Natural stone floors
Stone floors, the height of luxury, are made of marble, granite, slate, limestone or travertine. Chiseled edges or the metro, contemporary look, as well as mosaics and glass tile accents, are the updated version of the ceramic tile.

Laminate flooring
Laminate flooring no longer just mimics hardwood, it also imitates exotic woods, stone and ceramic tile. Perfect for high-traffic areas because of its durability, warranties are usually 15 years to a lifetime.
Bamboo
According to the Flooring Trends website, bamboo is all the rage this year. Used for centuries in Asia because of its beauty, hardness, durability and environmental friendliness, today’s bamboo floors have a variety of colors and textures.

Area rugs
Use versatile area rugs to add a splash of color. From antiques to shags to designer styles, area rugs can transform the look of a room.

Carpets
“People are doing more hard surface than they used to, but when they are doing carpet, they are making a statement,” said Sally Wildeman, manager of Design Home Studio in Austin. Homeowners are gravitating toward bold colors and unique textures. Carpeting has outsold every other type of flooring for the last 50 years, Flooring Trends says.

Hardwood
Wider planks and darker colors are becoming popular, Wildeman said, and exotics like Australian cypress are making their way into homes. “It used to be an oak and maple world, but now it’s not,” she said. This flooring — no matter what finish — will never go out of style.

Vinyl
“Vinyl flooring is easier to live with than it ever was,” Wildeman said. Styles can be comparable to ceramic tiles, though they are only expected to last five to 15 years.

Linoleum
Linoleum — not to be confused with vinyl — is a combination of linseed oil from flax, cork, ground limestone, resins, drying agents and pigments on the backing of juke fiber. This combination makes it resistant to fire, comfortable, warm and quiet.

Carpet tiles
Carpet tiles/squares are one of the easiest do-it-yourself home projects. Like ceramic tile, it is installed tile-by-tile but without the glue. These products are made better than the tiles of the 1980s and look almost seamless when installed.

Cork floors
Cork is an environmentally friendly alternative to wood flooring, Sally Wildeman, manager of Design Home Studio in Austin, explained. This flooring, made of 50 percent air, is ideal for homeowners who want their home free of allergens.