Flooring is like fashion or your home. Thankfully, the trends don’t change nearly as quickly as they do in the clothing industry. However, we live in a time where technologies advance quickly. This is true for the flooring industry as well where recent innovations have left us with more flooring options than ever before. While it can be overwhelming, we’re here to help. We are sharing the latest flooring innovations in 2020. Which will be your favourite?
Environmentally Responsible Flooring
Climate challenges have grown significantly, bringing forth a new cultural movement that has pushed manufacturers and consumers to start thinking about how they impact the environment. This means that beyond the look of the floor, homeowners want to know where their floor came from and how it was produced.
At the forefront of this movement is carpet, with almost all carpet being produced from recycled materials, at least in part. Mohawk Flooring is leading this movement with their EverStrand Carpet, which is made entirely from recycled materials. Additionally, with R & D, manufacturers are looking into ways to make carpet more recyclable, saving our landfills from over 3 billion pounds of carpet thrown away each year.
There are also flooring materials that are made from renewable resources, making them a more environmentally friendly option for the consciousness consumer. For example, cork and bamboo are excellent alternatives to solid hardwood. And speaking of hardwood, you will see a lot of recycled and reclaimed hardwood being used. You know what they say, “reduce, reuse, recycle.”
Lookalike Flooring
This isn’t exactly new but it is still going strong and again, because of technology advancements, the products being produced today are more superior than ever before. Wood look flooring is the top style however this category covers stone, concrete and so much more.
Solid or engineered hardwood can be expensive, is high maintenance and not the best option for a busy household with children and/or pets. However, there are so many luxury vinyl’s, laminates and even tiles on the market that feature beautiful wood looks, are easy to maintain and don’t have the sticker price of real wood.
Another popular style for homeowners this year is marble-look flooring. Again, natural marble is expensive but also extremely sought after. Now that it is much more accessible to homeowners, we will see a rise in popularity in marble tile this year.
Waterproof Flooring
It is 2020 so it is about time that tile and sheet vinyl are no longer our only waterproof flooring options. A dream come true for busy homeowners with children and/or pets, there are now waterproof laminate, luxury vinyl, carpet and even some engineered hardwood (although not 100% waterproof). This trend took the world by storm thanks to the influx of Rigid Core Luxury Vinyl’s. These products not only feature a waterproof core, but are also durable, easy to maintain, and is available in upscale, trendy looks.
