A Tip For The Best Presentation Of Your “Wood-Look” Flooring

There are a lot of products that simulate the look of hardwood flooring on the market today. A few years ago the only “wood look” products were vinyl and laminate flooring, but now ceramic and porcelain tiles have come to the forefront as well as the next generation of vinyl flooring, Luxury Vinyl Plank. Regardless of the reasons you want to purchase hardwood flooring alternatives (budget, environmental conditions, household traffic, etc.) here’s some tips to help you when you install your “wood look” flooring so it appears more natural and more like the real thing.

Each type of hardwood flooring alternative achieves its texture and patterns through various printing processes. Thanks to the high definition capabilities of those manufacturing techniques, these simulated wood products look very realistic. The thing to be aware of is that these printing processes only create a limited number of patterns so you will get boards or tiles with identical images on them. So how do you avoid getting an unintentional pattern of repeats across the surface of your DIY floor install? plank stacks For the examples below here are the virtual stacks of planks sorted.

After you’ve acclimatized your flooring to the room and you’ve prepped the subfloor, remove the product from its boxes and sort the planks by appearance, making a group of the pieces with the same pattern and coloring. Ideally this should give you 5 to 10 stacks. Take a moment and write down a rough plan on how you will layout the flooring pieces, making sure that the same planks aren’t directly next to each other and the patterns of planks don’t repeat. Randomly use a plank out of sequence to create a more natural, “organic” look. The more stacks of different planks you have the easier this will be. Below is an example of how it should be done (the “Natural”) and 2 examples of what to avoid (the “Step & Repeat” and the “River”). For the examples given image of the virtual stacks of planks sorted.

A: The Natural

B: The "Step & Repeat"

C: The "River"

Conclusion

When laying down a floating floor, always start in the corner at the left back of the room, relative to the longest part of the plank. This is so the snap & lock system’s locking tabs are facing away from the starting wall for laminate; and you don’t work yourself into a corner. When using a porcelain and ceramic wood-look tiles, the advantage is that you can flip a random piece around to help break up the pattern.

You can find a flooring solution to fit your budget and taste; from finishing a basement on a budget to the dream kitchen you’ve always wanted. At Barton's Home, we offer a great selection of all kinds of flooring options and offer free flooring estimates.

Request a Free Flooring Estimate and you will hear from someone within 48 hours, most often in the same day. Be sure to get your flooring at the Guaranteed Lowest Price.