FLOORS
by Hank and Judy Goldstein, Owners CSC Floors www.cscfloors.net
A few weeks ago, we attended the annual international flooring market, “SURFACES.” We go every year to see the latest in the flooring industry and apply those trends to the real estate market. Flooring plays an important role in selling a home– knowing what flooring styles and trends buyers are seeing in the media and looking for in the homes they’re buying. Here are some of the trends CSC Floors feels will be most important to buyers and sellers in 2016:
HARDWOOD Color Trend – Opposites Attract
Very dark colors (espresso, dark walnut, true browns) and very light colors (light or blonde woods) are the trends this year. Gray tones are still popular, but reds are not as much. The traditional hand-scraped planks continue to be popular.
Go Wide
Wider planks make a space look larger and more modern. Generally, 3.25” to 5” width planks look more contemporary. Planks that are wider tend to give a more rustic look.
Location, Location, Location
Hardwood flooring
Hardwood continues to grow in popularity for kitchen floors, especially because open concept floor plans are more the norm. In addition, there has been a growing trend toward adding hardwood in entryways and powder rooms.
portion of the industry in the past two years,” according to Scott Humphrey, chief executive of the World Floor Covering Association, a trade group based in Anaheim, California, who said this flooring category has developed thanks to extraordinary photo Wide-plank LVP flooring technology that mimics wood (or just about any other material) so closely that you have to look twice to see that it’s vinyl. LVP products come in a wide range of styles and thicknesses, which makes it an attractive choice for just about any budget.
CARPET Carpet continues to be the quickest and most affordable choice for buyers. It’s important to understand not only what type of carpet buyers want, but where they want to see it.
Cut loop carpet
Carpet that has a mixture of cut pile and looped fibers to form a pattern continues to grow in popularity. More and more patterns are being introduced by manufacturers to match a wide variety of décor styles.
What’s Out?
Bamboo – In our opinion, this seems to be a fad that has just about run its course. Bamboo does not hold up well – to water or foot traffic. Generally, it’s a cheaper alternative to hardwood and most cannot be refinished, so they really aren’t sustainable. Bamboo has been widely pushed by cheaper big box stores, and because most are made in China, they have a lot of adhesive and may have high levels of formaldehyde. Customers are getting smarter and realizing this.
LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank)
Continues to be the “it” product. “It’s the fastest-growing
Patterned carpet