London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

Everything You Need to Know About Wood Flooring

Everything You Need to Know About Wood Flooring

A selection of the top products and flooring trends-and an ED editor's own 130-year-old floor restoration.

Wood flooring options are endless these days-a fact that became abundantly clear when I recently restored the 130-plus-year-old surfaces in my Brooklyn home. The yellow-pine flooring was one of the original details that seduced me into buying my family’s duplex in an Italianate brownstone. The floors had what some might call patina and others would dub problems (tons of holes and gaps between boards). As the author of a book on renovating antique homes, Restoring a House in the City, I wanted to make every effort to save the original flooring.

My contractor, Brendan Duffy, of Duffy’s Floor Services, recommended a two-pronged approach: Restore what we could and replace what we couldn’t. He showed up with a dustless vacuum system equipped with an air purifier. “It’s no longer a dusty, smelly, messy job,” he said, explaining that low-VOC water-based finishes have begun to supplant the old polyurethanes and can be used to create an endless array of looks. To tone down the yellow in my floorboards, we used products from Swedish floor company Bona: DriFast Stain in a mix of one part White and two parts Natural, plus NaturalSeal for a little more white undertone. Duffy topped it off with Traffic HD Extra Matte. “It’s a more natural look with no reflective glare,” says Todd Schutte of Bona. “You can still see the wood, but the low-sheen finish hides scratches and scuffs.”



I am now gearing up for the second phase of my project: replacing floor sections too damaged to restore. There, too, the choices have multiplied, with products ranging from reclaimed to new wood with all the character (but fewer of the imperfections) of the old. Tastes have evolved, notes the Hudson Company’s Jamie Hammel, who operates his own mill in Pine Plains, New York.

“Twenty years ago, the trend was narrow boards, void of character, and stained either natural or brown,” he says. “Now people want floors that celebrate the innate character of wood: wide planks, long lengths, knots, and patina.”Meanwhile, patterns-from chevrons to blocks-are also surging. “My very favorite is parquet de Versailles,” notes decorator Alex Papachristidis of the interlacing diagonal style made famous by the French palace. My pine floors are comparatively humble, but the makeover was everything I had hoped for-the rooms feel lighter and more modern, yet the floors retain a sense of their soul and a link to my home’s history.

Now that you know all about my experience renovating my Brooklyn home, see how top designers used wood flooring in a variety of interiors.

Traditional


            

Designer Brad Ford created a white oak replica of a New York apartment's original inlaid parquet floor. To get the look, try this oak, mahogany, and Peruvian walnut border by pidfloors.com.

Dramatic


            

Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin’s Brooklyn entry hall features a dark-stained ­parquet floor. To get the look, try this Antique French Oak Limoges Pattern from parisceramicsusa.com.

Old-World


            

Parquet floors are done in dark walnut and oak in a Milan apartment designed by ­Studio Peregalli. To get the look, try Fountainbleu European Oak from duchateau.com.

Adventurous


            

Designer David ­Kaihoi created a hand-stained faux- marquetry tumbling-blocks pattern on the floors of his New York apartment. To get the look, try ZEP13 Wood Parquet from tabarkastudio.com.

Gustavian


            

Bleached and ­custom-stained white-oak flooring stands out in the New York dining room of Eric Pike and ­Stefan Steil. To get the look, try White Oak Center Cut from thehudsonco.com.

Uptown


            

A custom herringbone floor by Stephen Gamble takes center stage in a New York apartment designed by Alex Papachristidis. To get the look, try Chevron Reclaimed French Oak from xsurfaces.com.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×