Wood flooring has changed tremendously in recent years. Manufacturers in particular have increased the range of color and texture in a bid to make wood flooring suitable in a greater number of interiors. In this visual guide we take a closer look at the most recent trends.

TYPES

There are in fact two types that fall under the definition of real wood flooring. One called solid wood because it is made from whole wood and one called engineered wood because it is made from wood and synthetic materials. Both look the same and cost the same.

Solid Wood – The use of complete wood makes this type especially strong. It is suitable in most interiors, particularly commercial interiors due to the floorboard’s strength. It does not suit wet areas such as the bathroom or kitchen, nor on top of under floor heating (due to expansion from heat).

Engineered Wood Flooring – The use of wood on the top helps ensure equal look when compared to the previous type. The use of synthetics in its core (ply, mdf and softwood) means that you can fit this floorboard across the entire interior, even in wet areas and even on top of under floor heating.

 

COLORS

The color of the floorboard often comes from the species of hardwood. There are a few common species of hardwood that are used for flooring. The list includes:

Walnut – Available from Europe and from North America, Walnut flooring tends to display darker shades. Walnut is considered a great long-term investment because of its durability.

Oak – Oak is the most common material for hardwood flooring. The color can vary from light grey to deep brown. Oak floors are considered stylish due to attractive grain pattern and equally strong.

Ash – Ash typically grows in Europe but also in parts of Asia. The wood is particularly strong and features almost white heartwood. It is a great option.

Maple – Another popular choice comes from the Maple tree. The wood that comes in shades of honey is incredibly strong, which can make working with the wood time-consuming (and therefore expensive to you).

 

TEXTURES

The finish of the floorboard was traditionally used to protect the floorboard from minor damage (e.g. dragging items on the surface, contact with shoe sole etc.), however nowadays it is used in conjunction with technological processes to alter the texture of the floorboard. Popular trends nowadays are black, white and grey texture options.

White – White wood flooring is popular in areas that get limited natural light or when you wish to make the room look bigger using an optional illusion. The whiteness is achieved by using special diluted white color in a process that is called ‘white-washing’ or ‘lime-washing’.

Black – Black and darkwood flooring is popular to create a stylish interior against white furnishing. The black color is achieved by thermo treating the wood in a stove until the required degree of dark is achieved.

Grey – Grey wood flooring have only come to light in the last few years. The traditional color of wood furnishing (i.e. brown / honey) would often clash with natural color wood floors, so manufactures developed the grey color which seems to sit well with traditional color of wood furnishing.

 

Thanks for reading. For information on interior design and to discuss your project in detail, contact Design Theory Interiors.

 Information by Jonathan Sapir, CEO of http://www.woodandbeyond.com/ Follow him on Google+, Twitter or Facebook.