Hardwood floors are a classic and durable choice for any home. They add warmth, character, and value to your space. But how do you choose the right sheen level for your hardwood floors? Sheen, or gloss, refers to how shiny or reflective your floor’s finish is. Different sheen levels can create different moods and styles, as well as affect the durability and maintenance of your floors. In this article, we will explore the various sheen options for hardwood floors and the recent trends in 2023 and 2024.

Sheen Options for Hardwood Floors

There are four main sheen levels for hardwood floors: matte, satin, semi-gloss, and gloss. Each one has its own pros and cons, depending on your personal preference, lifestyle, and decor.

• Matte: Matte finish has the lowest sheen level, with only 25% luster. It gives the floor a natural and rustic look, as it shows the wood’s texture and grain. Matte finish is ideal for hiding scratches, dust, and footprints, making it a low-maintenance option. However, some people may find it too dull or flat, especially in darker colors.
• Satin: Satin finish is the most popular and stylish sheen level for hardwood floors in 2023 and 2024. It has a 40% luster, which gives the floor a smooth and elegant look, without being too shiny. Satin finish works well with any color and style of hardwood, from dark to light, and from traditional to contemporary. It also balances durability and ease of cleaning, as it resists scratches and stains, while hiding dirt and imperfections.
• Semi-gloss: Semi-gloss finish has a 55% luster, which gives the floor a bright and glossy look. It enhances the color and richness of the wood, making it stand out. Semi-gloss finish is suitable for formal and classic settings, such as dining rooms and living rooms. It also offers a high level of protection and durability, as it repels moisture and spills. However, it also shows more dust, scratches, and footprints, requiring more frequent cleaning and polishing.
• Gloss: Gloss finish has the highest sheen level, with 70% luster. It gives the floor a mirror-like and glamorous look, reflecting light and creating a spacious feel. Gloss finish is often used for exotic and specialty woods, such as mahogany and cherry, to showcase their beauty. It also provides the strongest barrier against wear and tear, as it seals the wood completely. However, it also magnifies every flaw and speck of dirt, making it the most high-maintenance and demanding option.

Recent Trends for Hardwood Floors Sheen in 2023 and 2024

According to the latest hardwood flooring trends for 2023 and 2024, the preference for sheen levels is shifting towards the lower end of the spectrum. More and more homeowners are opting for matte and satin finishes, as they offer a more modern and practical look for their floors. Here are some of the reasons why matte and satin finishes are trending in 2023 and 2024:

• They match the current color trends: The current color trends for hardwood floors are leaning towards cooler and lighter tones, such as gray, white, and natural. These colors look better with matte and satin finishes, as they create a soft and cozy atmosphere, while avoiding the glare and contrast of glossier finishes.
• They suit the current style trends: The current style trends for hardwood floors are favoring simpler and cleaner designs, such as wide planks, minimal patterns, and low variation. These styles look more harmonious and refined with matte and satin finishes, as they emphasize the wood’s natural beauty, while avoiding the distraction and flashiness of glossier finishes.
• They adapt to the current lifestyle trends: The current lifestyle trends for hardwood floors are demanding more functionality and convenience, such as easy cleaning, low maintenance, and durability. These features are more achievable with matte and satin finishes, as they hide the dirt and wear, while resisting the damage and fading caused by sunlight, moisture, and traffic.

In addition to the sheen level, there are also some other trends that are emerging for hardwood floors in 2023 and 2024. These include:

• Smoked wood floors: This technique involves exposing the wood to ammonia vapor, which reacts with the wood and changes its color. The result is a darker and richer tone that enhances the natural grain of the wood. Smoked wood floors are ideal for creating a cozy and luxurious feel, especially in bedrooms and living rooms.
• Bleached wood floors: This process involves applying a chemical solution to the wood to remove its color. The result is a whitewashed or driftwood look that exposes the natural grain of the wood. Bleached wood floors are perfect for creating a rustic, shabby chic, or beachy vibe, especially in kitchens and bathrooms.
• Aged wood and concrete tiles: This style involves artificially aging and distressing the wood to give it a worn and antique look. This can be done by using natural tannins, stains, dyes, or hard wax oils. Aged wood and concrete tiles are suitable for historic homes, cabins, farmhouses, or hearth rooms, as they add character and charm to the space.
• Wooden floors with beautiful patterns: This trend involves using different types of wood, colors, shapes, and sizes to create unique and eye-catching patterns on the floor. This can include herringbone, chevron, parquet, geometric, or mosaic designs. Wooden floors with beautiful patterns are ideal for adding some personality and flair to the space, especially in entryways and hallways.

Conclusion

Choosing the right sheen level for your hardwood floors is a matter of personal taste and preference. However, it is also important to consider the current trends and how they affect the appearance and performance of your floors. Matte and satin finishes are the most popular and stylish options for hardwood floors in 2023 and 2024, as they offer a modern and practical look that matches the current color, style, and lifestyle trends. However, if you prefer a more formal and classic look, you can still opt for semi-gloss or gloss finishes, as long as you are prepared to take good care of them. Whatever you choose, make sure you love your hardwood floors and enjoy them for years to come. ????

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Advantages of Prefinished Flooring

Time

Prefinished flooring is almost ready for your room to be installed by our professional staff. It is pre-sanded, stained and coated with varnish done right at the factory. The installation is the only thing that the homeowner needs to think about. Whereas, the unfinished hardwood flooring comes raw, so it does need to be finished on site after the installation is done. There is no denying that prefinished flooring is a much faster process that doesn’t involve any sanding or coating. Once prefinished flooring is installed, furniture can be moved back in its place almost immediately, and the floor is ready to be walked over and enjoyed by you and your family in almost no time. On the flip side unfinished hardwood floors do need to be sanded, stained and coated, which can take a bit more time but with other advantages you will need to take into consideration before making your final choice. With all of this in mind, planning ahead is crucial!

Less Mess /No Smell

Prefinished flooring is almost dustless and there are no added chemical smells brought into your home during installation. The material has already been treated in the factory and once the stain is sealed at the factory, ventilation is not an important aspect needed to consider for the installation process. Before the need for staining and sealing, sanding unfinished floors does create dust even though there are vacuums hooked to the machines.

Cost

Prefinished hardwood flooring labor cost is cheaper than installing/refinishing unfinished wood. Although prefinished flooring material may cost more than unfinished, the labor costs are reduced.

Advantages of Unfinished Flooring

Appearance/ Options

Unfinished flooring happens to have more grain patterns, even though prefinished flooring is usually real wood.  Prefinished wood comes with a protective surface layer that makes it look less like the real thing. The beauty of unfinished wood is that it can be personalized to your preference. Our qualified professional craftsman rather than the factory will create unusual textures on different types of wood to your liking. In addition, the stains can be mixed (must be from the same manufacturer), varnished with oil-based or water-based finish and styled with sheen level: matte, satin, semi-gloss or glossy.  All of this is done by hand to make the floor exactly as you always wished for.

Matching Made Easy

Many of our customers decide to get their floors done for each room separately at different times. This is usually preferred either to have a space to store the furniture (during refinishing) or a particular material is more cost-effective at a given time of the year. The beauty of unfinished hardwood is that it can be added to your room to be matched with existing hardwood flooring at any time; even if a previously purchased option is no longer available.

Cleaning

The grooves of a prefinished floor create gaps that trap dirt easily, which makes it harder to clean. Rather than cleaning a finished onsite floor which is mostly flat.

Repairs/Refinishing

A finished hardwood onsite can be refinished to remove any dents or scratches, while prefinished damaged planks would need to be replaced by the factory making it hard to match on site. Therefore, it’s highly recommended to store the extra boxes of flooring, since the prefinished products are often custom ordered and can get discontinued. The daily use of flooring will result in normal wear and tear and also with anything; scratches. Un-finished wood can be fixed/restored onsite multiple times before the damaged material is actually seen as a problem. Prefinished floors can only be sanded once or twice over the span of their lifetime due to thicker polyurethane layers applied by the factory. This results in deep sanding, especially to match stain from the edges as well as doubled labor costs.

Our company works with both types of flooring, and it usually boils down to you to decide which option suits your situation best during renovation. We’re always here to help with that decision!

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