March 16, 2024

Top Residential Interior Flooring Trends

Top Residential Interior Flooring Trends for 2019

Top Residential Interior Flooring Trends


If you’re wondering about which types of flooring are on-trend for 2019, this is your happy day; you just landed on the most comprehensive 2019 flooring trend report available for free on the internet.


The short version of the trend report: Carpet is still in demand in residential interiors but trending down; hardwood flooring is the darling of the moment; and tile flooring is also trending up. Read on to find out all the other details you’re wondering about 2019’s top residential interior flooring trends.

Rug and Carpet Trends in 2019:

1. Carpet Installations Are on a Downward Trajectory

Carpet still commands significant market share in the total flooring market, but the demand for it is undeniably trending down. In most new homes that are currently being built, carpeting is not being installed outside of the bedrooms. In the main living areas, builders now prefer to install other types of flooring.

2. Area Rugs Are in Demand

As demand for wall-to-wall carpet decreases, homeowners are turning to area rugs instead. Area rugs can add rich elements of color, texture and pattern to a space. They also tend to add softness and comfort, plus they can significantly improve a room’s acoustics. They can protect valuable hardwood floors from damage, which is particularly important in high traffic areas. They can easily be moved and cleaned as necessary, making them much more hygienic than wall-to-wall carpeting. All things considered, area rugs can be valuable additions to virtually every room in the home — so it is no wonder there’s strong demand for them in 2019.

3. All-Natural Carpets and Rugs

The “healthy home” is an important trend in 2019. Many consumers who are installing carpeting or decorating with area rugs are interested in sourcing textiles that are completely nontoxic. Some are in search of products that are chemical free, undyed and untreated.


Of particular importance: healthier fibers and finishes for carpets and rugs that will be used in babies’ nurseries, children’s bedrooms, children’s play rooms and any rooms where kids and pets are likely to spend any significant amount of time playing on the floor.

One motivator for purchases of these healthier floor coverings: Moms are helping their children deal with numerous ailments such as childhood allergies, asthma and chemical sensitivities. Natural, chemical-free floor coverings are desirable for helping to improve these conditions. Another issue is that new parents are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious as they consider the state of the environment their children and grandchildren will inherit. They’re often willing to pay premium prices to have the healthiest possible products to enhance their children’s well-being.

Hardwood Flooring Trends in 2019:

Between 2005 – 2018, hardwood finish flooring has been trending up, up, up and UP. Adding the market share for both solid and engineered hardwood flooring in the construction of new, single-family detached homes: In 2005, hardwood finish flooring commanded a total market share of about 11 percent. As of 2017, the combined market share for solid and engineered hardwood flooring had grown to 31 percent.

4. Hardwood Finish Flooring Is the Flooring Material of Choice for the Main Living Spaces in New Single Family Homes — With Solid Hardwood Being the Top Choice

Last year, we reported that new home builders were installing more solid hardwood flooring than engineered in their building projects. A number of builders have remarked that, when doing the costing on installations of solid hardwood vs engineered hardwood flooring, the differences aren’t significant enough to justify using the engineered hardwood flooring.


Having said that, over the course of the past decade, installations of engineered hardwood flooring had been on a steadily upward trajectory. Do-it-yourself home remodelers were — and are– driving a significant portion of the demand for it. Since they’re handling the labor themselves, many do-it-yourselfers are not factoring labor costs into their cacluations.

To folks who have small upfront remodeling budgets and people who are only calculating cost of materials without considering labor costs, the engineered flooring is likelier to seem like a bargain. Ease of installation is important to this group, and engineered flooring can typically deliver the type of smooth installation experience that DIY enthusiasts prefer.


Well, as of October 2018, Home Innovation is now reporting that engineered wood flooring actually surpassed solid wood flooring in new homes. So that’s another significant shift in the flooring market to be aware of.

5. Hardwood is a Trendy Kitchen Flooring Material in 2019

In 2018, experts at Home Innovation report that hardwood flooring was the most popular flooring material that new home builders were installing in their kitchens. Hardwood remains desirable in high-end kitchens in 2019, too.

6. Longer, Wider Wood Boards

In 2019, a top trend in the home remodeling market is for flooring boards measuring between 5 and 7.5 inches wide. Lengths vary; some homeowners prefer traditional board lengths of 4 to 5 feet; others are installing longer boards measuring 6 to 7 feet in length.

7. Oil and Wire Brushed Finishes on Hardwood Flooring

Oil and wire brushed hardwood flooring finishes are the new hot trend among home remodelers. Hand-scraped finishes are declining slightly in popularity, but they’re still relevant for 2019.

8. Hardwood Flooring With Gray Undertones

By all appearances, gray remains one of the most popular home décor colors in contemporary decorating schemes, despite a decade of being the top trendy go-to neutral color. I’d personally advise against installing a gray floor at this advanced point in the trend’s life cycle — but despite my lack of enthusiasm, many homeowners do want gray floors right now.

9. Whitewashed Matte Hardwood Flooring

We’re seeing quite a bit of whitewashed hardwood flooring with a matte finish in home remodeling projects lately. Homeowners who prefer the farmhouse style and the chic and shabby decorating style are drawn to this type of look. It also works well in certain minimalist, contemporary and modern style interiors.


This type of finish works well with white oak, maple, birch, ash and hickory. It is not advisable to whitewash flooring constructed from reddish-colored wood species such as red oak, cherry or pine. You’re likely to end up with an oddly colored pinkish or peachy colored floor if you do — which might work out OK for a baby girl’s nursery décor, but is totally off trend for other rooms of the home.

Tile Flooring Trends for 2019:

Tile flooring’s popularity is on an upward trajectory. In the recent past, tile has been gaining market share at the expense of resilient flooring. The following are some of the up-and-coming tile flooring trends we’ve observed:

10. Large-Format Ceramic Tile Flooring

From 2005 – 2017, there’s been a modest increase in demand for ceramic tile flooring. In this time period, ceramic tile grew from 15% to 21% of the total market share in newly built, single-family detached homes. It has overtaken solid hardwood flooring in total market share by a small margin to become the second most popular flooring material new home builders have been installing in single family homes.


In particular, the strongest demand among home remodelers is for large-format ceramic tile rectangles measuring at least 12 by 24 inches.

11. New, Large-Format Sizes and Styles Are Available in Natural Stone and Porcelain Tile Flooring

We’re seeing porcelain and natural stone tiles as large as 120x120cm and even larger becoming available in the marketplace, giving homeowners an even wider selection of choices for large format tiles.

12. Faux Wood Ceramic Tile Flooring

Sales of wood-look ceramic tile flooring have softened slightly in the home remodeling market, but the category remains relevant in 2019 due to innovations in the product category. Fresh new on-trend patterns such as chevrons, zigzags and herringbones are keeping these offerings interesting. Falling prices in this category are an anomaly amidst generally rising prices in most other types of building materials, giving home renovators additional incentives to consider installing this type of flooring.

13. Black and White Ceramic Tile Flooring

Black and white décor is trending up; and to complement it, there’s revived interest in traditional black and white ceramic tile flooring.

14. Ceramic Tile Flooring That Mimics Stone and Marble

Ceramic tile flooring is much cheaper than its natural stone counterpart; and, nowadays you can hardly tell the difference between the two. Innovative new high-definition printing technology allows manufacturers to create ceramic tile designs that look confusingly similar to the real natural stone.

15. Indoor-Outdoor Porcelain Tile Flooring

Demand for porcelain tile flooring is currently growing in the home remodeling market. A large part of its appeal: You can use the same tile on both the interior and exterior of the home. This allows you to create a cohesive look between your patio, mudroom, kitchen and other tiled spaces — which is important to many homeowners who are embracing biophilic (natural) design principles and creating outdoor living spaces.

16. Terrazzo Tile Flooring

Detail of the Terrazzo Tile Floor in the Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C. -- Photographed by Carol Highsmith. Photo Courtesy of the US Library of Congress.
Detail of the Terrazzo Tile Floor in the Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C. — Photographed by Carol Highsmith. Photo Courtesy of the US Library of Congress.

Terrazzo is a speckled composite surface that can sort of resemble stone. It’s comprised of stone chips — possibly quartz, granite, or marble — embedded in concrete or epoxy resin. Alternately, the chips could be made of glass.


In some form or another, terrazzo has cycled in and out of popularity for thousands of years. It was popular during the roaring 20s and 1930s and was frequently incorporated into art deco style building projects.


Terrazzo flooring was last seen in widespread use in the 1970s as a low-budget option. Builders adored it for use in public spaces, schools and office buildings. Now it’s enjoying resurgence in popularity for residential interior use. This material has a retro look that could be suitable for both older home remodels and brand new building projects.

17. Terra Cotta Tile Flooring

In 2017, terra cotta tile flooring had all the makings of an emerging trend. It first came to our attention when our friends installed it in their trendy Ojai, California home; after that, we started noticing it being featured on bunches of design blogs and websites. Whether it will catch on and become a true, mainstream trend is anybody’s guess at this point. Public opinion is divided on whether terra cotta tile flooring will be popular in 2019. There are people saying it is already declining in popularity, and there are people predicting that it will be huge. It could go either way, so we’ll be keeping our eye on this trend to see what happens with it.

Other Flooring Trends for 2019:

18. Resilient Flooring’s Market Share Is Trending Down

Resilient flooring didn’t have huge market share to start with, but it has been on an even further downward trajectory in the recent past.

19. Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) Is Not Being Installed in New Homes

New home builders are largely ignoring luxury vinyl tile. As of October 2017, the experts at Home Innovation reported that LVT has only been able to capture a portion of the total market share in the home remodeling flooring market thus far — and that it has not caught with new home builders like it has in the home remodeling market.


This is not for lack of product choices. There are wood-plastic composites (WPC), which Remodeling.hw.net reports to be the fastest-growing category of LVTs. Then there are rigid core products, which have certain advantages when it comes to dent resistance and other factors. With the growing availability of these products, there are quite a few home remodelers who are embracing them — but the demand for real wood is more significant.

20. Demand for Laminate Flooring Is Trending Down

Sales of laminate flooring are so soft in Alabama that the state’s largest flooring store chain no longer installs it. They’re apparently not too brisk in other areas of the USA, either.

So there you have it: That’s the most important information I was able to find regarding the top residential interior flooring trends for 2019. I hope this info is helpful to you.

References

This page was last updated on 8-3-2019.