Last week we visited the Shaw Floors Market Show here in Vancouver. As one of the world’s largest flooring manufacturers, Shaw Floors stays on top of the latest flooring trends. The market is an opportunity for us to peruse new samples and discover the next big things in flooring for 2015.

Waterproof Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) Floorté

This innovative new product from Shaw has the potential to change the luxury vinyl plank marketplace. Why is the vinyl plank so revolutionary?

• It’s completely waterproof. Floorté is made from an EVP polymer plastic that can withstand being submerged in water. Most vinyl plank flooring on the market is just water-resistant.
• A new locking system similar to a Tupperware lid. Thanks to the locking system, it’s easy to install and keeps water out of the joints for up to 48 hours.
• Unmatched realism. Since Floorté is more rigid than glue-down LVP, it feels more like hardwood underfoot. The bevelled edges add to the realism.
• No underpad is needed for Floorté.
• Wear layer features durable Armourbead nano-ceramic particle finish.

Shaw Floors Floorté Classico LVP colour Colori

Grey tones taking over

Grey is the trendy neutral colour in interior design right now. Flooring colour palettes are changing to keep up with the trends. Colours with names like sand, honey and coffee are being replaced with new colours names like fog, silver and concrete. Expect to see even more grey options available in carpet, laminate and hardwood. Here’s a few of our favourite grey options from the show:

Castlewood Oak Hardwood
The Castlewood Oak collection exudes old world charm. The natural beauty of the wood shines through with knots, mineral streaks and natural splits. Four rich grey-toned options give the grey-lover plenty of options to choose from.

Shaw Castlewood Oak Hardwood colour Armory

Shaw Floors Castlewood Oak colour Hearth

Shaw Floors Castlewood Oak colour Drawbridge

Shaw Floors Castlewood Oak colour Tower

Truly Relaxed Carpet
This luxurious nylon loop carpet is the redesigned sibling to one of our best-selling carpets. With many grey options to choose from, you can find the perfect shade to compliment your decor.

Shaw Truly Relaxed loop carpet

The resurgence of random width hardwood is inspired by the days when hardwood flooring was hand sawn. At the time, random widths weren’t a design choice. It was done to use as much hardwood as possible and prevent unnecessary waste.

Today the random width look is making a comeback in homes looking for a rustic or vintage inspired aesthetic. Random width floors can be custom made to your specifications or you can pick from the many pre-finished options available. While custom hardwood offers more design flexibility, it also brings more decisions and costs. With so many pre-finished options now available, it is easiest to see if your dream random width hardwood is available in pre-finished option. If it is not, then a custom hardwood solution would be best.

We have a collected a couple of our favourite unique random width hardwood options.

Mannington Pacaya Mesquite 3″/5″/7″

The hand-crafted Pacaya Mesquite random width hardwood is a truly unique find. Mesquite is known for its natural character with mineral streaks and small irregular cracks along the grain. Pick your favourite of the six volcanic-inspired colours.

Laurentian Berkshire 3″/5″/7″

Hickory, maple, white oak and American walnut – this random width hardwood has options from a wide variety of hardwood species. The planks are full of character, embracing all the natural imperfections of each wood species. Heavy bevelling and handscraping add to the overall worn, rustic look.

Anderson Elements 3″/5″

This pine floor exudes old world charm. The handscraped planks have a unique texture that suits either a cozy wilderness cabin or a beach house.