A Report On What’s Of Interest To Consumers

Floors are literally the foundation on which a room’s elegance and style are grounded. Whether you are planning to update the flooring in one or two rooms in your home or more, options exist to give every room the look of luxury – but not the cost – with products that will stand the test of time. And area homeowners are showing that they are on-trend, keeping up-to-date on what’s in vogue in the world of flooring with choices that are mirroring what is popular nationally.

We talked to someone in the know about today’s popular flooring trends – Alex Amin, president of EZ Floors, which has eight locations across the metro area in Houston, Katy, Tomball, Spring, Cypress and Montgomery. He explains what flooring products appeal to his customers that add value to their homes.

Vinyl Gets an Upgrade

What’s in flooring stores today is not the vinyl of old – the long sheets that covered a room and eventually buckled and developed tears. Vinyl flooring has improved dramatically and comes as tiles or planks that are laid just like ceramic tile or wood. Vinyl can be printed to realistically look like hardwood, intricate tile mosiacs, stone looks or fun patterns such as autumn leaves.

According to writer Kim Hildenbrand on HGTV.com, it is the most popular type of resilient flooring thanks to its durability, low maintenance and ease on the budget. Other advantages that she likes are: “Vinyl is soft underfoot, so it’s comfortable to stand on for long periods. It’s also warmer to the touch than hard surfaces like tile.”

The latest improvement in vinyl is WPC, which stands for Wood Plastic Composite and is sometimes known as Waterproof Core, which is exactly what is making it all the rage. It has been called the future of flooring and its popularity seems to be increasing every year.

“Our customers really like the upgraded, upscale vinyl flooring. When you make that waterproof and give it a beautiful look, such as that of hardwood planks, our customers appreciate it,” Amin said. “It works well throughout the whole house because it holds up under heavy traffic and is easy to keep clean.” Southern Solutions and Mohawk are two of the brands EZ Floors carries that produce WPC flooring.

Mohawk’s Air.o Carpet

In general, HGTV.com likens carpet to your favorite sweater: soft, cozy and practical, adding that “Because carpet fibers hold heat, this floor surface insulates up to 17 times better than other surfaces, reducing energy bills. It’s quiet to walk on, durable, nonslip and overall a great value.”

Air.o Unified Soft Flooring by Mohawk is a carpet that’s hypoallergenic, easy to clean and free from traditional carpet chemicals such as VOCs, all of which provide peace of mind to consumers with families that play on the floor.

Unlike traditional carpet, Air.o is engineered with just one material, making it the only 100 percent recyclable flooring available.

“Because of Air.o’s unified construction, it doesn’t require a separate pad and therefore is easy to install,” Amin said. “It is a very comfortable carpet and comes with all the Mohawk warranties for such things as stain resistance, soil protection and durable construction.”

Unlike traditional carpet, Air.o has an integrated premium felt pad that protects subfloors and softens each step. Its construction also effectively eliminates imperfections like buckling and wrinkling.

Engineered Scraped Hardwood

Handscraped hardwoods give a room a classic look of warmth that only wood could bring. But problems with real hardwoods include buckling due to humidity prevalent in our area, along with general wear and tear, and a higher pricetag.

Enter engineered hardwoods with modern-day advantages. They offer the same look with a more substantial core, making it much more stable. A layer of hardwood is given a core made of plywood, medium-density fiberboard (MDF) or lumber. The extra thickness of engineered hardwoods is an advantage when used over cement: it offers more of a cushion and can be installed with more methods (e.g., stapling, nailing and gluing).

“Engineered hardwoods come in many different sizes. People are buying wider and random widths to create a country or classical look,” Amin said. “Depending on how you style them can make rooms look bigger. They also have good resale value because they are real wood.”

Wood-Look Tile

One of the biggest new trends in home décor over the past few years is the rise of porcelain and ceramic tile that looks like wood. Similarly to vinyl, it has long been available but has recently benefited from the use of improved technologies that create a quite realistic look of hardwood. It offers you hardwood tastes on a tile budget.

“These products give homeowners the look of hardwood floors but have several advantages including the ease of care and cleaning,” Amin said.

Easy-to-clean Grout

These days, you can forget those DIY articles about how to clean your grout. Many manufacturers have new grout products that are easy to keep clean and are stain-resistant.

One product that EZ Floors carries is a ready-to-use grout with color-coated quartz called MAPEI Flexcolor CQ. This specialty grout works well for precision commercial and residential installations with porcelain, ceramic and natural-stone tiles.

“This grout can be used inside and on exterior tile due to being nonporous and thus water repellent,” Amin said.

The quartz aggregate in MAPEI Flex­color CQ ensures color consistency, ease of cleanability and improved workability. It requires no sealer and is easy to install.

Smart consumers in our area know what can make their flooring a valued and valuable part of their home. They are demanding advantages, comfort and longevity, and with today’s smart products, receiving it.