The Flooring An Interior Designer Says To Avoid At Home Depot

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Not everyone has the budget or means to visit a luxury flooring retailer, and for time-sensitive remodeling projects, it makes sense to shop at a large chain store like Lowe's or Home Depot. These stores still offer a decent range of products, financing options, and even professional installation, but for the high-design-minded, there are a handful of tempting products that you might regret purchasing. Interior designer Phoenix Grey, also known as Design Daddy on TikTok, believes that flooring is one of the most important finishes in home design. While exploring a Home Depot, Grey pointed out a few products that he either would or wouldn't recommend investing in, and he had some strong opinions about one flooring style in particular. "When you're looking for flooring, avoid anything that has this stripe pattern to it, because once it's laid out, you're going to have this almost zebra pattern," Grey explained on TikTok.

Ironically, many wood-look materials like vinyl and laminate often feature this distinct striping in order to appear more realistic. However, when it's applied across an entire space, such as a living room or kitchen, the effect becomes much less convincing. There are plenty of wood finishes that could be dating your home, but the aggressively striped, unnatural look is one that could go out of style quickly, and does no favors for your space in the meantime.

When you're gazing up at the sample panel at Home Depot, this heavily striped flooring might look fine, but apply that across a whole room, and the busy grain pattern becomes all too clear. Phoenix Grey would likely advise against flooring like this Century Flooring Builder Natural Hickory or Bruce American Home Rustic Natural Hickory from Home Depot, which both have very dramatic striping in the wood grain. Because this glaring color variation is often seen in "reclaimed" wood flooring styles, Phoenix Grey tends to advise against those, too. Aside from looking too distracting, heavily variegated flooring can be hard to adapt to different interior design styles, making grain-heavy woods one of the flooring choices that could turn away potential buyers.

Instead, Grey suggests on TikTok, "Flooring should always have a nice, neutral finish to it." Whether you're installing a real wood floor or a wood-look laminate or vinyl, look for even coloring between planks with a noticeable but subtle grain. "Walnut is one of my personal favorites. It's known for its rich, dark color and elegant grain pattern," Grey explained in a YouTube video. "It adds a touch of luxury and warmth to any space while not being too intense like other hardwoods." White oak and maple are other options that fit the bill, according to the designer. "[Maple] has a light but a very consistent color with subtle grain patterns if you're looking for something more minimal." 

If you're still drawn to this striking flooring style or you already have it in your home, there are a few ways to help it blend in. Wide planks are still continuing to dominate, and they are better than thin planks at offsetting the dizzying nature of dramatic wood grains. For real wood floors, re-staining or painting are other options to help tone down the stripes. Lastly, rugs can be placed tactfully to help break up the pattern.