Top Wood Floor Finishes for 2021

Top Wood Floor Finishes

Top Wood Floor Finishes for 2021

Top Wood Floor Finishes for 2021 1000 653 Roberto

In the Raleigh area of North Carolina, homeowners have always embraced hardwood floors. In fact, this type of flooring remains a top choice for new home construction and renovations. This is true even centuries after the first residents of this area made the same choices. In 2021, builders and residents will keep embracing hardwoods. But some wood floor finishes will prove more popular than ever before.

Below, we explore some of the hottest floor finishes for 2021. These include fumed wood and smoked wood, satin finished, matte finished, site finished and oiled finishes. Shiny wood floor finishes are less popular for 2021. More people want a flat or matte appearance for their hardwoods.

Fumed Wood and Smoked Wood

Fumed wood floor finishes, also called smoked wood, come from the wood’s exposure to ammonia gas. This gas reacts with the wood’s natural tannins to create a dark finish with a gray tinge.

Around RaleighCary, and Apex, North Carolina, fumed wood and smoked wood floor finishes are most popular for light shades of flooring, such as white oak. Using white oak allows the ammonia to emphasize the grain color in the wood. Smoked wood creates an even finish for your flooring with each plank consistently colored through this method.

If you want a modern, yet vintage look for your flooring, fumed wood or smoked wood makes an excellent choice. This look will remain popular for years.

Satin Finished

Satin finished wood flooring provides an alternative to a super-shiny finish and a matte look. As the middle ground between these two other options, you can still have some shine while more easily keeping your floors looking clean. As most homeowners with glossy-finished floors quickly learn, this older-style finish shines a spotlight on dirt, scratches and dings.

Satin wood floor finishes rate at about 40 percent shine when compared to a glossy finished floor at about 80 to 100 percent. With satin finish, your floor still has some shine, albeit more subtle than with gloss.

This is a look you can expect to remain popular for years. In fact, it will likely never become unfashionable. This makes satin wood floor finishes a great choice for your long-term flooring selection.

Matte Finished

Matte wood floor finishes have not yet gotten the full credit they deserve. Satin has lingered as the most frequent choice in the past several years and glossy has remained top-of-the-list for many homeowners, too. But matte finished wood floors should take over in popularity in 2021 and through at least 2028. You can expect them to remain in style for the lifetime of your newly installed hardwood floors.

To envision how matte wood floors will look in your home, you must understand that this finish is neither flat, nor dull. The term “matte” typically makes people think that is the case. Instead, the matte finish provides a contemporary appearance that easily catches the eye. But for your floors to look their best with a matte wood finish, you need to have good quality flooring, to start. It will not provide the best results if your floors are not already in good shape.

Site Finished Wood Floors

Among 2021 top floor finishes, site finished wood flooring provides the most control over style and appearance. For this option, your contractor installs raw hardwood flooring or works with existing hardwood floors. They sand and refinish the floors after installation. Through the site finished process, you can ensure the greatest color consistency across your flooring. You will not see any color changes at the edges of the planks.

This type of wood floor finishes also enables you to see how the flooring looks in your own home and your actual lighting. Site finished wood floors remain one of the top finishes for 2021, just as they have for generations. This option will continue to be a top choice. However, you should seek the help of professionals. Trying to DIY your own hardwoods takes a ton of work, requires professional care and necessitates some quality controls.

Oiled Wood Floors

As far as top floor finishes for 2021 go, oiled floors are among the most interesting. Oiled finishes differ from traditional polyurethane top coats. The oil finish seeps into the wood and coats it, layer by layer. Polyurethane only coats the top of your flooring. Through oiled coating, your wood is made stronger and more durable.

An oiled wood finish also provides a matte finished look, like the one discussed earlier in this article. It also looks organic, suiting your natural or environmentally in-tune aesthetic quite well.

When refinishing oiled wood floors, you do not have to sand. This differs from the laborious process of refinishing most wood flooring. Instead, you only need to add more oil to the wood for a refreshed appearance.

Although there are many benefits to oiled wood floors, there are drawbacks, too. One such drawback is that the flooring is more prone to scratching and water damage. This means you must refinish more often than with traditional floor finishes.

Raleigh Area Hardwood Flooring Experts

If you want to install hardwoods or prefinished wood flooring in your home or commercial property, you only need to call the local experts at Tri Point Flooring. We provide the highest quality of wood floor installation, refinishing and floor finishes. Call us today at (919) 771-7542.

    Our Service Area Includes:

    Cary NC
    Raleigh NC
    Apex NC
    Chapel Hill NC


    Hours of Operation:

    Monday • 8:00am-6:00pm
    Tuesday • 8:00am-6:00pm
    Wednesday • 8:00am-6:00pm
    Thursday • 8:00am-6:00pm
    Friday • 8:00am-6:00pm


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