The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Options abound in flooring today
A stunning sofa or a beautiful wall color might catch your eye when you enter someone’s home. But flooring is the key to any room, says interior designer Elina Cardet.
As the visual base for every other design choice, “flooring is the most important decision,” says Cardet, interior design director at Perkins and Will’s Miami office. Beauty matters, as does durability and also comfort: “You’re going to be barefoot on this floor,” she points out.
Recent technological innovations have created a wide variety of flooring options today.
Cardet and two other interior design experts — Lauren Rottet of Rottet Studio in Houston and Jacqueline Touzet of Touzet Studio in Miami — offer advice on making this key design decision: HARDWOOD CHOICES There are many synthetic versions of hardwood floors these days — products that promise to look and feel like solid wood but cost less. Some can look lovely, these designers agree. But they advise moving cautiously.
“There’s not enough history to know if it’s going to hold up,” says Rottet, whereas hardwood offers durability and longevity. “A beautiful wood floor is classic.”
Cardet suggests that “if it’s possible and your budget allows it, to try to invest in hardwoods that are certified, to make sure it comes from a forest that was well managed.”
Which style of hardwood should you choose? Wide plank floors are popular right now. But Rottet points out that since they have fewer joints than narrower plank floors, there is less opportunity for the floor to expand and contract over time. The occasional crack might happen, depending on your climate, and may need to be patched with wood putty and restained. Wide planks also tend to be more expensive.
So the traditional, narrower wood planks can be a more practical choice.
NEW TECHNIQUES AND COLORS
Cerusing is a technique involving sanding the wood, putting white paint on it, and then sanding it again to create contrast and draw attention to the beauty of the grain. It creates what these designers describe as a “smoky” look.
You can also find wood floors that have been “smoked” through a traditional process from the arts and crafts movement that involves adding ammonia to the air when the wood is being processed. Touzet says the resultgives the flooring a range of colors.
What shade of stain should you choose?
Light-colored floors can make a room feel larger, but Rottet says some light oak floors can fade to a yellowish color. Gray is also popular for wood floors right now. But
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