Taking a Closer Look at Luxury Vinyl Flooring

Celebrity Designer and Television Host Jennifer Farrell has become nationally known for hosting the long-running A&E home improvement series “Find & Design.” She has co-starred on Emmy-nominated “Home Made Simple” for OWN and hosts the hit webisode series “Cleaning & Organizing From Top to Bottom” and “The Two-Minute Home Makeover” on msn.com. She currently hosts “Find Me a Vacation Home” on AWEtv. Her most popular venture has been The Jennifer Farrell Collection, featuring hundreds of furniture and décor pieces at nearly 1400 stores nationwide.

Because of the weathered undertones, greige flooring is a beautiful choice that’s both

There have been some dramatic changes in luxury vinyl flooring these last few years, and with today’s on-point color and sizing trends, the best offerings in LVF make it challenging to see the difference between vinyl and real stone or wood. Here’s what to expect on the horizon for luxury vinyl flooring:

Greige

It’s a quirky word that has only slipped into our everyday vernacular in the last couple of years: referred to as “Greige,” that muted color between gray and beige is having its moment and looks to continue for years to come. Because of the weathered undertones, greige flooring is a beautiful choice that’s both neutral and soothing. Reminiscent of driftwood and sun-bleached barn wood, greige LVF is a wonderfully relaxing color palette that works with today’s modern organic designs, as well as with more traditional stylings. The color feels natural and earth-inspired, as though the wood look was naturally baked by the sun. We’ve recently seen a move away from orange and yellow tones in hardwoods, and LVF is following suit.

neutral and soothing. NovaFloor’s Serenbe Collection: 12" x 24" Natural Slate Rainstorm from Novalis

Interestingly, this earthy, ashy color is that the brown undertones infuse a warmth that isn’t indicative of a true gray. That means an entire floor of greige LVF has a coziness that some of the more stylized finishes, like the rustic paint-flecked barn wood look, may not quite offer. It’s an especially lovely color for large rooms, as a soothing greige tone doesn’t feel too busy or overpowering. This cool color will be a classic mainstay for years to come. of vinyl planks and makes it hard to discern real wood from faux wood.

Stone Looks

Matte Finish

Slick, glossy floors have faded in popularity dramatically over the last decade, replaced by matte finishes. LVF follows that trend; while still water-resistant and stain-resistant, the matte finish offers a more realistic wood look than a higher gloss finish. And it also offers a practical side: matte surfaces are much less likely to show dirt and pet hair than their shiny counterpart. And the anti-slip factor of matte surfaces is another reason this finish will be popular for the indefinite future. While wood-look LVF is highly popular, stone floors are making a resurgence in today’s trends. With lighter-toned, textural, neutral stone-look floors, LVF offers some incredible options that feel rustic and organic. These make great choices, particularly in kitchens and baths, where French limestone or raw tumbled travertine can give a warmth and textural richness. Look for these in larger formats, from 24" x 24" to 24" ⅹ 48". There is a classic element to these larger faux stone LVF choices that will make this look a timeless classic. ■

Heavy Texture

LVF now comes in textural finishes that offer more wood grain and dimensional stone look finishes, which add to the richness and believability of the material. While too much texture in flooring can become a bit of a cleaning challenge, subtle wood grain texture is a must-have in today’s luxury vinyl flooring. There’s a certain richness that texture adds that can’t quite be duplicated by non-textual surfaces.

Long Wide Planks

The 9" x 60" LVF format is rapidly fading in popularity, as real hardwood tends to be in 6', 7', or even 8' lengths. LVF is now available in these longer, wide plank formats, which adds to the luxury element

Floorte’s Paragon Mix Plus 5", 7" and 9" planks shown here in Brush Oak by Shaw Floors