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Wooden floors are one of the oldest yet timeless materials that can last decades with proper care. You’ll also find different variations to match your budget and interior design. But without the right details about this material, you risk choosing a style that isn’t fit for your property.
We’ll guide you through the different wood flooring styles and types to help you learn and select the best pattern, finish, design, and colour to upgrade your space and make your home more cosy.
You’ll find several patterns available to make your space look bigger or smaller or compliment your room’s decor, from straight and random to chevron and basketweave. Check out the following wood flooring pattern options:
If you’re having difficulty choosing a pattern, straight patterns are a classic and timeless parquet that’ll never go out of style. It’s the simplest option that makes your small space look bigger, with planks arranged side by side, running parallel. And although the boards may have different lengths, they’re installed with a long dimension parallel to the longest wall in your room.
This parquet pattern draws your attention from the walls, making your space look wider and hiding issues like cracks or uneven subfloors. The planks are laid at an angle to the walls and are usually made of hardwoods like oak, maple, and cherry.
A random parquet pattern is your best bet if you aren’t afraid to try something new and unique. The planks have different widths and lengths, carefully planned to seemingly laid randomly, creating a natural, rustic, and sophisticated look.
It’s more suited to large and irregular-shaped rooms because they make your small space look cluttered and disguise its irregular shape.
This classic parquet option looks elegant with its narrow and long planks arranged in a V-shaped pattern like the skeleton of a herring fish. Despite its size and shape, you can apply this pattern to any room, especially large ones, because it makes small spaces look cluttered. It may also have a busy look, so it’s important to use simple and uncluttered furniture.
A chevron pattern has wood planks cut at a 45-degree angle, laid in a V-shape, and fitted to create a continuous zigzag. If you have a small room, applying this parquet flooring pattern will make it look and feel larger, but you may need narrower boards for a better effect.
Your finish will also affect how your floors look and feel. For instance, a natural finish will show off the grain pattern, while a stained one adds colour and depth.
If you want your home to feel warm and cosy, a brick parquet pattern will give you this effect and make your room look more spacious. The planks are laid in a running bond pattern so the joints don’t line up, creating a checkerboard-like effect.
You can create this parquet pattern by arranging wooden blocks like the weave of a basket or in a series of interlocking squares. The outcome has different sizes, from small, intricate designs to large, bold patterns.
Basketweave is a good choice for luxury properties or stylish floors that will raise your home’s market value.
Once you’re done picking your favourite pattern, consider the overall look or feel you want for your flooring. The design can be anything from a traditional to a modern look and will affect the type of planks you choose, the way they’re arranged, and the finish you need.
Here are examples of different wood flooring designs:
After installing your flooring, you need to apply a protective coating/finish to highlight its beauty and make it last longer. You may choose different finishes with unique properties, from natural oiled to unfinished wood flooring. Take a look at the following examples:
This finish is a natural oil made from tung, linseed, or walnut. It’s a sustainable choice with a low VOC compared to chemical finishes that you can re-apply at home without hiring a professional. Instead of giving your floors a thick, glossy layer, it highlights your floors’ natural beauty.
This oil finish is cured with ultraviolet (UV) light, making it more durable and resistant to scratches, stains, and fading than natural oil. The best part is it doesn’t need constant reapplying like a natural oil finish, and you can clean it with a mild soap and water solution.
The flooring is lightly brushed to remove the top, soft grains, exposing the more durable and textured grain and making your floors look rustic. The wood is then finished with oil to protect it from scratches, scuffs, and spills.
Lacquer is a clear, hard finish made by mixing resins, solvents, and various pigments. It protects your wooden floors from scratches, stains, and moisture and gives them a shiny or matte finish.
Some popular species that go well with a lacquered finish are oak, maple, and walnut, as they’re common in commercial spaces with high-traffic areas like restaurants and hotels.
This material is intentionally distressed to give your floors a rustic, worn look. The wood is scraped by hand using a sharp blade to remove the top surface, leaving behind a textured finish.
Hand scraped wood flooring may camouflage small scratches or dents on your floors but is more difficult to maintain than other options.
This finish uses hand scraping, wire brushing, and sanding techniques to age your floors and give them a rustic or vintage look. It’s a popular choice for those with kids or pets, as the distressed look will disguise scratches and scuffs.
If you want all-natural floors, you can get wood planks that aren’t stained or finished. Unfinished wood is more affordable than prefinished flooring, and you can choose the stain to customise your floors.
The only downside is that without staining or finishing, your flooring is more susceptible to damage from wear and tear, so it’s not a good fit if you have kids or pets.
You have two main wood flooring colour options, light or dark, depending on the species, age of the wood, tree location, grain pattern, and finish.
This flooring has a pale or blond colour, ranging from almost white to light brown, depending on the wood species and your choice of finish. Check out the common species with a light tone:
This shade of wood has a rich, warm, and inviting tone and comes from dark wood species. Here are some examples:
Lighter wood floors are what’s trending in most homes this year. Check out some other options currently in style:
Red tones are growing less popular across homes this year because they’re difficult to decorate and match with the rest of the interior. Here are other options falling out of style:
Medium-toned browns like oak, maple, and mahogany are timeless because you can match your floors with any decor. Here are other options:
Some styles have become less popular over the years, and only a few homeowners adore them today. Check out these examples:
Wide planks are long, thick boards popular for modern homes because they make a room look more spacious. Here are other options that are also currently in style:
You’re now ready to start shopping for your new wooden floors. But remember that what you see online may not always work for your home. You need to get samples and compare them to your walls and furniture before buying, lest you end up with the wrong material.
If you need an honest opinion and professional wood flooring installation, contact us today to talk to our experts. We’re always happy to be of service.
