Here at First Floors in Glasgow we see a difference each year in the demand for certain products and annual flooring trends. A few years ago the most popular floor was a solid oak flooring, deemed to be the most desirable flooring available. Customers wanted a real product and solid wood flooring was the best choice available. This has steadily been replaced with the desire for a more stable product that can be fitted over any sub floor and over underfloor heating, and so we have seen a rise in the popularity of engineered wood flooring
In terms of the latest flooring trends there has been a huge rise in the popularity of luxury vinyl flooring too, as the manufacturing process of this product has become so sophisticated in recent years, it has allowed customers to fit a luxury vinyl floor that look and feels just like real wood, concrete, slate, tile or stone but with all the hardwearing benefits of a synthetic product.
But what are the trends set to influence our flooring choices in 2017? Here are some of the predictions we’ve scanned the web for. Time will tell if these trends will be popular here in Scotland.
Luxury Vinyl
We have already seen a rise in the popularity of luxury vinyl in the last few years and one of the most well established brands is Amtico. We recently had a customer who’d had Amtico installed in their home for over 46 years and wanted to change it – not because it needed changing but because she wanted a different style and colour. She naturally went for another Amtico product! Another popular brand is Karndean but other manufacturers are hot on their heels including Moduleo, Harvey Maria and Quick Step Livyn. The beauty of luxury vinyl is that it’s available in wood, stone, concrete, slate and stone effect either in a plank or a tile format. It’s easy to fit with two options; stick down and click. It’s very hardwearing and can be used in any room in the home. There are so many designs to choose from and you can even choose a Cath Kidston design or a water, floral or aqua effect to give your home the ‘wow’ factor
Reclaimed Wood
Reclaimed wood is very popular with customers especially in Glasgow’s sout
side and West End where they are moving to traditional villas and tenement flats. A reclaimed wood floor can really enhance the beauty of a traditional building. The great thing about wood flooring manufacturers today is that they are producing some incredible effect wood floor boards including hand scraped, distressed and antique matt lacquered which all mimic the properties of a reclaimed floor but with a lower price point and with a manufacturers guarantee. One of the flooring trends for those looking for a reclaimed wood floor is a hand made board by Ted Todd or a French Oak design by Panaget.
Wood Flooring Designs
Wood flooring has moved on from the traditional plank to more exciting designs reminiscent of orginal Victorian wood flooring such as herringbone and crosshatch designs. These are now readily available from a number of brands including Boen and Quick Step and also in wood effect luxury vinyl from Moduleo, Karndean Quick Step Livyn and Amtico. In addition wood floors are available in both matt lacquered, lacquered and oiled and brushed finishes. It’s a longer fitting process as each individual short board is laid in the desired design but it’s well worth it.
Cut-and-Loop Carpet
The trend in carpets has moved on from the shaggy pile and patterned
carpet towards a Berber Loop and patterned designs such as herringbone. New technology also allows for the manufacture of softer fibers such as those found by Mohawk iSense, reating a luxurious feel without the look of a looser pile carpet.
American Hardwood
Homeowners and interior designers still want American Hardwood products truly sustainable wood flooring product as the North American manufacturers do a good job replenishing our forests as we cut them down. We don’t see this trend dying down any time soon.such as Oak and Maple, a
C
oncrete
Concrete is a definite flooring trend and can adapt to any décor and is especially popular for those with a more modern property with clean lines and sleek finish. Concrete can be hard and cold, so the luxury vinyl brands have come up with several concrete design options that look fantastic, and being luxury vinyl they ar also hardwearing, slip resistant, water resistant and unlike concrete a luxury vinyl tile is warm underfoot. One of the most popular are the concrete designs from Moduleo which are available in several colours and tones
We have many options in our Glasgow showroom and our specialists are on hand to help you choose a new floor.
Contact us for a Quick Quote and to talk to us about one of the flooring trends mentioned here that you’re interested in for your home.