The wind-down of 2016 demonstrated many of the trends that started years ago are going away in 2017. A more traditional approach to color, style and finish for hardwood flooring are on the horizon. Bold will still be popular is some areas, but the general trend is towards a more neutral look and finish.

Longer and Wider Is Key

The planks for hardwood floor New York are getting longer and wider. It is not uncommon to see high-demand for product that is 7-inches wide. Additional length is needed to compensate for the increased width. This trend is a fall-back to older flooring styles.

Grey and French White Oak Are On the Decline

It has been a five-year trend to see many grey and French white oak floors. They have begin to lose their luster with the general homeowner. These tend to limit the furnishings and make simple make-overs not as uncomplicated as having more traditional color choices. Newer homeowners are less apt to gravitate towards these choices, knowing that the trend is on the downward slide. They feel these types of floor product would make it harder to resell the home, if necessary.

Neutral and Darker Color Is Sparking Interest

You can never go wrong with neutral. The trend for the coming year is to go more traditional, neutral and slightly darker in color. The uplift in the real estate market has many wondering if they might find a better deal down the road. To ensure that there current investment has market appeal, more sedate and traditional looks in hardwood flooring are being sought. The heavy distress wood look has softened to a lighter wire brush scratch effect. The look is not quite as dramatic, but equally appealing. Many areas of the country are taking a more conservative approach to new wood floor choices, but there will always be areas that consistently move towards bolder statements in wood flooring products.

Exotics Are Best Left to the Trend-Seeking Metro and Coastal Areas

There will be less new installations of exotic woods like bamboo and cherry, with the exception of major Metro and Coastal regions. The high competition in the real estate market and desire for exotic products always runs strong, no matter what the rest of national trending shows. The key to making the right wood flooring and finish choice is to study your specific area.

Spotty Trends Have a Short Half-Life

Trends like mismatched wood plank width, shocking color combinations, intense texturing and natural oil finishing are normally very short-lived. The half-life of an unusual hardwood flooring trend is roughly three years. By five or six years the money invested is wasted, since the focus turns to something completely different. Be wary of flash-trends that might be hard to live with for enough years to recoup your invested funds and time.

Contact a hardwood flooring professional and see what the trends are for your area today.