Interior Products Review: FlooringVintage Beauty: Wide-plank wood floors with dark stains are dressing up every room of the house.

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Wider and darker

Homeowners also are newly enamored by 4-inch-, 5-inch-, and even 7-inch-wide planks as substitutes for the traditional 3-inch strip.

"Consumers are looking for something that's a little more unique," says Babinski. "They're looking for anything besides oak or maple."

The trends, notes Babinski, are "being driven by the baby boomers, the 'Me Generation.' They want what they want and they're going to get it, especially if it's unique or possibly custom. That's what's been driving a lot of the hardwood."

But custom builder Mark Campisano says it's not just darker colors and unique styles that his high-end baby boomer clients want. They want more wood.

His Louisville, Ky., customers are eschewing carpets in favor of hardwood floors, even in bedrooms and second-floor corridors, both the traditional domain of wall-to-wall.

"Design trends have changed," he says, "and traditional homes are coming back. That means more hardwood."

Gorski agrees, noting homeowners are reserving carpet for formal living rooms and upgrading to hardwood throughout the rest of the home.

With the introduction of aluminum oxide, hardwood finishes are more suitable for all areas of the home, say manufacturers, who once advised against laying planks in the kitchen.

"The only place you wouldn't put wood in the residence is in the full bath," says Stern. "Now, because of the improved UV-cured urethane finishes, the kitchen is one of the most frequent spaces in the residence to get wood."

Gulli says she specifies wood for new and remodeled kitchens "five times a day. There's nothing to worry about."

Engineered Options

Still, manufacturers agree that basements are no place for solid hardwood because fluctuating humidity causes the wood to swell and sometimes crack. In its place, they recommend that homeowners who must have wood underground opt for engineered wood, which, unlike solid hardwoods, can be glued to concrete. In California, Texas, and Florida, where most homes are built on slabs, engineered wood has become a first-floor staple, nearly doubling the multi-ply boards' share of the flooring market over 15 years.

The design trends for hardwood–from dark woods to exotic species to distressed finishes to wide planks–are duplicated in engineered wood, says Himes.

In addition, buyers typically don't know they're getting engineered floors instead of solid products, says Sonny Sears, construction manager for Adams & Marshall Homes, an Indianapolis production builder. "It's not something we advertise," he says. "It's just something we put in [first-floor rooms and basements] like we put foam in the walls."

Homeowners know the difference, Stern says, but accept engineered planks if they live in a humid region. "When somebody's in the market for wood floors," he says, "they want solid wood. In certain situations, they understand that engineered might be more appropriate."

Gulli notes that production builders still install carpet as standard in most living areas and bedrooms, and vinyl in kitchens and bathrooms. But she notes most offer wood as an upgrade, and are finding more takers now than ever before.

"It's interesting how the market can change," the interior designer says. During the past three years, she says, her business has gravitated from tile and stone to wood for nearly half of all homes she serves. "If it was in the budget, they would put all wood downstairs and just put throw rugs over it."

–BUILDING PRODUCTS

What Clients Want

Here are the latest trends in wood flooring:

• Factory distressing
• Exotic imports
• Wide planks from 5 to 7 inches
• Mix-and-match lengths, widths, and shapes to create unique patterns
• Rich, dark-colored species
• Dark brown and black stains
• Matte finishes
• Aluminum oxide finishes that resist abuse and are easier to maintain
• First-floor and kitchen installations.

–Sharon O'Malley