One of the most exciting parts of building your own home rather than moving into an older property is getting to choose your building materials and finishes. Knowing you’ll never have to deal with peeling mustard-colored linoleum flooring or rip up burnt-orange shag carpeting, you have the freedom to choose a flooring material that works for your family, your lifestyle, and your budget.
Here’s some of the hottest flooring trends on the market today. Which will you incorporate into your new Des Moines custom home?
Go Green with Renewable Flooring Materials
Choosing renewable or recycled materials for your home flooring, especially in living areas like the kitchen and dining room, is an economical and environmentally friendly alternative to new hardwoods. Renewable alternatives like cork and bamboo look fresh and modern and are easy to care for.
Cork, made from the sustainably-harvested bark of trees, has excellent thermal and acoustic qualities, helping to keep your home warm and quiet, and it’s lightweight, hypoallergenic, and fire and insect-resistant. Cork was a favorite choice of Frank Lloyd Wright and can have a retro-throwback flair, or it can be dyed or stained to look more contemporary. Its incredible “springiness” and shock-absorption make it a great choice for kitchens (helping reduce the strain of standing) and playrooms, but those qualities also make it less durable. It does need regular maintenance and upkeep and is not well-suited to high-moisture areas. High quality cork floors can be pricey, so be aware of the cost before you choose to use them for a large area.
Bamboo is a fast-growing plant that is processed into wood-like planks, then typically stained to allow its natural beauty to show through. It looks a lot like more expensive hardwood but is more durable and moisture and insect resistant; like cork, it is not well suited to wet areas like laundry rooms, but bamboo is a much more economical and sustainable way to get the clean, warm look of hardwood.
Recycled Materials with Industrial Flair
One of the hippest looks right now is to use materials with an industrial or rustic feeling, like reclaimed wood and concrete. Reclaimed wood refers to hardwood that has been salvaged from older buildings or structures, and it comes in a wide variety of colors, styles, and conditions. It has age and character; used for flooring, it can give your home either a rustic, farmhouse feel or lend itself to a more industrial look. Incorporating wood from a family home into your new custom build can be a sentimental way to bring parts of your heritage into your new home.
Concrete is a sleek, modern flooring choice that can also look warm and cozy when sanded, dyed or painted, and sealed. It can be painted to look like natural stone squares, marble, or other custom faux finishes (even wood). It’s incredibly easy to maintain and very economical, although it can be cold and is not at all impact resistant.
Modern Twists on Economical Choices
Today’s modern vinyl flooring can be expertly printed to look like reclaimed wood, stone, or other finishes. Far from the cheap-looking, peel-and-stick tiles of decades ago, today’s vinyl is a stylish, durable, and cost-effective choice. It is especially useful for areas that may experience standing water like laundry rooms or finished basements.
High quality wood laminates let you economically get the look of more expensive hardwood, slate, or tile floors, and today’s products are durable and beautiful. They’re installed without glue, require very little maintenance, and stand up to conditions where hardwoods or tile may not, such as the moist environment of a bathroom.
Choose Materials with Timeless Appeal
Hardwood, slate, and natural stone are always in style. Inlays and accents of exotic woods like zebra, tiger, and teak can add style while allowing you to stay within budget. Tray ceilings, custom railings, and other decorative accents can help personalize your custom home while keeping costs under control.
If you’re ready to build your own custom home incorporating some of these or other beautiful flooring trends, as well as the stylish kitchen, bathrooms, and master suite you’ve always wanted, Homes by Brill can help! After 37 years, we’ve built almost 500 custom homes in the Des Moines, Iowa, area and can help you through the entire home design and build process. Contact Homes by Brill today to get started on your own custom home.
Have questions or just want to learn more about the homebuilding process? Come to our FREE seminar! Learn the basics about timelines, budgets, financing, finding land, and making design choices, and get started on your own custom home.
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