Hardwood flooring remains the gold standard of flooring for homeowners. It’s not just timeless. It’s durable and there seems to be a way to make it work for just about every single type of home style.
Interior designers are in love with hardwood, particularly when it comes to some of the newer trends hitting showrooms. But, which trends are going to really reign supreme? This is what style forecasters have to say.
The Hottest Hardwood Flooring Trends Of 2023
1. Wider Planks
For the longest time, the planks used in flooring were fairly narrow—often less than 3 inches in width. Nowadays, designers are starting to see the visual perks of having wide planks. They give the home a more continuous look and also help add a modern edge.
Narrow planks often have the downfall of looking busy or oddly vintage, especially in contemporary homes. Expect to see wider planks that *almost* look like vinyl tiles. Don’t worry, you can still get those herringbone patterns with wider planks!
2. Light Stains And Bleached Flooring
Traditional hardwood flooring is used to involve dark stains like cherry or bold colors like red oak. Nowadays, people are walking away from darker colors, and rightfully so in many cases. Dark flooring colors can make your home look cramped and dim.
The light wood floor color can help open up a small room. It also can help you get that gorgeous breezy look that looks amazing on Instagram. The most popular light color stains include light beige, greige, and even ash grey.
In most cases, you will need to bleach your wood floors to be able to get them to look pale enough for this trend. While you can do it yourself, we suggest getting pre-stained wood. This is especially true with gray flooring since those stains can be fickle.
3. Luxury Vinyl Tile
So, it’s true that this is a post about hardwood floors, but not all of us can afford solid wood floors these days. That’s why some homeowners are turning to luxury vinyl plans that have the same appearance as real wood.
Vinyl tiling is durable enough to handle high levels of foot traffic without scratching, but it also remains affordable compared to most real woods. If you want a wood color that isn’t easy to do, such as gray wood flooring, vinyl can make the project easier.
Like the laminate flooring types of decades past, vinyl tile is generally easier to install than wood flooring. It also will not have knots like wood does. Unlike laminate tiling, vinyl tile looks almost identical to the real McCoy.
The good news for everyone, though, is that you can find a tile style that mimics virtually any wood. So, it’s a simple way to make sure you get the look you want.
4. Distressed Wood Flooring
If there is one trend that has become increasingly pronounced as years go by, it’s farmhouse chic. Rustic looks often involve flooring that is a little rough around the edges, giving it a “faux antique” look that is sophisticated and beautiful all at once.
There are several ways to get the look that distressed wood can offer. The most obvious one is to just let time do its thing. However, you can also use wire brushes to add a more in-depth texture or hand-scrape it for a scratchy look.
Distressing hardwood flooring that’s already installed in your home can be a deeply labor-intensive process. This is why many people prefer to get laminate tiles or vinyl planks that come premade with the distressed look built-in.
5. New Finishes
If you have been keeping abreast of solid hardwood floor trends, then you already know that gloss is no longer the only finish you can choose. In fact, it’s not even the hottest finish you can choose.
More often than ever before, flooring can be treated with brand new finishes. Matte finishes, in particular, have become popular among interior designers who want to add a nice flair to their floors. They’re particularly popular in luxury apartments.
Other options include semi-gloss as well as tinted finishes. Some even help reduce the chances of your flooring dealing with a scratch by hardening the wood with aluminum oxide. Not all of them are DIY-friendly but they are still there if you want them.
6. Smokey Floor Colors
Most of us have lived through the honey oak and honey maple trends of the early 90s and 2000s. It’s not surprising that anything with a yellow hue has started to wane in popularity since those years. It now looks dated.
If you want to get something that looks edgy for your living room or dining room, you may want to check out the smoky floor color trend. This involves adding grey stains to your hardwood floors, or even going for a bicolor look.
This look is modern for many reasons, the most obvious being that these hues weren’t even possible in the 90s. (Well, they weren’t possible for most of us. They were astronomically expensive and stains were often hard to find.)
Smokey looks don’t work with all interior styles. Fans of industrial, modern, and rustic rooms will have the best luck with this trend. If you want to try something more “homey contemporary,” smoke might be a bit too strong for your ideal look.
7. Natural Tones
Are you tired of having everything feel manufactured and mass-produced? Most of us are. That’s why more people are starting to turn their attention to room design that focuses on color palettes that have a deep link to nature.
If you want to add a “forest” look to your home? If so, stop going for the yellowy and bold reds that are typically found in stains. That’s not how you get that look. Instead, go for tans and mild neutral tones as the wood stains of your choice.
This gives your home the “Scandinavian chic” look that has become a staple among influencers. If you need that Insta-friendly appearance that makes people swoon, it’s a good idea to enjoy this trend.
8. Sustainable Woods
As people become more aware of climate change and the damage that certain industries do to the environment, a bigger focus on sustainable woods has started to take place. It’s the easiest way to have wood floors and still keep the earth safe from deforestation.
The lumber industry has been taking note of the demand, which is why companies have been working to use woods that once weren’t quite popular for flooring. Bamboo currently leads the pack for sustainable woods, but there are other woods that fit this bill too.
Cork wood flooring is another form of sustainable woods, and this one is ideal for bedrooms and living rooms. It’s water-resistant, warm to the touch, and much softer than most other wood flooring options. It’s also fairly affordable, even for people who are on a tight budget.
If you want to choose an earth-friendly wood, lumber manufacturers make it easy. Most sustainable woods are easy to spot thanks to their label. Woodworkers will be happy to pair you with the right one for you!
9. Old World Tradition
With everything in home fashion changing left and right, it makes sense that one of the trends that people have started to lean into deals with tradition. Sometimes, you just want to see some old fashioned hardwood flooring.
The easiest way to make this work for you is to stick with narrow planks that have a beautiful oil finish in the vintage hue of your choice. Old world tradition in hardwood flooring is popular because it reminds us of simpler, happier times…or just reminds us of fantasy worlds.
In other words, sometimes the best way to treat trends is to assume that you don’t need to fix something that isn’t broken. Just simple maintenance will work out fine.
In Conclusion
No matter what kind of decor you want to have, it’s clear that the natural beauty of wood will add a special twist to your home. As long as you take your time browsing, you’ll find an amazing solution for your home