In the photo below, the floors were painted in contrasting blue and white stripes in the same herringbone pattern. It gives a fresh and modern look to this classic style.
Due to the overwhelming response about the floors used in the Valley Oak home featured on Flipping Out, we decided it was time to blog about them!
We selected a Pilang Walnut, also known as exotic walnut. The wood has a beautiful irregular, interlocking grain that adds a richness to any home. It comes from the White Bark Acacia Pilang Tree, which originated in Southeast Asia.
We also used the pilang walnut at a modern home in the Hollywood Hills.
There are several vendors that carry the pilang walnut. Academy Flooring is one vendor to try that offers thorough information about the wood online and also carries a nice selection.
Keeping up with trends and starting new ones is one of the most exciting parts of being a designer. Recently we were tiring of espresso wood floors and began a search for a new flooring color. Note, if you are remodeling and are considering espresso wood floors, take into consideration that while they are very sexy, every speck of dust shows so they may not be the most practical option.
In our effort to move away from the espresso finish, we tried everything from traditional oak to exotic Pilang Walnut. Finally, a lightbulb went on...grey oak! Grey oak has been a trend with furniture and is a classic color that works in both modern and traditional applications. The images below show floors that were refinished with a grey stain at a current project in West Hollywood, CA.
When choosing to refinish existing hardwood floors to a new stain color, have your refinisher prepare three different samples, light to dark, on the existing wood floor. Different species of wood take the stain differently - maple stains differently than oak, oak stains different than walnut, etc. So it is important to test the stain on your existing flooring.
For those of you who are installing new floors, there are a number of prefinished options. Below are some of our favorites from Mirage in Red Oak Charcoal and Maple Charcoal. Prefinished floors come in different plank sizes and even distressed versions, so options are endless to create the look you want.