Hardwood floors—solid and engineered—have grown from 11 percent to 31 percent of all flooring installed in newly built single-family homes over the past 12 years, according to a Builder Online report on a Home Innovation Research Labs study.
Hardwood flooring makes up 65 percent of all flooring types installed in new-home dining rooms, 50 percent of flooring installed in living rooms and 45 percent of flooring installed in kitchens, the report said.
Ceramic tile installation grew from 15 percent to 21 percent over past 12 years.
Laminate and luxury vinyl tile, while increasingly attractive in the flooring replacement and remodeling market, are not catching on with new construction, the report said. Builder told study authors that laminate and LVT, after factoring installation cost, is not much less expensive than hardwood.
“You may as well buy the real thing,” they said.
The report is not available online. Contact Home Innovation Research Labs for more information.
