6 Hottest Flooring Trends for Your Home

Who’s the biggest inspiration for flooring trends? Mother Nature herself. And with easy-to-clean, durable materials like waterproof engineered hardwood, vinyl and tile, flooring options are more cost-effective than ever.

Nature has become the major inspiration for flooring. The biggest trend now is a natural look with durable and easy-to-maintain look-alike materials.

When you’re ready for new flooring installation, you can get a variety of natural looks, including wood, stone, marble, travertine and slate, with materials like tile, resilient luxury vinyl and waterproof engineered hardwood,.

Waterproof engineered hardwood is an affordable alternative to traditional solid hardwood flooring. It has a stone-like core topped with an attractive veneer that’s coated with a waterproof sealant. Waterproof engineered hardwood resists scratches and dents much better than natural hardwood does.

Resilient luxury vinyl has become one of the fastest-growing types of flooring. It’s waterproof and withstands heavy furniture as well as foot traffic. Sears Home Services a luxury vinyl that comes with an attached acoustical pad that reduces noise; the pad has the added benefit of making installation go faster, because there’s no separate underlayment.

Here are the top six trends in flooring — and how to get the looks.

1. Farmhouse distressed and wood looks

Wood floors are still the most popular flooring type — but you can achieve the look with less-expensive tiles, engineered hardwoods and luxury vinyl that are more durable, waterproof and easy to clean.

Three varieties are particularly on trend:

· Wire-brushed: Looks as if it has intentional wire scratches that expose heart of the “wood”

· Hand-scraped: Gives the appearance of ingrained scrapes and plank variation so it looks unique and handcrafted

· Distressed: Has knots, wormholes and scrapes to look aged

Get the look: Spiced Pine or Alabaster Walnut engineered hardwood

2. Coastal

As resortwear rocks the fashion world, homeowners want to evoke that beachy feel in their houses as well. Whether it’s in a bathroom or a kitchen, flooring inspired by the colors of the sand and sea creates a calm, relaxed vibe.

Get the look: White Sand, Biscayne Sand, Beachcrest Sand or Sand Bar resilient luxury vinyl; Coastal Azul or Alabaster Sands tile; or Liberty Pine or Champagne Oak engineered hardwood

3. High variation

Not only do some flooring mimic wood planks of different widths and lengths, many options now show dramatic variations in color. It all helps give the flooring an authentic, one-of-a-kind feel.

Get the look: Sanded Edge, Night Edge, Feathers Edge, Drift, Shadow or Whisper resilient luxury vinyl. or Safari Oak engineered hardwood

4. Gray

The color is everywhere: on walls, cabinetry, furniture and, yes, flooring. It’s a trend that’s going to last awhile. While darker colors are still popular, lighter hues tend to make a room look larger. Lots of people are opting for floors with a washed gray look since they show fewer scratches than a darker floor covering.

Get the look: Grey Stone and Chimney Corner tile; or Liberty Pine or Champagne Oak engineered hardwood

5. Patterned

Consider using patterned tile to spiff up a bathroom or half bath in your home. Choosing patterned tile in a small space can provide the perfect, trendy accent that you’re looking for. Select a tight geometric or floral pattern that will repeat frequently for the best impact in a small space.

Get the look: Petal concrete-like glazed ceramic tile

6. Black

Bathrooms, in particular, have gone bold, with black floor tiles gaining popularity. Black packs a lot in; it gives a room a high-end, masculine feel. Non-slip porcelain tile, offered by Sears Home Services, is waterproof and scratchproof, can stand up to heavy traffic and is easy to clean. Waterproof engineered hardwood and luxury vinyl tile are also available in black for bathroom flooring.

Get the look: Nebula stone look tile, Rushmore engineered hardwood or Smoke luxury vinyl tile

Check out these trends in action and see all your trendy flooring options here.