floor, make sure that you choose the one from the most common or trending species, and finish it in the most beautiful and trending floor finishes in 2021. Doing this will provide you the best solid hardwood floor that is not only strong but is also according to the trends and up to date.

Textured Tiles Trends in 2021

Another important and fast-growing flooring trend is the use of textured tiles on the floors. Mostly these tiles are used in the living rooms and entryways. The reason behind this use is that these tiles are extremely hard and durable meaning that they can survive the maximum amount of traffic and pressure applied on their surface. These tiles are even harder and stronger than the wooden floors which mean these can survive even longer than a wooden floor. Also, like the wooden floors, textured flooring tiles are not prone to water damages. Even if the water enters the core of the textured tile, it would not be able to cause any swelling that it causes mostly in the hardwood floors and they get dents over their surface.

The textured tiles floors provide more protection and are comparatively cheaper and easily available in comparison to most hardwood floors. That is why these tiles started to trend worldwide in use. These tiles have a very smooth surface, which provides a very pleasant walking experience. But as these tiles are either made from clay or stones, these tiles can quickly absorb the heat and become very hot during the summer. While in winter, in the absence of heat, they absorb cold from the atmosphere, making the floor extremely cold under the feet.

Also, these floor tiles are unrepairable like the hardwood floors, if a tile is broken from the floor, it can only be replaced with a new tile. But the good news is that these are extremely hard to break and very easy to clean and maintain. You can install these tiles in any part of your home, but most people prefer installing these in the bathrooms, entryways, and living rooms as they create beautiful patterns or textures and provide an elegant and classic look on the floor. These tiles do not absorb water, which makes them ideal for installation in any part of the house you want.

Moroccan-style textured tiles, geometric-shape style textured tiles are some of the most common flooring trends of textured tiles in 2021 to follow.

Vinyl Flooring Trends in 2021

In recent years, vinyl flooring has grown in popularity, it is now considered one of the fastest-growing flooring trends. One of the main reasons behind their popularity is that these are very easy to install. You can buy a vinyl floor that you want, and you can easily install it on your own. That is how it can help you save a lot of money that you otherwise would have spent on the floor installations. Another reason for its popularity is that these are completely waterproof floors. This means they can be used in any part of the house including the bathrooms, kitchen, and bedrooms as well. These floors can depict the look and feel of any type of floor, including hardwood floors, and natural stone tiles as well.

Apart from these, the vinyl hardwood floors are also known for providing a great variety of choices. These floors come in different types, including floor planks, and vinyl floor sheets. Some luxury vinyl flooring options are considered as good as the laminate floors. The only drawback of these vinyl floors is that they are not made from eco-friendly materials. These floors are not made from wood, stones, or porcelain, but these are made from the different chemicals known as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). These chemicals are not good for the environment, and the process of making these floors also produces a lot of chemical wastes as well. Not only this, but these floors also do not have the same age as the wooden floors, or the tile floors have.

They just survive for two decades at max, and they cannot be refinished if their surface gets scratches or dents. The only thing that you can do is to replace the entire floor plank or vinyl sheet. Apart from these drawbacks of these vinyl floors, these are very popular and are known for their beautiful and colorful pattern. The vinyl floors are also a very affordable flooring solution, it can help you save a lot of money on the floor planks purchases, installation, and floor finishing. As this type of floor comes already finished, and you just need to install them on the floor.

Stone look luxury vinyl tiles, Wood-Look luxury vinyl planks, mixed-width luxury vinyl tiles, wide planks vinyl floor, dark and light-shaded vinyl planks, and tiles are some of the most common and most popular flooring trends. These vinyl flooring trends are still growing in 2021, and they are expected to last longer. So, if you choose any of these vinyl floors, you will have an up-to-date and trending floor for the next decade and so on.

Patterned Carpet Flooring Trends in 2021

If you are looking forward to having a very affordable floor and comfortable floor, carpet flooring is one of the best options that you have. Now in 2021, patterned carpet flooring has seen a rise in the trend charts. Most people prefer installing it in the dining rooms and bedrooms. These are not good for the bathroom and kitchen usage as they are not waterproof. They absorb water and they are extremely hard to clean as well. For these reasons, it is not a good idea to install these floors in your entire home. But if you want to save money on the flooring, you can install it in any part of your home.

These patterned carpets feel warm and very comfortable when you are walking over them. They do not have a harder surface like wooden floors or tile floors. That is why they feel very comfortable and soft under the feet. Carpet floors now also provide you the option to pick from their varieties such as carpet tiles, natural fiber, or synthetic fiber-carpets. These are some of the most common flooring options in patterned carpet flooring trends in 2021.

In most homes, carpet floors alone are not used, but they are used in combinations with other floor types. In some places, hardwood floors and carpet floors are used in combinations, while in some other places, carpet and tile floors are used in combinations. This creates better floor conditions because places such as the kitchen and bathroom are not good for carpet use, so you can use hardwood and tile in those parts, while in the dining rooms, and bedrooms, you can install these comfortable and cozy carpet floors.

Patterned Carpet tiles, natural fiber, or synthetic fiber-carpets, and wall-to-wall carpet are some of the most common and most trending floor types of 2021 that you can install in your homes.

Engineered Hardwood Flooring Trends in 2021

Engineered hardwood floors are also one of the most common and fast-growing flooring trends in the United States. This type of flooring started in the 1960s, and after that, this trend has been growing. The reason for this rapid growth in this trend is because this flooring type provides all the pros of a solid hardwood floor as it is stronger, more durable, and can be installed in part of the homes. Not only this, but also, it has more protection against wear-and-tear, damages, and scratches. It is also more water-proof than normal hardwood floorings. This is because the upper layer of these engineered hardwood floors is coated with more strong water-resistant materials.

This enhanced protection from water and moisture damages makes them a suitable flooring choice for even bathrooms, basements, and kitchens as well. These floors are also very easy to clean, maintain and repair. Also, in comparison to solid hardwood floors, these are affordable and easy to install. This means you can install them on your own and save a lot of money that you otherwise would have spent on the installations. The drawbacks of engineered hardwood flooring are that it does not provide the vast variety like solid hardwood, also if its surface is destroyed, the floor gets destroyed too because with no protection on the surface water can reach the core of engineered floor planks and can cause them to swell and rupture. Also, engineered hardwood floors cannot be finished again and again as solid hardwood floors can be.

Lighter engineered hardwood floors white washed engineered hardwood floors and cool gray, to cool light brown floors are some of the trending engineered hardwood floors of 2021. These trends are expected to further grow over the year, which means if you choose one of these floors, your floor would remain in trend for the next several years.

Laminate Flooring Trends in 2021

Laminate flooring is also one of the growing flooring trends in 2021. It is because these floors are stronger, lighter, more durable, easy to install and maintain. These floors are made using four layers of different components, a high-density wood fiber, a photographic layer, a protective layer to protect the photographic layer. Each of these layers is fused in a process called lamination. With the help of this process, each layer is created separate from another and then each of these layers is applied over one another and then fused strongly. This creates a very flexible, strong, water-proof, and more protective against scratches layered floor type.

As these floors have enhanced protection against water damages, and scratches, this means they will require less frequent maintenance. Not only this but also the laminate floors can be used in any part of your home including your bathrooms, basements, bedrooms, halls, dining rooms, and kitchen. These floors have a lot of pros but they also have some cons. These are made using synthetic chemicals that are considered harmful to human health. Also, the floors are not as strong as the hardwood floors or tile floors are which means they only last a few decades. Also, if the surface of these floors is broken, they become more prone to water damages as the water can seep through the photographic layer to the inner core of the laminate floors. This can cause them to swell and create dents on the surface of the laminate floors.

Also, you cannot finish these floors, they already come finished and you just need to install them. Once their surface gets scratched, the only solution is to replace the floor. But apart from these disadvantages, these floors are very affordable and also very beautiful. The photographic layer in these floors can be used to depict any type of flooring look that you want. Which allows the creation of a huge variety in the floor finishes.

Tile-look Laminate Flooring, Distressed Wood-Look Laminate, Rustic and Hand Scraped Wood-Look Laminate, Light Wood Laminate, Gray Laminate, High Variation Laminate, Chevron Laminate Floors, and Wide Plank Laminate Floors are some of the most common and most popular laminate flooring trends that are growing in popularity in 2021. This means if you install these floors, your floor will remain a part of this trend for a long time.

Things to Consider When Choosing a Floor

When you are choosing a floor for your home, it is very important that you also consider a few other factors apart from the trends. Trends only tell you about what is popular right now, but it is very important that you carefully analyze which trend will remain in trends in the future and which one will not. This analysis will provide you better insight into what type of floor you should have. But choosing a trending floor is not the only thing to consider, it is also equally important that you know the merits, and demerits of that floor type, shade, or color as well. This is important because every pro of the flooring type also has a con as well.

For example, dark colors are very pleasant and warm and look luxurious on home floors, but they are extremely hard to clean. Not only this they also cost a lot more in comparison to light hardwood floors. The reason behind this is that only a few hardwood species produce a premium dark look. This premium dark look is beautiful but is very hard to maintain. Based on these arguments, we can say that you should also consider other important things while choosing a floor.

Below are some of the important things that you should consider.

• If it is a hardwood floor, consider the species, color, shade, finishes, stain, and floor installation.

• If you are choosing an engineered hardwood floor, know about its durability, hardness, water-proofing, color, shade, and finishes.

• But if you want a tile floor, try to know if it is porcelain or natural stone tile, know about texture, and color.

• If it is a carpet, laminate, or vinyl floor, consider their color, shade, texture, and overall look.

These are a few things that you should consider with each type of flooring that you want to install except the trends. These things will help you choose the best floor in your budget.

Final Thoughts

Installing a floor in your home is one of the permanent decisions that you make once in your life-time. That is why it is important to make the right decision or you will end up paying a lot of money for redoing your floors. One of the most important things to consider while choosing or installing a floor is to consider the flooring trends. You should check if the floor type you are installing is trending floor type in 2021 or not. If it is not trending, or its trend has faded away over time, you should not install it. This is because, in the next few years, that trend will completely fade away, and you will end up redoing your floor to make it up to date.

You can choose a trending floor from different types of flooring; solid hardwood flooring is one of the most common and oldest floor types. It has many pros and cons, but overall, it is one of the best flooring solutions that you have. In solid hardwood flooring, you should always consider the hardwood finishing color/shades, and hardwood flooring species. You should only choose trending finishes and trending hardwood flooring species such as Oak, walnut, and hickory.

Apart from solid hardwood, there are other options as well, such as engineered hardwood, laminate flooring, vinyl flooring, carpet flooring, and textured tile flooring. Each of these also has its pros and cons, and you should choose the ones that are based on the trend recommendations. But apart from choosing a trending floor in 2021, you should also consider some other factors, such as life-span, strength, durability, water-proofing ability, and maintenance of the floor as well. Keeping these in mind will help you choose a floor that is according to the trends and that will last longer as well. 

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