First it was dark walls, then it was dark kitchens and now the trend for all things dark has spread to flooring too. Here’s how to get the look in your own home if you’re on a budget…
image source LifestyleFlooringUK
Do you have dark walls in your home? I certainly went a little crazy with the paintbrush in 2017 and gave my walls a dark update. The trend was all over Pinterest last year, so how could I resist?! After going for a “storm grey” feature wall in my bedroom, I got a little carried away. I admit it, I painted the floorboards in the same deep hue. And the hallway floor too. But I’m glad I did; it looks so much better than the orange pine that was there before, plus the trend for dark flooring has now caught up with me and I’m ahead of the game, yeah!
Have you noticed all those dark stained wooden floors in recent interior design features on websites and in magazines? Have you hankered after the soft sheen of a deeply-coloured laminate floor? Well, you’ve come to the right place for some inspiration. Dark floors have got to be my favourite interiors trend for 2018 and I’ve been figuring out some ways that I can get the look for less. Here’s what I’ve come up with…
VINYL TILES
You won’t believe how different vinyl tiles are these days. Especially compared with those cheap, sticky-backed ones that were everywhere in the 90s. Now, I’m not talking about that kind of vinyl tile, but the wood-grain effect tiles that are everywhere right now. They actually feel like wood when you touch them and they’ve got to be one of the cheapest ways to get a realistic-looking wooden floor for a fraction of the cost of real wood.
image source Karndean vinyl flooring
The tiles can be laid end-to-end or can be positioned in a rather cool parquet flooring pattern. The tiles are much more durable than wooden floors so you won’t have to spend any time refinishing or sanding out flaws in the future like you would with hardwood. Plus, vinyl tiles (also known as LVT flooring) are waterproof so you can use them in kitchens and bathrooms without worrying about spills.
FLOOR PAINT
If you’ve got concrete floors or good quality floorboards, you can always do the same as me and paint the floor. You’ll be able to choose from a range of dark colours; what do you think of navy? Or a chalkboard black, perhaps? Just make sure that you get a hard-wearing floor paint to avoid chips. This is not what I did (I just carried on brushing the wall paint onto the floor) and I’ve already needed to touch up the floorboards after only 6 months. I’ve since added a top coat of varnish to seal the paint onto the floor and it’s much easier to keep clean now.
LAMINATE WOOD
If you’ve read my bedroom makeover blog posts, you’ll know I’m a big fan of laminate flooring. It just goes down so quickly and easily. Plus, I can add some much-needed insulation beneath it (in the form of underlay) for a little extra cosiness. Again, this is another flooring product that’s come a long way since the 90s beech-effect laminate flooring era. The planks are much thicker, have a wood-textured surface and are printed with a variety of grain patterns to give you the non-uniform look of a real wooden floor. And clicking laminate flooring planks together is just so satisfying!
Dark wooden laminate floors come in a huge range of colours, such as midnight oak, rich mahogany, oiled walnut, charcoal grey, deep teak, blackfired planks and even a reclaimed flooring effect. When I laid my own laminate flooring, I couldn’t believe the transformation – my room looked like an airy, loft-like space within just couple of hours. It’s much easier to cut laminate planks than real wood flooring so if you need to fit it into alcoves or around door frames, I’d opt for money-saving laminate wood. Well, I actually did choose this for my living room and bedroom, haha!
What do you think of the dark wood flooring trend? Have you already taken the plunge and added darker flooring to your home this year? If so, I’d love to see a photo so please tag me @cassiefairy in your instagram photos so that I can take a look!
This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂
