American Splendor
Resilient (aka laminate) floors, have come a long way since first being introduced decades ago. In this floor by Pergo, a blend of lumber waste material has a visible texture that follows the contour of the grain, creating the true look and feel of real wood, while also being eco-friendly. The American Cottage flooring collection seen here, provides an array of traditional, rustic and quaint style designs, which when put through their AccuWood process, come out looking rich and grainy, as if you just chopped it and installed it from your local forest. The collection includes 24 decors so there are a lot of different looks for any room of the house. It’s also highly durable; dust and dirt, permanent markers and even nail polish won’t do permanent damage.
Another perk: This floor is allergy-friendly, resistant to static electricity and has natural anti-bacterial properties.
Cost: American Cottage retails for $3.37 per square foot uninstalled
For more info: Pergo.com
Photo courtesy: Pergo
Sophisticated and Chic
American Olean’s Allora is a ColorBody (same color throughout) porcelain that echoes the elegant, coloring and texture of natural granite, as well as some characteristics of limestone. Manufactured to be durable, this line is a great fit for any room in the home Its five warm colors [Sabbia, Carmello (shown), Morrone, Argento and Carbone] boast a natural sophistication that creates a timeless look. All are available in two very large-format field tile sizes – 18″ x 18″ and a uniquely large 18″ x 36″ rectangle. Both sizes are modular, rectified and available in unpolished and lightly polished finishes and paired with square edges for a contemporary flair. This tile can also be used on walls, backsplashes and countertops.
Cost: Between $5.99 and $22.20 per square foot uninstalled
For more info: AmericanOlean.com
Photo courtesy: American Olean
Porcelain Wonder
American Olean’s Alysse is a glazed porcelain floor and wall tile that emulates the appearance of Travertine, lending a versatile, elegant look to any design project. The collection is available in four rich, earthy colors [Blanc, Auburn (shown), Sable and Cafe], each with high shade variation and movement. It is available in four field tile sizes: 6″ x 6″ wall tile, 10″ x 14″ wall tile, 13″ x 13″ floor tile and 20″ x 20″ floor tile. The versatility of the floor and wall tile combinations is complemented by a coordinating 2″ x 2″ mesh-mounted mosaic. A full trim package completes the collection. It also works on walls, backsplashes and countertops in interior residential settings.
Cost: Between $2.26 and $12.99 per square foot uninstalled
For more info: AmericanOlean.com
Photo courtesy: American Olean
Vinyl Made Easy
Today’s resilient sheet flooring offers superior style and durability while also being a great value. The Tarkett FiberFloor Easy Living collection in the Antonia pattern shown here is fiber-backed resilient sheet (vinyl) flooring that simulates the look of real tile, wood and many other styles of high-end flooring. Besides being far less expensive, this floor is warm and comfortable underfoot, water-and moisture-resistant, stands up to scratches, scuffs, stains and indentations, and is easy to maintain. It’s also easy to install. In fact, some new resilient sheet flooring can be installed with no glue or adhesive at all. The floor just ‘floats,’ and that’s certainly good for the environment.
Cost: The FiberFloor Easy Living collection is available for around $2 per square foot uninstalled.
For more info: Tarketna.com
Photo courtesy: Tarkett Residential
Danish Spirit
Bringing a touch of the cool, calm and contemporary, Kährs has added a new, white floor, Arctic Oak, to its exclusive Spirit Collection to meet a growing demand for lighter floors. White flooring is hot right now and this is one of the lightest in the company’s line, combining the freshness and classic elegance of a light palette with a traditional floorboard design.
Best part: Oak is hard, dense and extremely strong which makes it suitable for floors with high traffic, especially if you have pets or kids.
Cost: Between $7 to $12 per square foot; float in installed. (Float-in installations are when the floor is floated over the subfloor. Nailing or glue down installations is when the floor is attached to the subfloor, and are more expensive and varying greatly between each installation.)
For more info: Karhs.com
Photo courtesy: Kährs Arctic Oak
Aged Wood
Armstrong Hardwood Flooring’s Barrel Creek is inspired by the intersection of wine country and the ecological ingenuity of using Reclaimed Oak.
Armstrong develops this look with solid 2 ¼-inch strips of premium rift and quartered oak – the same material coopers use to make fine wine barrels. Every detail has been painstakingly recreated, complete with burned vintner’s marks and authentic cooperage stamps. A deep color wash enhances the grain and gives the wood an aged appearance. If you love wine – or original decor – this can bring wine country into your home. It’s important to note that while oak is the industry benchmark for strong, resilient flooring. Reclaimed oak is like a nice worn-in pair of jeans and might be best in a lower-traffic area.
Cost: Estimated retail, $10.80 per square foot uninstalled
For more info: Armstrong.com
Photo courtesy: Armstrong Hardwood Flooring
Beautiful Birch
As a popular flooring choice over the years, Birch has become one of the staples of the residential flooring industry. With subtle variations of color and grain, Birch is considered a a delightful choice to brighten up a home with its toasted almond, honey and creamy coloring. Seen here is Prefinished Natural Birch from the Bellawood line, offered through Lumber Liquidators. Bellawood has traditional domestic and exotic flooring that includes many beautiful wood species in a variety of widths and grades. And while Birchwood may be a tiny bit softer than Red Oak, the Bellawood finish applies eight coats of a UV cured solution mixed with aluminum oxide, providing a wear protection quality with a 50-year wear warranty.
Cost: $4.69 per square foot; dimensions: 3/4″ x 3-1/4″ uninstalled
For more info: LumberLiquidators.com and Bellawood.com
Photo Credit: Lumber Liquidators
Marvelous Metal
Daltile’s Metal Effects is a glazed porcelain floor tile that boasts the varied color tones and dramatic movement of oxidized metal, but with the durability and easy maintenance advantages of porcelain tile. Available in four rich colors [Shimmering Copper, Brilliant Bronze (shown), Illuminated Titanium and Radiant Iron] which are available in four rectified, modular field tile sizes (20″ x 20″, 13″ x 13″ ,13″ x 20″, 6 ½” x 20″), as well as a 1″ x 2″ mesh-mounted mosaic brick straight joint pattern – all with an unpolished finish and stylish square edges. Coordinating decorative accents and a full commercial trim package complete the collection. This line is suitable for floors, walls, backsplashes and countertops, as well as exterior walls in freezing and non-freezing climates.
Cost: Between $7.29 and $29.25 per square foot uninstalled
For more info: DaltileProducts.com
Photo courtesy: Daltile
Realistic and Resilient
Estonia is part of Mannington’s Sobella line of resilient flooring designed with a special technology that makes this floor softer, yet more durable than traditional vinyl flooring. How? It has a fiberglass core which gives it more dimensional stability, i.e., it doesn’t expand and contract. And it looks better than ever, too, with enhanced texture and color detail. The line also has patterns that emulate the real texture and color depth of wood, slate and stone. Another plus: Guardian protection to ward against rips, tears and gouges; NeverYellow for resistance to yellowing; and NatureForm Optix technology which combines the latest advances in printing, finishing and texturing for a realistic look.
Cost: About $2.60 per square foot uninstalled
For more info: ManningtonMills.com
Photo courtesy of: Mannington Mills, Inc.
Dramatic Blend
Armstrong Hardwood Flooring’s Exotic Fusion line was manufactured to preserve and protect natural resources. Using maple, mountain elm, ash and birch, the company puts your choice of wood through a thermal treatment that caramelizes it, producing rich colors and distinctive grain effects, seen in tropical exotics. The time and temperature spent during this treatment are controlled for each species of wood, and a range of extraordinary shades and effects can be achieved simply by adjusting these variables. No stains are necessary. The thermal process colors each plank throughout – top to bottom. Just be sure to discuss the durability levels of each type of wood choice with an Armstrong agent, based on where in your house you want this floor to go.
Cost: Estimated retail $7.38 per square foot uninstalled.
For more info: Armstrong.com
Photo courtesy: Armstrong Hardwood Flooring
Back to Yesteryear
Handscraped or distressed, hardwood floors have a natural worn appearance. Many are created to look like the floors that were built back in Colonial American homes when they were sawn using basic hand-held tools. For example, seen here, from Lumber Liquidators, is from the Virginia Mill Works Handscraped line. This product, Old World Oak, creates a cozy, rustic appearance that can warm the soul — as well as the room. This is a stained product that comes with seven coats of a highly resistant water base polyurethane finish mixed with aluminum oxide, which makes the floor scratch and wear resistant.
Cost: $4.39 per square foot; dimensions: 3/4″ x 4-3/4″ uninstalled
For more info: LumberLiquidators.com
Photo Credit: Lumber Liquidators
Dark Allure
Maybe it’s time to go to the dark side. Kährs Volcano Oak is so dark the company refers to it as “pitch” dark because of its deep stain. This environmentally-friendly option gives off such a rich, bold and homey appearance that you’ll want to spend as much time admiring it as possible. Oak greatly differs from plank to plank so the staining process is different for each board to achieve the desired look. It is easy to maintain just requiring occasional sweeping or vacuuming to remove particulates and it is suitable for media rooms, kitchens and bedrooms because of its strong durability.
Cost: Price $7 to $12 per square foot; float-in installed
For more info: Karhs.com
Photo courtesy: Kährs Volcano Oak
Brilliant Bamboo
The benefits of Teragren strand bamboo? It’s incredibly durable, 154 percent harder than Red Oak to be exact, making it perfect for high-traffic areas; and it’s distinct striped look screams “I’m eco-friendly,” which is huge in certain crowds.
Strand bamboo flooring is created with a special manufacturing process that fuses together bamboo strands with an environmentally safe adhesive. Available in Java (shown here), Chestnut, Wheat and a Brindle — a blend of natural and caramelized bamboo strands — this line is an extremely durable, eco-friendly design solution for homeowners who want style as well as to help the environment. It has 7-coat German finish, including a wear layer of abrasion-resistant aluminum oxide, plus two scratch-resistant, polyurethane topcoats that protect the bamboo fiber’s natural strength and beauty; its finish is water-based and solvent-free.
Bonus: It is also manufactured according to U.S. and European environmental standards, qualifies for FloorScore certification through Scientific Certification Systems (SCS).
Cost: Teragren’s Synergy Strand Solid Strip Bamboo Flooring retails between $7-8 per square foot uninstalled.
For more info: www.teragren.com
Photo courtesy: Teragren Fine Bamboo Flooring, Panels & Veneer
Free Flowing Cork
Cork has come of age and is now being used for much more than your average bulletin board. Yup, it can even be a warm and beautiful floor option. Pictured is Florence Burl Natural Plank, a line that showcases cork at its most natural and sophisticated form. The look is distinctive with wide planks and beveled edges, in organic colors inspired by nature. Additionally with integrated cork backing, this premium cork flooring requires no underlay and provides a richly textured comfortable and inviting ambiance in your home.
So why cork? The benefit of a cork floor is that it is easy to care for, soft and comfortable to walk on and is extremely durable. It can be used in high traffic areas like kitchens and media rooms, as well as bedrooms. Good cork flooring contains tiny air cells (50 percent of the floor is “air”), which adds to the ease of walking and standing. It’s also highly sound resistant.
In this line, there is a combination of harvested and recycled cork, and every floor is made with the patented Uniclic joint, for easy installation without chemicals, glues or nails. It also comes with a 25-year wear warranty.
Cost: Between $7 and $8 per square foot uninstalled MSRP
For more info: torlys.com
Photo Courtesy: TORLYS
Luscious Leather
Leather isn’t just for great driving gloves or Bomber jackets — it’s now being used in flooring. The TORLYS leather flooring line is an Italian-inspired collection — with names such as Milano Pecan, Catania, Modena Wine (shown here) and Genova Cognac — that bring rich textures and earth-harmonious colors into your home, whether your taste is contemporary, casual or rustic. Made with a beneficial acoustic and insulating 100 percent cork backing, the floor is extra soft on your tired feet, eliminating the need for a separate underlay. And animal-lovers take note: the raw materials that make up this line are natural, non-hazardous and renewable. The top layer is 100 percent recycled leather, made from leftover material from the manufacturing of belts, jackets and boots.
Bonus: this floor comes with a residential wear warranty of 25 years and offers a maintenance kit for cleaning. But you’ll still want to use furniture pads and not drag your chairs across the floor!
Cost: Between $10 to $12 per square foot uninstalled MSRP
For more info: torlys.com
Photo courtesy: TORLYS