Flooring Trends for 2021: Top Flooring Ideas for Your Home

If your flooring is showing signs of age and symptoms of needing a replacement, 2021 is proving already to be a game changer for folks with new ideas and the return of some traditional favorites. And because flooring tends to be such a dramatic improvement of a home, especially when the old flooring is looking a bit worn down, it’s also a great way to add value to a property before it’s going to be listed and sold.

Interestingly, some ideas are showing up in areas where they have not been traditionally seen as well.

Get the Most for a Project Cost – Textured Tiles

Most people think of tile and pick up a vision of homes in the Southwest or Mexico where basic porcelain tile is used frequently to keep flooring cool in hot, dry climates. However, many of the tiling choices available to folks now involve a significant amount of texture and shape, allowing folks to copy stone flooring and similar styles far more than before. Unlike the typical tiles that are just flat on their external, visual surface, textured tiles are crafted with numerous patterns that can reflect wood, slate, pebbles, brick, and other selections. Even better, all of these tile choices are extremely waterproof.

Vinyl Flooring Your Parents Would be Jealous Of

For folks over 45, vinyl flooring brings up memories of that weird color sheet flooring folks grew up with as kids in their homes that eventually peeled. However, fortunately, vinyl flooring today has developed significantly, and just like textured tile there are a lot of really interesting, attractive choices available now that never existed 40 or 50 years ago.

Just like textured tile, today’s vinyl flooring can be installed with colors and patterns that replicate wood or stone with a very notable similarity. It’s not perfect, but the modern vinyl form is very similar. Vinyl is also very water-resistant, does not absorb like organic flooring or wood-based material, and it can be applied in tiles or sheets, depending on what is needed and preference.

The multi-layer manufacturing of tile includes a highly durable outer layer that can handle significant traffic without wearing out or changing colors exposed to the sun. Underneath, additional layers provide the stability and strength to the flooring, and the bottom layer is prepared so that the vinyl will bond with the adhesive securing it to the base floor. Note, however, vinyl flooring is not 100 percent waterproof. If sitting moisture gets between the seams or edges, it can penetrate and eventually cause damage. However, most people tend to wipe up liquids far faster than this can take effect.

Pattern Carpeting Versus Plain

The typical carpeting in many homes or venues tends to be just one layer without distinction. Pattern carpeting, on the other hand, provides a unique texture and layout that is both visual as well as tactile. Carpeting with the latest options in 2021 provide different choices from natural fiber to synthetic components, all of which behave differently in their durability, look, aging over time, and longevity. Carpeting has also come a long way from the simplistic, bland one-color approach. Now, modern carpeting involves changes in layers and can even incorporate color changes and detail patterns like decorative tile. Obviously, these choices are far more short-pile type carpets that hold the pattern better. And, for pet owners, a good number of choices exists for pet stain resistance and cleaning that didn’t exist only 10 years ago.

Sustainable Flooring

Many folks are become very conscious about their environmental footprint and proactively seeking out flooring products that don’t add waste downstream to the environment. In this regard, sustainable flooring has become very popular in 2021, and not just in hard floor form either. The primary goal of sustainable flooring is that it should not produce product that when eventually worn out and removed adds more toxic waste to landfills. Nor should it produce more gases and toxic by-product in manufacturing either. Natural hardwood flooring has long been the go-to flooring format for this category, but now there are other alternatives that don’t cost as much as meet sustainability criteria as well.

Carpets with natural fibers have moved into the forefront for folks who want the warmth and benefit of carpeting and don’t want the cost of hardwood flooring to stay sustainable in build. However, because of their natural, organic form, these carpets don’t have the longevity of traditional carpeting that is often synthetic based. Alternatively, recycled flooring is coming into vogue, which takes prior material that might be synthetic but redirects into new flooring versus letting it go to landfills. This approach repurposes material for at least another decade of use if not longer versus allowing to create more waste. Recycled flooring comes in a variety of types including carpet, vinyl, laminate and even tiles.

The Dominance of Hardwood Flooring

Hands down, when people get a chance, they gravitate to hardwood flooring. The richness and beauty of hardwood is difficult to beat. Fortunately, unlike years before, there are a great number of synthetic wood flooring choices that aren’t 100 percent perfect but come pretty close for half the price of traditional hardwood planks. These synthetic choices come in a wide range of colors and patterns as well as grains. It’s quite possible to get flooring in deep mahogany was well light brown chestnut or bright yellow oak. And the synthetic wood flooring tends to stand up better to moisture and liquid contact than natural wood as well.

The Key to Flooring is Expert Service

There are lots of great flooring choices available now, but the key to making an alternative look really good still requires an expert carpet and flooring installation team who knows how to work with the material and how to adapt to the quirks of the location where the flooring will go. S & R Carpet & Floors has been working with all flooring types for 50 years and growing, providing clients a combined expertise that has seen it all and knows how to deal with unique challenges. If you’re thinking about a new flooring project for your home or building, give S & R Carpet & Floors a call or email, and we’ll come out and provide an evaluation of what’s possible as well as what’s available. You’ll be surprised how many options exist for 2021 that weren’t available only five years ago. And our teams can install all of them professionally, giving you peace of mind on your next flooring project.