April 23, 2004
Bringing culture to your flooring

Article by: Kimberly Stinson, Braid Flooring Design Consultant

Today's flooring market offers a lot of choices. To offer Saskatoon residents the widest selection of flooring, Braid Flooring looks towards the global flooring market for new products. Now more then ever, you are provided with exotic flooring options spanning a wide range of countries, cultures and lifestyles.

Finding the option that is right for your home begins with narrowing down your search. Determine what cultural influences you would like to incorporate to your room or throughout your home. Choosing great flooring can help achieve the look and charm you desire. Here's a look at some of the latest in global flooring options.

Hardwood
Hardwoods offer a warm, timeless, and elegance beauty to any room. Incorporating cultural influences in your room is possible with hardwood, by choosing exotic woods such as a Brazilian Jatoba or Peruvian Cabreuva.

The Brazilian Jatoba, often referred to as the Brazilian Cherry although it is not a cherry wood, is an attractive lighter burgundy or red brown hue with dark streaks. When first installed it will appear lighter in color, but with time will deepen to a darker red brown shade. Jatoba has a gentle grain pattern, and is much harder and denser then other woods such as red oak. Jatoba would add an exotic, but classical touch to any room.

The Peruvian Cabreuva, also known as the Santos Mahogany, is deep red with exquisite grain patterns. Although freshly cut Cabreuva is reddish brown, it will darken to a deep red with time. Together with its hardness and great durability, Cabreuva provides a rich natural design to any flooring space.

Ceramic and Stone Tiles
The versatility of options now available in ceramic and stone has rejuvenated this historical flooring type, to become one of the latest styles in flooring.

Fired clay tiles originated over 4,000 years ago in ancient Egypt and have been modified by other cultures to suit their individual needs. Modified versions included rust colored tiles used in ancient monasteries in England and colorful, hand-painted tiles to suit the lifestyles of both Spanish and Portuguese cultures.

Today, ceramic floor tiles exhibit a variety of colored glazes, grouts and decoration, which range from plain terra cotta tile to highly decorated individual ceramic tiles with elaborately patterns. In addition to the type of tile chosen, size, grout and pattern should also be considered. Tiles can be laid in a square, diamond, or brick bond pattern. Although the diamond pattern uses more tiles it will add more drama and character to the floor. To create even more impact, you can add a tile border that is a different size or shape than the rest of the room.

Properly choosing flooring is important as it can influence the overall style of the room. To find that perfect flooring to emphasize a cultural appeal, be sure to ask your flooring experts about new products that have just arrived or flooring styles appropriate for your global decor!

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