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This is a "vertical natural" bamboo floor, made of 1" vertical bamboo slats laid on edge and glued together, with a natural finish. In a flat or horizontal grain, the bamboo nodes are visible. Photo courtesy of Teragren Bamboo Flooring, Panels and Veneer.
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By Daniel C. Brown
Hardwood, exotic imported woods, stone and porcelain are the hottest materials in flooring today, say experts from around the country. And one of the most popular of the "wood" floors is actually a kind of grass.
"We're selling a ton of bamboo flooring imported from China," says Richard Borsuk, president at Banner Flooring, a supplier based in Torrance, Calif. "It comes in here and goes flying out just as quickly, because it's very durable and the prices are low compared with oak and maple."
Plus bamboo is environmentally friendly. Often grown just for flooring and furniture, it's an easily and quickly renewable resource. "There is no shortage of bamboo in the world," Richard says. "It comes in planks, just like regular hardwood. It fits with an Asian style of furniture, which is popular now, or with the Tommy Bahama look. We even have bamboo that's made to look distressed, for a more casual appearance."
Some other exotic woods now gaining in popularity include kempas, a reddish wood that looks much like mahogany, as well as two South American woods: Santos mahogany and cumaru. Kempas has a beautiful grain and is less expensive than mahogany, Richard says.
The "green" quality of bamboo is a theme echoed in the Northwest, where sales of cork flooring, wool carpeting and linoleum—three all-natural products—have recently taken major strides forward, says Debbie Anderson, a showroom manager at Contract Furnishings Mart, Tigard, Ore. "Here in the Northwest, the green aspect is a selling point," says Debbie. "People want to be environmentally conscious."
Cork literally grows trees—as a bark—and harvesting the material doesn't kill the tree. "We've put cork in kitchens, laundry rooms and dens," Debbie says. "It comes in a wide variety of styles and colors—regular cork color, brown, red, light green, dark green, blue, silver. We even have a company that will custom-color cork. You can have a lot of fun with it."
Wider planks, natural stone
For regular hardwood floors, many consumers now want wider planks than the traditional 2- or 2-1/2-inch-wide planks, says Ellen Cantor, ASID, CID, an interior designer in southern California. They are also varying the widths of the planks to get an irregular, casual look.
She says natural stone, travertine, limestone and porcelain floors continue to be very popular. High-end customers usually go with natural stone, although it must be sealed to block out stains. Porcelain, by contrast, resists stains naturally. A definite trend is to have the limestone or travertine honed to give it a matte finish, which is especially practical for nonslip bathroom floors. And people want larger floor tiles—up to 16 or even 24 inches square, notes Ellen.
Ellen says people still prefer carpet in their bedrooms, though, and carpet is the top-selling floor covering at ProSource Wholesale Floor Coverings, Bloomington, Minn. But the trend in carpet these days is to the different look offered by frieze carpet, a synthetic that's twisted to look curly. "It's like a miniature shag carpeting," says Krista Hultman, who manages a showroom for ProSource. "The tighter the twist, the better it maintains its shape."
Similarly, cut-and-loop carpet patterns are growing in popularity because of their durability and special look. "People are looking for something out of the ordinary, and a cut-and-loop pattern is a nice option for special areas," says Krista. Patterns in the carpet include leaves, vines or a pin-dot arrangement. Cut-and-loop carpets come in nylon or polyester versions. The latter is making a comeback, says Krista, because it's less expensive to manufacture.
So while the natural look is popular, carpet is valued for its comfort, color, texture and warmth. Even within those broad categories, the choice are mind-boggling. One thing is sure, though: When it comes to decisions about floor coverings, builders and their clients alike face wall-to-wall options.
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