1. Smart Flooring: Not Just a Sci-Fi Dream

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase "smart flooring"? Floors that light up when you walk on them? Not quite. Smart flooring is all about using technology with regular materials to do things like keep track of foot traffic, change the lights based on movement, or even figure out health problems by watching how you walk. Companies like SensorFloor are at the forefront of this technology, using advanced sensors to make these floors "think" and change. Imagine a store where the lights on the floor change based on how many people are looking at a certain area. That's a good mix of being efficient and involved!

The word of the day for a while now has been "eco-friendly." But now it's not just bamboo and wood that has been used again. Biophilic design is a smart way to use natural and eco-friendly materials that look good and are good for your health at the same time. If you have floors made from recycled materials or ones that soak up air pollution, being environmentally friendly is less of a choice and more of a need. Shaw Industries is the first company to recycle carpets "cradle to cradle," which means that no old carpets end up in landfills .

2. Sustainable Choices: It's Not Just a Green Tag

The word of the day for a while now has been "eco-friendly." But now it's not just bamboo and wood that has been used again. Biophilic design is a smart way to use natural and eco-friendly materials that look good and are good for your health at the same time. If you have floors made from recycled materials or ones that soak up air pollution, being environmentally friendly is less of a choice and more of a need. Shaw Industries is the first company to recycle carpets "cradle to cradle," which means that no old carpets end up in landfills (shawcontract.com).

You might not think of floors and liquids together, but epoxy and polyurethane floors are changing how we think about floors. Yes, they start out as liquid, but when they dry, they are strong and beautiful with no seams, which tiles can't match. These floors are great for factories and are quickly becoming popular in homes today. You can clean them easily, and chemicals won't hurt them. They also come in a lot of different colors and patterns that make any room look modern. Check out Flowcrete (www.flowcrete.com) for some really nice options.

3. Liquid Floors: Get Rid of Old Stuff

You might not think of floors and liquids together, but epoxy and polyurethane floors are changing how we think about floors. Yes, they start out as liquid, but when they dry, they are strong and beautiful with no seams, which tiles can't match. These floors are great for factories and are quickly becoming popular in homes today. You can clean them easily, and chemicals won't hurt them. They also come in a lot of different colors and patterns that make any room look modern. Check out Flowcrete (www.flowcrete.com) for some really nice options.

With open office layouts becoming more common, it's very important to manage sound well. Acoustic flooring fixes this problem by soaking up sound and lowering noise pollution. The right flooring can make your apartment or busy office quieter, no matter where you live. To do this, cork and carpet tiles that soak up sound are being made better. Interface has taken this to a whole new level with their Sound Choice line of products, which brings order to chaos (interface.com).

4. Acoustic Flooring: A Quiet Feature

With open office layouts becoming more common, it's very important to manage sound well. Acoustic flooring fixes this problem by soaking up sound and lowering noise pollution. The right flooring can make your apartment or busy office quieter, no matter where you live. To do this, cork and carpet tiles that soak up sound are being made better. Interface has taken this to a whole new level with their Sound Choice line of products, which brings order to chaos (interface.com).

Don't worry about what traditional design can do. With digital printing, you can turn your floor into a one-of-a-kind work of art. You can change things in an infinite number of ways with this technology, from simple patterns to realistic landscapes. You can do anything you want, whether you want to remember a memory or brand an office space. Digital printing has changed the flooring game by giving people a lot of design options that can change and adapt. For example, Parterre (www.parterreflooring.com) is a company that does this.

5. Digitally Printed Floors: Change Them Whenever You Want

Don't worry about what traditional design can do. With digital printing, you can turn your floor into a one-of-a-kind work of art. You can change things in an infinite number of ways with this technology, from simple patterns to realistic landscapes. You can do anything you want, whether you want to remember a memory or brand an office space. Digital printing has changed the flooring game by giving people a lot of design options that can change and adapt. For example, Parterre (www.parterreflooring.com) is a company that does this.

The world of floors is always changing. If you want to change or improve your space, it's not enough to just keep an eye on these trends. Go inside and look around. Keep in mind that the right floor can change how you use a room. To get the most out of your floors, work with a well-known brand and stay up to date, just like you would with any other investment. Good flooring is more than just what you walk on. It's about improving every step you take.