◗ Walk the plank
Traditional strip wood
fl ooring remains popular,
but wide plank is the market
leader. Planks of up to 7
inches in width are considered
normal now, Martin said.
“Th e width of the plank
should really be taken into
account based on the size
of the room — in some
cases the wider boards may
make the room appear
larger, while dwarfi ng the
appearance of the room in
other cases,” Martin said.
Th e trend is a classic
old-is-new-again story.
“Some of the oldest wood
fl oors still being renovated
today are wide planks —
upwards of 12 to 16 inches.
Th e plank fl ooring option
has been around for as long
as wood fl ooring has been
installed,” Martin said.
Long boards and low-
gloss fi nishes remain in high
demand, as are gray colors
and cerused fi nishes, which
show a clear contrast between
the soft and hard grains of
the wood, Martin said.
Homeowners are moving
away from honey, blonde
and yellow fi nishes, he said.
“Light fl oors have
“Some of the oldest
wood fl oors still
being renovated
today are wide
planks — upwards
of 12 to 16 inches.
The plank fl ooring
option has been
around for as
long as wood
fl ooring has been
installed.”
Michael Martin, National
Wood Flooring Association
continued to be popular,
with whites, greys and even a
darker base with the cerused
or limed overtones to lighten
the overall look,” Martin said.
◗ Pattern and detail
Eye-catching patterns
are also in demand, such
as classic herringbone
and chevron, as well as
simple parquet patterns.
“Parquet fl ooring varies
in size and generates a
geometric, non-linear look.
Th is can be a great way to
achieve a unique fl ooring style
in a home. Also, the addition
of a simple border or even
a customized medallion,
or using a variety of media,
such as stone, cork or leather
in conjunction with the
wood fl oor,” Martin said.
Representing about
67 percent of the market
domestically, white and
red oak are expected
to remain the market
leaders, Martin said.
“Oak is widely available,
has a reasonable cost and
can be very versatile from
a styling standpoint. In
addition, if there is a desire
to change the look of the
fl oor at a later time, oak
responds well to stain, which
could create an entirely
new look,” Martin said.
Th e distressed fl oor styles
that have been popular
in recent years are now
joined by lightly textured
surfaces, Martin said.
“Character marks such as
knots and mineral streaks are
oft en desired and left in the
material, promoting a more
natural appearance. Overall,
there is a general shift toward
the use of domestic species as
opposed to species imported
from other countries,” he said.
◗ How to tell wood
from faux wood
“Th ere is a lot of confu-
sion in the market right now
about fl ooring products that
look like wood, but are not
real wood,” Martin said.
Wood look-alike prod-
ucts may include laminate,
tile, plastic composite and
vinyl plank fl ooring, but
a wood fl oor is defi ned as
any fl ooring product that
contains real wood as the
top-most, wearable surface
of the fl oor, according to
the National Wood Floor
Association. It includes solid
wood fl ooring, engineered
wood fl ooring and composite
engineered wood fl ooring.
Some of the main diff er-
ences to look for include
repetitive patterns (wood
doesn’t have identical repeats),
texture, smell, and how it feels
and sounds when walking
across it, Martin said. Also,
look at the seams between
planks to determine a real
wood grain or a picture wrap.
Spring Vermont Home, Garden & Auto 2019 • 13