Kermans Blog

Trends in hardwood: Indianapolis

Published: February 20, 2014

Hardwood has long been a popular flooring choice for Indianapolis homeowners. When choosing hardwood, Indianapolis homeowners have a variety of choices in domestic and exotic wood species and a wide selection of colors and grain patterns. What trends are we seeing in hardwood flooring for Indianapolis?

Wide plank hardwood

Wood flooring typically comes in strips or planks. Strips are 3 inches or less in width and most often seen in older homes. These narrow floor boards can be quite contemporary and help a room feel more open. However, today’s trends are leaning towards wide planks.

Plank wood flooring ranges from 3 to 8 inches in width. It has a more rustic or country appearance. You also get more of a sense of the wood’s personality because knotholes and grains are more visible in wider planks. Wide planks can help a large, open room feel cozier.

Gray wood flooring

As we noted in our September article on flooring trends, light colors are “in” and hardwood is no exception. Kermans design consultant, Nichole Hansen notes “more and more people are asking for hardwoods in shades of gray.” Gray hardwood isn’t always easy to find but it does add a touch of elegance and style that isn’t seen in traditional shades of hardwood. Gray wood floors can also really open up a room – a nice bonus if you’re looking at installing it in a smaller area.

Learn more about hardwood colors: Choosing wood? Consider color.

Hand-scraped hickory hardwood flooring

Photo by David R. Tribble, Released under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License and the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike License.

Hand-scraped hardwood is becoming more and more popular as design trends lean towards more of a rustic, natural appearance as opposed to the high-gloss smooth look of a machine-finished wood floor. Hand scraped floors purposely show a bit of wear and markings from sanding, denting or scooping the wood to create indentations. It still has all the protections of modern finishes, but with an artisan look and feel. Aside from appearance, hand-scraped flooring also hides wear and tear more easily.

Hickory flooring in particular has a distinct look because of its natural color variations and unusual graining. See more hardwood Indianapolis styles in our room gallery.

While hardwood may initially seem to be an expensive investment, consider the fact that carpet typically  needs to be replaced every 10-15 years while hardwood can last for the life of your home when maintained properly. If you spread out the cost of a hardwood floor you’ll find that it is one of the most economical flooring choices available.

Other benefits of hardwood flooring for Indianapolis:

  • Adds value to your home
  • Matches a variety of decor
  • Better health benefits
  • Low maintenance

Learn more about hardwood flooring in our Hardwood Indianapolis Buyer’s Guide.

February Blog Coupon

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with any carpet installation

Not in conjunction with any other offer. Expires 02/28/14

Stop by Kermans showroom and ask to speak to one of our free design consultants about the trends they are seeing in hardwood flooring. With our selection, prices and experience – you’ll soon see why Kermans is Indianapolis’ best hardwood flooring store.


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