Columbus flooring can go through a lot of wear and tear in the winter. Of course, if it’s been carefully maintained, it can last for many years anyway. But for every Columbus homeowner, there comes a year when winter ends and the floors begin to look scuffed and weather-beaten beyond the limit of what professional cleaning can fix.
Many visitors to our Columbus flooring showroom are eager to replace their floors as soon as springtime rolls around. That impulse may be even stronger this spring, as more and more people seek a full return to normalcy after two years of restrictions and reduced social interaction due to the coronavirus pandemic.
For some people, this spring may provide the feeling of emergence from an extraordinarily long winter. They might find themselves driven to select a new Columbus flooring alternative, not just to revitalize their home but also to help themselves reset their lifestyles and domestic identities. People have always looked at our catalog with a sense of anticipation about parties and family gatherings in fair-weather months. This spring, we expect them to do the same, but with a fresh set of eyes and a greater willingness to embrace new styles and unfamiliar materials.
Now, the change of seasons and the latest surge of Columbus flooring installations are right around the corner. While consumers in this region have been waiting impatiently for more sunshine and consistent warmth, other parts of the country have already been actively upgrading home décor and providing ideas to trade publications and Columbus flooring vendors about the trends that might influence supply and demand for the rest of the year.
Among the trends we’ve seen highlighted are nature-inspired patterns on tiles and laminates, mix-and-match carpet tiles, larger-than-normal hardwood planks, and a growing affinity for white oak on one hand, and dark brown wood tones on the other. Large planks and dark tones may even go hand-in-hand with another trend that seems to be taking off, which may change the way some of our consumers look at their Columbus flooring when the end of winter is approaching.
More and more homeowners have reportedly been embracing oiled finishes and foregoing the protective coatings that would normally be applied to flooring that is prone to wear. Some experts have attributed this to a general change in aesthetics, possibly driven by growing awareness of the Japanese design principle of wabi-sabi or beauty in imperfection.
For a very long time, design decisions in Columbus and elsewhere have tended to prioritize perfection over individuality. But if this really is changing, it’s possible that we’ll see more local homeowners showing off their flooring’s wear, especially on oil-finished hardwoods, which tend to age noticeably but gracefully.
Then again, deliberate imperfections are still unfamiliar to many consumers. If you’re not sure whether you’d see that as more of an improvement to your home’s character or a detriment to its resale value, then reach out to us for a consultation and let Fedco Floor Services walk you through what you can expect of different flooring types and different finishes after several Columbus-area winters.
