Floor Materials: What’s Hot in 2015

Stone, brick and good old-fashioned hardwood floors are beautiful, durable and fabulous for their resale value, but homeowners are exploring all kinds of other trends in flooring this year – and you might decide to buck tradition in your own Middle Tennessee custom home, too.

Reclaimed Wood Floors

Few building components have as much natural character as reclaimed wood does. Repurposed from demolished buildings, decommissioned ships and disassembled barrels, reclaimed wood carries a history all its own before it becomes part of your home. Often, using reclaimed wood is the best way to get tough-as-nails old growth timber for your floors.

Cork Floors

One of the hottest trends in flooring this year is cork. Cork naturally resists mold, mildew and invasive organisms such as termites. Its spongy, resilient bounce-back quality makes it a terrific alternative to carpet. Cork’s natural shock-absorbing properties make ideal for kitchens, all-purpose rooms and playrooms.

Cork flooring does require some extra maintenance. It needs to be sealed after installation and may discolor over time if it’s exposed to direct sunlight. Cork can also develop permanent indents from furniture, so if you choose to use it in your home, you’ll need furniture pads (preferably beneath rugs) to disperse weight.

Bamboo Floors

More sustainable than wood and always easy to walk on, bamboo is a great alternative to traditional floors. Bamboo, though it shares many properties of hardwood, is a grass. It’s an eco-friendly, highly renewable resource that grows quickly and, when harvested, will regrow without replanting.

Today’s New Carpet Fibers

Forget your parents’ carpet. Today’s carpet choices are more environmentally friendly, and they’re often made from recycled substances such as polyester or nylon. As U.S. carpet manufacturers start catering to more upscale consumers, they’re using finer, denser microfibers in their product.

What Kind of Floor Will Be in Your New Custom Home?

Let’s talk about your new home. Call us at 615-661-9995 or contact us online. We’d love to hear about your plans and show you how we’ll bring them to life.