Design trends are always shifting and when you’ve been building homes for as long as we have (38 years this year!), it is natural to recognize shifts in design trends. Several years ago we saw one of the biggest shifts in wood flooring when alternative wood products like engineered, laminate and luxury vinyl “wood” floors overtook solid wood flooring, in terms of popularity.

The Northern Virginia custom home market is definitely late to the party. These products gained popularity on the west coast more than a decade ago, but buyers here were a little more hesitant to make the shift away from solid wood flooring. Most buyers who are insistent on solid wood floors, do so for one primary reason…to have the option to refinish the floors down the road.

It is interesting to me that this is the primary reason buyers think they need solid wood. Especially when you consider the low percentage of homeowners who actually refinish their solid wood floors given the fact that on average, people live in their homes for 13 years. Solid wood flooring definitely has a longer lifespan than 13 years. In fact, refinishing isn’t usually considered until floors are 25+ years old.

Don’t get me wrong, solid wood flooring is gorgeous. And we certainly install a lot of it…

But we have definitely seen a shift to alternative products. Buyer’s today want a few things from their hardwood flooring…

Wider Planks

Alternative wood products offer buyers a wide variety of board widths. Gone are the days of 2.25″ wood planks. Now we’re seeing 5″, 6″, even 8″ planks, the wider the better!

More Color Choices

Alternative wood products offer a ton of options in colors. Neutral tones are really popular right now…Durability

Alternative wood products, especially laminate and luxury vinyl “wood” products are more durable than solid wood since they are less likely to scratch and become dull overtime like solid wood will. Alternative products also withstand humidity better than solid wood which translates into less expansion and contraction, depending on the season. Alternative wood products will look good as new for years to come. Kid traffic? Big dogs? These products can withstand quite a bit!

Now don’t get me wrong, we still sell a lot of solid flooring. In fact, the last few clients we’ve met for color selections have been adamant about choosing solid wood for their flooring. Makes me wonder if we’re seeing things start to shift back.  Don’t worry! If you know you want solid floor, we offer both solid oak and solid maple in a variety of stains. They are gorgeous!

Whether you are looking for solid wood or an alternative wood product, we would love to show you all the great options we offer for wood flooring. Every flooring selection you see in this photo is included in our base pricing…Come visit our Design Studio to see for yourself!

Dream. Build. Live.