Hardwood floor trends for 2022 combine traditional styles with many new styles, designs, and colors. Naturally beautiful, comfortable, and affordable, hardwood flooring continues to reign as a superior flooring option.

Real hardwood flooring goes back to the 1600s and has always been associated with classy and elegant homes. They last for decades, can be refinished, and are in demand at every price level in the housing market.

For years, red oak and pine were the staples of this market, but wood floor trends in 2022 are introducing fabulous new species that continue to make real hardwood the number one choice among homeowners, and for good reason.

• Hardwood floors create a warm atmosphere throughout the home.
• Real wood is impressive in any home.
• Hardwood nets more value when you sell. 

Unlike fad flooring options like roll linoleum and shag carpeting, hardwood flooring is a classic that will stand the test of time.

The Benefits of Natural Hardwood

Look and Feel

The number one reason for purchasing new hardwood floors in 2022 is look and feel. A beautiful hardwood floor invites you into the living space and gives you the feeling that nature has joined you in the home. Today’s hardwood floors come in many different species, grain patterns, and textures that allow you to express your individual style and taste as never before.

Easy to Care for and Maintain

Most folks lead very busy lives and are always looking for ways to make homeownership easier and less stressful. Hardwood floors are simple to clean and maintain. Regular sweeping will remove dirt, dust, and pet hair and leave your floor looking like new. An occasional damp mop can be used for those spills or sticky areas but that is usually all that is needed. 

Most hardwood floors have multiple layers of clear coat applied that will give them years of protection against foot traffic and the daily wear and tear of family life. Unlike carpet, hardwood will not hide dust mites or any other unwanted environmental pests.

Increases Resale Value

Homebuyers prefer hardwood floors. In some neighborhoods, they are a must-have, but regardless of the market you are trying to reach when you sell, hardwood flooring will give you an excellent ROI over any other floor covering — often as much as 10% above your cost. It is a wise investment. Hardwood floors are associated with high value, and potential clients are more likely to buy when the perceived value of their purchase is greater than what they are being asked to pay.

Compliments any Interior Design

Hardwood flooring is versatile at adapting to any design theme. It will not clash with your wall coverings, furniture, accents, or any other element in your home. The unique look of real wood flooring eliminates the repeated pattern that is evident in many vinyl and ceramic wood-look offerings. This is due to the natural swirling grain inherent in wood that can’t be replicated in a factory setting due to manufacturing limitations. Its natural beauty adds character and makes the rest of your interior design stand out.

Lasts for Years

Hardwood floors resist scuffs, scratches, and dents, and if properly cared for can last for fifty years or more. Some hardwood floors can be refinished more than once allowing you to give your floor a brand new life every 7 to 10 years — a perk that is not available with any other flooring option. Many older homes have removed their carpets only to find a beautiful hardwood floor hidden under the carpet that only needs refinishing to give it a fresh new life.

Hardwood Flooring Trends for 2022

1. Wire Brushed Hardwood

As the name implies, this type of flooring is finished by scraping a wire brush across the surface. A weathered appearance is achieved as the softer parts of the wood are pulled out and the heart grain becomes more apparent. It may sound like it ruins the surface, but it is the opposite case. It adds a slightly grainy feel that many find more natural to walk on than the typical smooth high gloss finish and it helps to hide any scratches or dents that occasionally happen. It’s a nice middle of the road option between a super-distressed look and a high gloss finish.

2. Light Brown

Brown has long been a favorite color for hardwood floors but with some experts predicting a move toward lighter shades for hardwood floors in 2022, light brown is becoming a more popular alternative. Some consider this color a more European look and it makes an excellent color base for contracting wall colors throughout the home. Lighter colors tend to hide scratches and imperfections better than dark, but choosing light brown will give you the option to darken your floor and still hide the scuff marks.

3. White Oak

Oak is considered to be an extremely durable floor covering and white oak has a smooth, tight grain that goes well with many modern decors. No hardwood flooring is waterproof, but white oak is more impervious to moisture than red oak. oak is not actually white, but can be stained to produce a very light floor and can also be finished to almost black. This makes it a very versatile floor covering.

4. Dark Hardwoods

There is a move toward lighter hardwood floor colors in 2022, but in some areas of the country, dark hardwoods are still very popular, especially in the northern states. Dark wood goes well with most decors but is preferred in rustic and traditional schemes such as the modern farmhouse look. Increasingly popular is dark bamboo flooring with its varying textures. The trick is to make a dark floor the accent instead of the focal point. Decorate in such a way that your eyes are drawn toward the walls and furniture instead of the flooring.

5. Fumed Wood

Fuming is a process of coloring wood by placing it in a vat and hitting it with ammonia vapor to bring the natural tannins or stains to the surface of the wood. The more tannins that come in contact with the ammonia, the darker the wood will be. This technique adds hues and shadows to whatever wood is treated that cannot be duplicated by other methods and in fact, no two pieces of wood treated in this way will look the same.

6. Distressed Styles

Face it, most of us don’t have the time or ability to find a 100-year-old barn, tear it down and finish the wood for flooring. Distressed wood flooring is typically manufactured today and not the result of aging and weathering in the elements. However, the look you get out of the box replicates the aging process. Holes and scrapes and the appearance of raised grain give the illusion that your floors were used in a 17th-century forge mill and then refinished just for your home. Distressed wood gives a more rustic appearance than wire brushed or handscraped flooring.

7. Herringbone and Chevron Patterns

Both are very popular patterns and the main difference is in the way the end of each board is cut. The herringbone pattern ends with a 90-degree cut while the chevron pattern has an angled end. Both patterns got their start in the era of parquet flooring when wood tiles were popular, but today’s herringbone and chevron patterns can be designed with any wood flooring plank. Some designers like the patterns because they give the illusion that the room is larger than it is.

8. High-Variation Styles

This look is a favorite in 2022, giving your floor a more natural appearance as there are multiple colors and plank widths in the same design. The colors vary but look as though they come from the same tree and give the impression that a custom design was created just for you.

9. Wider Planks

These planks are the chameleon of hardwood flooring. In smaller spaces, they offer a more open feel and in larger rooms, the look becomes more rustic. Regular wood flooring will measure 2 inches to 4 inches in width while wide planks average 5 inches to 12 inches.

10. Higher Quality Engineered Hardwood Options

Contrary to popular opinion, engineered hardwood floors were not developed to give homeowners a cheaper version of real hardwood. They were developed to overcome some of the issues that are associated with solid wood flooring. Engineered hardwood floors are constructed of solid wood layers and manufactured by positioning each level with its grain in opposition to the one above it. This makes the product more stable and stronger than solid wood and the top layer is the actual species of wood that you are buying.

11. Handscraped Textures

These hardwood flooring planks have a rough surface that undulates slightly and looks like it was finished by hand with an old fashioned wood scraper. It is ideal for the homeowner that desires a rustic look but can also be a nice contrast when combined with modern decors.

The Best Marketplace for Hardwood Flooring

2022 hardwood floor trends cover the traditional, exotic, and whimsical tastes of America. Whether you are trying to nail that modern farmhouse look or love the feel of chrome, steel, and glass in a contemporary motif, you want to shop where you get the greatest selection of hardwood flooring at the best prices. BuildDirect.com has hundreds of styles of hardwood flooring to choose from and we offer free samples of all of our flooring. Shop online for weekly specials and discounted clearance items that can help you create your new floor without breaking the bank.

Do you need help making the right choice of hardwood for your project? BuildDirect has a professional customer service department that is available from 9:00 AM to 7:30 PM Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 10:00 AM till 6:00 PM (EST). What’s more, our PRO rewards program is a great way to save long term costs and optimize your bottom line. Order free samples today to get a head start on your next flooring project.

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