bamboo flooring Archives - Inspired Remodels

Flooring Contractor Uses Biophilic Design in Orange County

By Inspired Remodels / Home Improvement / 1 Comment

Biophilic design evolved from Biophilia and was introduced by Stephen Kellert in 1983. It has gained popularity ever since. This design connects our indoor living spaces with the outdoor environment through design. Inspired Remodels, an Orange County flooring contractor, understands that the choice of flooring materials and colors plays a key role in the overall biophilic design. Think of a color palette that resonates with the local Orange County landscape, from desert to mountains, sea, and sky. Consider natural and man-made materials that emulate their natural counterparts.

after flooring contractor installs grey flooring in living area

Grey wood floors, plants, and natural fiber rug contribute to biophilic design

Flooring Material Options

Any Orange County flooring contractor that uses biophilic design looks first to natural materials. Some examples of natural materials that could be used for flooring options include stone, wood, bamboo, concrete, or even tile made to look like these materials.

Natural Stone

For the Orange County landscape, slate, sandstone, and travertine offer the rugged textures and tones of our beautiful mountains and rock formations. The use of a matte finish maintains the earthy look of the stone. It is important to note that natural stone may not be right for every home as it does require regular maintenance and sealing.

Engineered Wood

While any wood does the job, selecting lighter tones or weathered woods maintains the biophilic aesthetic and complements other natural design elements. Woods like oak or hickory bring warmth while mimicking the sun-bleached look of our arid region. Available from most brands are wide planks which help to maintain the natural feel. Engineered wood has shifted from the shiny, polished look of the 90’s to a more matte or wire-brushed finish.

Alternative Tile Options

Natural stone or engineered wood may not be the right fit for every home. If you are looking for the biophilic aesthetic without the care and maintenance of natural materials, tile brands like Arizona Tile have created porcelain tiles made to look like wood, concrete, slate, or even marble.

Color Schemes

Natural finishes make the ideal starting point for color options. Matte finishes maintain the aesthetic. The flooring color should complement or contrast with the other colors used in the room.

Popular not only to biophilic design but also deemed as one of the industry’s trends for 2025, earth tones. Think colors that appear naturally. Colors such as sandy beige, soft taupe, or warm terracotta pair well with rust red, ochre, or burnt orange to mirror the rocks in the Santa Ana mountains.

Neutral grays mimic the weathered look of rugged stone and mountain shadows. This flooring color pairs well with warm walls and balances cool tones in the room.

Orange County flooring contractor photo after installing wood LVP in kitchen with green cabinets and white countertop

LVP looks like wood

Desert greens like sage or olive echo native flora. Soft blues and blush pinks bring in the colors of the Pacific and sky at dusk or dawn. Luxury vinyl flooring (LVP) planks in ash or oak naturally match these colors.

Accents in Natural Finishes

Other ways to incorporate biophilic design into your home include accents and accessories.

Wood accents. Things like floating shelves, mantels, or accent walls finished in a natural wood bring natural warmth into the space and embrace the tones of biophilic design.
Natural fiber rugs and carpet. Whether sisal, jute, seagrass or another natural fiber, accent rugs or even carpet are available through brands like our partners at Fibreworks.

Flooring contractor after picture: Hardwood flooring on stairs and landing

Stair flooring is not a DIY project

Orange County Flooring Contractor for Biophilic Design

Not every flooring contractor in Orange County understands the use of biophilic design. Get your flooring through Inspired Remodels and you will be assured that your design incorporates biophilic design if that’s your preference.
Bring your design ideas to Inspired Remodels and reap the benefits of a truly inspired design for years to come. Schedule a consultation today.

Orange County Flooring Contractor Talks 3 Flooring Options

By Inspired Remodels / Home Improvement / Comments Off

Orange County homeowners eschew carpet for living areas and love hard floor options. But even when you set aside carpet options, the wide variety of flooring types can be overwhelming. Inspired Remodels, an Orange County flooring contractor breaks flooring options into broad categories to make the selection process easier.

Tile Flooring Options

Tile flooring continues as a popular choice for Orange County homes. It offers both durability and an incredible variety of shapes, textures, sizes, and styles. Tile floors break down into 3 broad categories.

Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tile floors appear in bathrooms, kitchens, hallways, and living areas. You’ll even find ceramic tile in Orange County bedrooms. People love these tiles for their durability and versatility. They come in almost any color you can imagine and many different shapes and sizes. Tile floors require grout.

Porcelain Tile

Porcelain tiles are ceramic tiles on steroids. They offer more durability and water resistance than standard ceramic tiles. Confused?

All porcelain tiles are ceramic, but not all ceramic tiles are porcelain.

Porcelain tile provides the ideal solution for areas with high moisture. Find these tiles on Orange County bathroom and kitchen floors.

Natural Stone Tile

Natural stone floors, such as marble, granite, and slate, offer a luxurious and timeless look that elevates the design of any room. Because they are made from natural stone, each tile presents a unique, one-of-a-kind appearance.

Natural stone requires extra maintenance to keep it looking great. Stone floors also require grout.

Orange County flooring contractor after photo engineered walnut hardwood flooring in hallway

Engineered hardwood flooring in walnut

Wood Flooring Options

Wood flooring adds warmth and elegance to any Orange County home. Like tile, you face many options. This includes:

hardness of the wood species
plank width
finish

Harder woods like hickory and oak provide more resistance to dents and scratches, making them perfect for high-traffic areas. Wide planks make a room look larger and offer a modern look, while narrow planks create a more traditional appearance. Wood flooring falls into 3 broad categories.

Solid Hardwood

A solid hardwood flooring plank represents a single piece of wood. When it comes to longevity, hardwood shines. Sand and refinish over again to make it look like new. Homeowners love oak, maple, and cherry in Orange County for different reasons. Oak offers a classic look, maple brings hardness, and cherry provides a rich color.

Engineered Hardwood

Engineered hardwood consists of a top layer of real wood veneer fused to several layers of plywood. This construction makes it more resistant to moisture compared to solid hardwood. Engineered hardwood options cover many different wood species, finishes, and plank widths.

Bamboo Flooring

For the environment-minded buyer, bamboo offers a sustainable and eco-friendly flooring option. Bamboo flooring might technically come from grass, but bamboo flooring scores higher on the Janka hardness scale than wood flooring from trees. Look to bamboo for a unique and contemporary look for your Orange County home.

Floors that Look Like Wood But Aren’t

Look again. That wood flooring might be made from another material. Faux wood floors go where real wood cannot, and require less maintenance. Orange County flooring contractors install wood-look porcelain tiles in bathrooms to achieve spa looks and luxury vinyl plank all over the house.

LVP looks just like wood

Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP)

LVP mimics the look of real wood. Manufactured from multiple layers of PVC vinyl, LVP offers a flooring option that is highly durable, water-resistant, and easy to maintain. LVP allows you to get a wood look without the special maintenance or higher costs associated with wood.

Orange County flooring contractor uses wood-look tile to create spa feeling with white marble walls and white soaking tub

Wood-look tile creates a spa feel in the bathroom

Wood-Look Porcelain Tile

Advances in manufacturing technology make it possible to create porcelain tiles that emulate wood right down to the grain. These tiles combine the beauty of wood with the durability and water resistance of porcelain. Install in wet areas like bathrooms and kitchens for the look of wood and the ease of tile.

Experienced Orange County Flooring Contractor

Flooring impacts the look, feel, and functionality of your home. Whether you prefer the classic appeal of wood, the durability of tile, or the versatility of wood-look alternatives, Inspired Remodels, an Orange County flooring contractor installs floors you’ll love for years.

Orange County Flooring Contractor Explains the Differences in Wood Flooring

Nothing beats the warmth and richness of a wood floor. But wood flooring doesn’t fit every room and it certainly doesn’t fit every budget. If you need to buy new flooring and like the look of wood, Inspired Remodels wants you to understand the options you have for wood flooring. That’s why this Orange County flooring contractor put together this guide to the options for wood flooring.

Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood flooring made from natural hardwood is the first flooring that comes to mind when most people think of hardwood flooring. It offers durability and can be refinished. It is the most expensive but offers the longest wear.

What is it?

Hardwood flooring consists of planks of wood that may come finished or unfinished. The wood comes from slow-growing trees that create dense wood fibers. Generally, oak, maple, or hickory trees grow the flooring, which is then finished to emulate any other wood.

How is it available?

Hardwood flooring comes in planks of various widths. Strip planks run 2” to 3” wide while wide planks begin at about 5” in width. Generally, use smaller planks in smaller rooms and wider planks in larger rooms.

How is it installed?

Because wood absorbs moisture, always acclimate the product in the room in which it will be installed for several days.

Then the flooring goes down on the appropriate subfloor and is attached with glue or nails.

Where to use it?

Use hardwood flooring above grade in any room that doesn’t use water. Water ruins hardwood flooring so don’t put it in bathrooms and think twice about installing it in kitchens.

Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo flooring is harvested from fast-growing bamboo plants. The bamboo plant belongs to the grass family and is not really a tree. But bamboo ranks higher on the Janka Hardness Scale than many hardwoods like oak.

How is it available

Like hardwood flooring, bamboo flooring comes in planks. The planks run generally anywhere from 3” to 8” wide. Like hardwood flooring, the planks come in different lengths. Bamboo options include solid bamboo or strand-woven bamboo.

How is it installed

Like hardwood, bamboo flooring must be acclimated before installation. Depending on the construction of the planks, they may be nailed down or glued down. Because bamboo is so hard, special nail guns must be used to nail the planks in place.

Where to use it

Install bamboo above grade in dry areas. Like hardwood, you won’t want to install bamboo in rooms with water. Also, because you can’t finish bamboo as many times as solid hardwood planks, you don’t want to put bamboo in high-traffic entryways or hallways.

Laminated/Engineered Wood Flooring

Laminate wood flooring is still wood flooring, it just isn’t solid wood flooring. This option is great for rooms below grade where solid wood can’t be installed. You’ll find laminate also referred to as engineered wood flooring. A layer of solid wood is laminated to a layer of plywood. It is much more economical than bamboo or solid hardwood flooring.

How is it available

Engineered flooring comes in planks of various widths and lengths. It follows hardwood flooring trends in plank width and finishes.

How is it installed

A click-lock system allows engineered and laminated wood flooring to float over padding. You can install engineered wood over cement. There’s no need to glue or nail the planks in place. This reduces the labor required for installation too.

Where to use it

Laminated and engineered flooring goes in any room you want. Water poses no problem when the planks are properly installed. Put this flooring below grade without worry. Check with the flooring manufacturer before installing over radiant-heated floors.

Wood Look Porcelain Flooring

Everyone loves the spa feel of wood in a bathroom. But water and wood just don’t go together. Enter porcelain tile created to emulate wood. This tile is often indistinguishable from wood flooring by look alone. As you can see, this Orange County flooring contractor creates spa experiences without wood.

How is it available

Wood-look porcelain flooring is available in tile lengths that emulate wood planks. You’ll find the plank widths in the most common hardwood plank sizes as well. So as hardwood plank trends come and go, wood look porcelain flooring trends go with them.

How is it installed

This flooring installs differently from wood because it isn’t wood at all. The tiles are first secured to the backer board with mortar. They may be spaced apart or butted together. Any gaps between tiles are filled with grout.

Where to use it

You can literally use wood-look porcelain tile in any room in your house. However, keep in mind that because it is tile, it will be harder underfoot than other wood flooring options.

Orange County Flooring Contactor for Any Flooring

Inspired Remodels is the Orange County flooring contractor to whom you can turn for any type of flooring. Wood, tile, stone, and even carpet flooring options are available.