San Diego Real Estate Blog

Kitchen and bath designer Jamie Gold recently wrote an article in The San Diego Union-Tribune about the latest home flooring trends in San Diego. In it, she noted that Rancho Santa Fe, La Jolla and downtown San Diego homeowners are gravitating toward natural products, such as hardwood and stone flooring.

Gold wrote that high-polished looks were trending upward and that wood look tile “has caught on like wildfire.” She attributes this to local interest in acquiring the hardwood look with the durability and low-maintenance of tile. 

Owners of homes in La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe can take advantage of the latest home flooring offerings to get the high-end look for less money and less upkeep by installing wood look tile floors. Given that each homeowner’s needs are different, it’s still important to compare all products before selecting a flooring option.

There are countless wood flooring products to choose from, but natural wood and wood look tile are two of the most common at present.

Natural wood

Natural wood is a classic flooring option that refines every room it graces. It’s available in a beautiful assortment of colors that compliment nearly every décor style with ease. 

Natural wood is more expensive than wood look products, but with good upkeep lasts for an incredibly long time. Unlike some of its less expensive competitors, natural wood adds value to one’s home, provided that it is properly maintained. However, it absorbs moisture, which means that spills can damage floors if they aren’t addressed.

Wood look tile

Wood look tile is trending not only in La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe, but also across the country. These attractive tiles are an affordable, durable and low-maintenance alternative to natural wood. Wood look tiles are less expensive than natural wood, but more expensive than laminate. The price tag includes a low-maintenance floor that can handle spills and traffic, lasts for decades and adds value to one’s home.

Wood look tiles use high definition printing to create tiles that strongly resemble natural wood. Homeowners have myriad colors, styles and planks sizes to choose from. Longer and wider planks are trending right now and really look the part if installed with thin grout lines.

Wood look tile is available in virtually every color from rich dark woods to pale grays. A popular look in some areas incorporates multiple shades of color in each individual plank that transition from dark to light.

This flooring has very few downsides, but homeowners should be careful not to drop heavy or pointed objects because they could break a tile.

Trending Styles

Gold’s article touched on two very popular wood flooring trends that are both easily accomplished. The first is the “reclaimed” look that is achieved by using products that appear to be distressed or weathered like driftwood or recycled planks from old barns or fences. The second is pale gray colored wood products, which can infuse a room with a beachy vibe or just as easily create a classic high-end look that won’t fade over time.

Wood flooring effortlessly blends with nearly all décor styles and will never go out of style, making it a sound choice for owners of homes in La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe. These days, deciding to go with wood flooring is the easy part. The hard part is selecting a type of flooring from the many products on the market.

For information about luxury homes in La Jolla with trending features visit our La Jolla real estate page or contact DeSouza Select Properties.