n
today's innovative flooring market, the options are endless. Engineered
or laminate wood? Natural stone or ceramic tile? Which is the perfect
match for your home? Considering
the overall house style may offer some clues. Find out which of the
latest flooring choices experts suggest for a range of Island houses,
from beach bungalows and contemporary condos to
high-end estates and suburbia.
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| Pacific American Lumber covered the great room floor of this Hawaii Kai home with beautiful, rich Brazilian cherry. Photo by Scott T. Kubo. |
Beach Bungalow
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| Marmol HI offers flagstone quartzite, or, as pictured here, in smooth tiles. Photo courtesy of Marmol HI. |
Ocean-front
cottages are well-loved for their breathtaking views and relaxed,
worn-in feel. Rather than trying to fight against the salt water, sand
and humidity, the homes are better off going with the flow. One
must-have for a comfortable beach house is no-worry flooring.
Vini
Freitas, of Marmol HI Natural Stones Ltd., recommends quartzite as the
ideal stone for beach-front floors, because of its gritty surface and
nonslip characteristics. Quartzite, when laid in a random, flagstone
pattern, is not only practical, but also aesthetically casual.
"Flagstone
quartzite creates flow. It looks organic," Freitas says. Marmol HI
features exotic quartzite tiles and flagstone from Minas Gerais,
Brazil. In shades of yellow Golden Ray and Golden Beaches, green Sage
and Rainbow, it complements almost any beach getaway.
In
some beach homes, the carefree attitude can be bogged down with
concerns of salt air and sandy feet damaging floors. Pacific Imports
International offers low-maintenance hardwood solutions. General
manager, Shirley Pai Hilton, recommends engineered hardwood, which is
several layers of hardwood pressed together. Pacific Imports carries
the Alexander Hand-Scraped Collection by Max Windsor. Not only is it
durable, it also features a rustic, distressed look that fits right
into the beach mode.
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| Pacific Imports International's hand-scraped Max Windsor engineered flooring is perfectly worn in for beachy abodes. Photo courtesy of Pacific Imports International. |
Because
of the flooring's natural grooves and imperfections, it doesn't
announce new dents and scrapes, but has a pre-worn look. Each plank is
unique, thanks to the craftsmen's personal touches. "It reminds me of
driftwood," says Hilton. "It lets you be relaxed." In a high-traffic
area or with children and pets, the flooring is forgiving.
The
hand-scraped collection is available in a variety of wood tones,
including cherry, maple and oak. For durability, it has 10 coats of a
UV-cured aluminum oxide finish. Hilton adds that this product is
feasible for do-it-yourselfers, as its tongue-and-groove installation
is a snap.
Another
engineered floor is available through Dream Hardwood Flooring. Its
namesake product, Dream Flooring, is layered with the wood grains in
opposite directions. This technique provides a durable, stable and
natural-looking option for beach bungalows.
"In
Hawaii, where our climate is so humid, wood normally expands. Our
engineered flooring does not expand," says Wendy Wu, of Dream Hardwood
Flooring.
Wu
explains that its extra durability stems from its 3/16-inch-thick top
layer. The thick surface layer is deep enough for refinishing and
buffing out sand and salt damage. Another perk of Dream Flooring is
that it can be glued to concrete subfloors, which are common in Hawaii.
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| Dream Hardwood Flooring's Dream Flooring in (left to right) cherry, maple, merbau and tiger wood finishes. |
Contemporary Condo
Most
condo dwellers are downtown workers who live fast-paced, streamlined
lifestyles. Working in the modern world often translates to modern
living. Clean lines in architecture and interior design distinguish
their spaces.
"For
condos, the stark, simple look of concrete is often the look people
want," says Andrew Simon, of Lokahi Stone Bomanite. But not just any
gray concrete. Lokahi Stone Bomanite specializes in decorative concrete
floor finishes. The simplest way to make an existing concrete floor
shine is to acid stain it, Simon says. This process etches the surface,
producing a mottled look that can be enhanced with marbling techniques
or blending. The only drawback is that acid staining is limited to
earth tones. However, Lokahi Stone Bomanite can apply a micro-topping.
This resurfacing is available in a wide variety of colors and designs.
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| Lokahi Stone Bomanite concrete designs transform flat floors into textured works of art. Photo courtesy of Lokahi Stone Bomanite. |
New
construction and concrete pours are Lokahi Stone Bomanite's premier
services. The company features colored concrete with decorative stone
aggregates, such as jade, mother of pearl or other inlays. After the
concrete cures, diamond polishing makes the aggregates and inlays
sparkle.
Within
a condo's close quarters, noise travels. To limit racket, Bamboo
Flooring Hawaii suggests a cork underlayer to soak up sounds. For on
top, Bamboo Flooring has several environmentally friendly types of
flooring, including bamboo, cork and palmwood.
The
company's newest alternative is Tigerboo laminate. With tigerwood-like
stripes, made of dark and light bamboo, the exotic, modern Tigerboo is
sophisticated. "The look is Tommy Bahama meets contemporary," says Mark
Elwell, of Bamboo Flooring Hawaii.
Tigerboo
is a glued laminate made from toothpick-size bamboo pieces that are
pressed together in a hydraulic press. Because of this process,
Tigerboo is dense, durable and incredibly water resistant. And, it is
environmentally friendly—bamboo is a grass that grows to maturity in
five years. Then, it is harvested blade by blade, rather than clearing
an entire hillside.
For
modern-style condos, Janice Onishi, of Pacific American Lumber,
suggests the trendy, prefinished Australian brush box engineered
hardwood. The prefinished flooring is a popular option, as it can be
installed faster, without having to wait for the finish to dry.
"Many people feel that some wood, such as oak, is out of date. They want the clean, contemporary wood grains," says Onishi.
The
engineered brush box is produced in Australia by Brett's Totally
Floored. It is a ply product, like other engineered floors made up of
several layers. It can be nailed into the subfloor, or floated, with
interconnected pieces simply sitting on top of the subfloor.
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| (at left) Bamboo Flooring Hawaii's laminate, Tigerboo. (at right) Add drama to porcelain tile floors with glass accents. Photo courtesy of Tile Mart. |
For
high-rise condo projects, elevator weight restrictions and delivery to
units are always considerations. Ryan Wheelock, of Precision Stone
Corp, a tile and stone installer, says that ceramic and porcelain tiles
are a good choice for condos, because of their manageable sizes and
weights.
Tile
Mart offers one of Oahu's widest varieties of ceramic and porcelain
tiles. President of sales and marketing, Mike Ferguson, says that tile
is perfect for modern condo décor, because of its clean, perpendicular
lines. "Tile facilitates residential, urban minimalist designs by
allowing tight grout joints," says Ferguson.
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| Novarloc's rich, tropical tones stand tough against wear and tear. Photo courtesy of Maru Flooring. |
He
suggests Crossville's four new porcelain tile series: Now, Journey,
Chemistry and Character. The "Now" and "Journey" series feature
realistic marble veining and rough textures that capture the elegance
of natural stone. The tiles are available in sizes ranging from three
by six inches to 18 by 18 inches. To experiment with
out-of-the-ordinary tile colors, check out "Chemistry." Its bright
glazes come in multiple sizes, and can be emphasized with Crossville's
glass and metal accents. "Character," the largest format, with
24-by-24-inch tiles and fewer grout lines, appears less busy.
Suburbia Style
Many
of Hawaii's suburban homes house several generations and rooms are
built to serve several purposes. Kids, pets, parties and the day-to-day
put every interior element to the test. Floors take the brunt of the
abuse.
Durable
laminate floors have a long-standing relationship with suburbia.
Fortunately for families, Maru Flooring's newest laminate, Novarloc, is
virtually indestructable. In fact, it is the most water-resistant
laminate on the market, says Maru Flooring's Brian Westlake. Novarloc
is made of 98 percent tropical wood, which is naturally water
resistant. The compression of the laminate makes the product dense, so
liquid can't seep in.
Novarloc
is also more scratch and dent resistant than traditional hardwoods;
and, it doesn't fade. Westlake says, "People with kids will love it."
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| Integrity Tile & Stone's seamless craftsmanship pieces together an elegant travertine entryway. Photo courtesy of Integrity Tile & Stone. |
Maru
Flooring offers 10 patterns of Novarloc laminate, including oak, beech,
two maples, merbau and kempas, which looks like koa. The company also
stocks hardwoods, engineered wood, tiles and moldings.
In
Hawaii, where we leave our windows open, Steven Langford, with
EuroFloor, says laminate flooring has its advantages. "Dust mites and
mold spores don't grow on laminate flooring," he says. This creates a
cleaner indoor environment that is perfect for people with allergies.
EuroFloor
is the longest continuously produced laminate flooring, Langford says.
Its long-standing recipe includes high-density fiberboard and
melamine-impregnated craft paper, which makes the surface resistant to
dents or scratches.
Langford
says, "There should be some emphasis on quality of product. Eurofloor
is made with advance technology. Everyone says, My product is the
cheapest. I say, Eurofloor stands alone."
High-End Estate
In
neighborhoods such as Hawaii Kai and Portlock, grand residences
overlook the south shore. Expansive properties with luxurious
spaces—vaulted ceilings, sprawling great rooms, apartment-size master
bathrooms and restaurant-like kitchens—call for elegant floors.
According
to Nick Nye, of Custom Marble Design, many homeowners create a sense of
place with plantation-inspired materials. To match the popular use of
floral prints, rosy woods and outdoors tones, Nye has seen a recent
demand for natural stone tiles. "Hawaiiana, to me, is light travertine.
Many houses on the water have extravagant travertine, which blends with
the outdoors," Nye says. Of travertine's various finishes, he says that
the honed and antico finishes are most popular for their rustic, coarse
textures.
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| Large-format travertine tiles are graceful in roomy spaces. Photo courtesy of Andean Stone. |
John
Hui, of Grand Construction, also finds travertine to be popular for
estate properties. Grand Construction is a one-stop shop for home
remodeling. The company's showroom features flooring materials, as well
as kitchen cabinet lines, countertops and woodwork. It also offers
interior design services, along with kitchen and bath remodeling.
"Travertine is popular, because it's easier to maintain than marble or granite, because it's dense and durable," Hui says.
Beyond
fitting nicely into Hawaiiana decor, travertine is strong enough to be
cut into large-format tiles, some as large as three feet by six feet.
Oversize tiles benefit homes with wide-open floor plans, as they add
continuity to the floor patterns, says Nye.
"Travertine
is a much denser stone," agrees Ed Lewis, of Integrity Tile & Stone
Inc., a stone and tile installer. "Normally, a stone tile that is 12 by
12 inches or 16 by 16 inches is cut with a thickness of 3/8 of an inch.
Travertine is the only stone that can be cut so large and still retain
the 3/8-inch thickness."
Alice
Newman, of Andean Stone, Hawaii's exclusive supplier of Gallos Peruvian
Travertine, agrees. "Stone tiles have been available in almost any size
for 1,000 years. It has always been a matter of density, which
determines durability in a large format," she says. However, Andean
Stone specifically carries Gallos Peruvian for its incomparable
structural integrity, says Newman. The company's selection ranges in
color, from creamy Colonial to brown Andino Dark to gold Imperial, and
some varieties feature hints of black, gray, red or green.
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| Quartzite flagstone on mesh backing goes casual or classy. Courtesy of Marblehaus Hawaii. |
Marblehaus
Hawaii's Kevin Nip agrees that natural stone is the ultimate in
plantation-style flooring. He recommends the company's newest quartzite
option: random flagstone mounted to a mesh backing. The
four-square-foot pieces interlock to create a casual, yet elegant
dynamic. "Quartzite's natural appearance blends with atriums, garden
settings and our natural landscape," Nip says. The material,
manufactured in northern China, is available in golden beige, grey and
green tones. Nip adds that quartzite is easy to maintain, because the
rough, cleft surface isn't a high-polished finish.
On
the other side of the plantation-style spectrum from natural stone is
tropical woods. Builders Home Supply, which covers building material
needs, from glass to kitchen and flooring products, boasts a high-end,
hardwood laminate aptly suited for Island-style homes.
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| Floral-print rugs continue to be a classic favorite for Island homes. Photo courtesy of Island Rug Co. |
"We
developed a unique product that we call the Hawaiian Exotic Collection,
because it creates an Island atmosphere," says Ohelo Kaopio, of
Builders Home Supply. The laminate series, Wisteria Lane, is available
in distinctly Hawaiian colors, such as koa, monkeypod, mango and bamboo.
To
produce its laminate, a high-resolution image is first scanned from the
wood of choice. Then, the image is applied to a heavy paper, which is
transferred by pressure onto high-density fiberboard. An acrylic top
coat is added for protection. This way, homeowners can have the look of
rare woods without harming the species.
To
add a final touch of Hawaiiana, a floral area rug is classic. Island
Rug Co. features hundreds of beautiful, handmade Tibetan wool and silk
rugs in a wide range of contemporary and tropical floral motifs. The
company can also customize rugs and features more than 600 colors from
which to choose.
"They
work well with Island-lifestyle décor to create a mood and also a sense
of place that is so important here in Hawaii," says Island Rugs' Kelly
McGuire. Island Rugs offers in-home consultation, as well as cleaning
and repair.
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| Plantation Charm: Philip White and Associates designed this Island-inspired home with natural Douglas fir hardwood flooring. Photo by Augie Salbosa. |
