If you are searching for flooring trends to avoid 2027, the useful answer is short: in the NWFA 2027 Industry Outlook, respondents expect gray tones and red tones to lose demand, and one respondent described customers moving away from traditional narrow strips. This page keeps to those three looks. For gray tones, we pair grey floors with in-stock floors at the same spec and the same or nearly the same price, drawn from our vinyl flooring collection and our engineered hardwood range, so you can see whether following the survey costs you anything.
The short list: two looks respondents expect to lose demand, plus one comment
- Gray tones: 75% of respondents expect demand for gray tones to decline in 2027.
- Red tones: 55% anticipate declining demand for red tones.
- Narrow strips: one respondent serving the New York City market said customers are moving away from traditional narrow strips. That is one voice, not a measured share of the market.
That is the whole list. Plenty of other looks get debated, but we include a look only when a cited industry source says demand for it is falling, and we word each entry no more strongly than the source does. For the full picture of what is rising, our guide to what flooring will be in style in 2027 has the survey in detail, and our 2026 what's in, what's out article keeps last year's list.
Read the survey for what it is
The NWFA figures come from an online survey of NWFA members and Hardwood Floors magazine readers. Those are trade expectations about demand, so they are not a poll of homeowners, and none of the surveys quoted on this page asked Toronto households. A forecast of falling demand also says nothing about a floor already in your home: if you have grey floors you like, there is no reason in these numbers to replace them. Our guide on whether grey flooring is still in style for Toronto homes covers that question in depth.
Gray tones: same-spec swaps we have in stock
Gray tones carry the biggest number on the list, yet grey is still widely sold. We counted the in-stock floors with grey, gray or greige in the title, by material, from our catalogue as of October 30, 2026. Greige sits close to grey, but the survey line names gray tones and does not mention greige, so we read it neither way for this page; our greige flooring guide covers that colour on its own.
| Material | In-stock floors | Titled grey, gray or greige |
|---|---|---|
| SPC vinyl plank | 87 | 12 |
| Engineered hardwood | 63 | 6 |
| Solid hardwood | 145 | 5 |
| Laminate | 134 | 1 |
The next table lines up the two same-spec swaps we can show today: three Riche SPC planks, and two of our engineered European oak boards.
| Floor | Colour name | Box price | Coverage per box | Price per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riche Greige Oak SPC, 10mm | Greige | $38.89 | 11.82 sq ft | $3.29 |
| Riche Stone Grey Oak SPC, 10mm | Grey | $38.89 | 11.82 sq ft | $3.29 |
| Riche Toasted Caramel Oak SPC, 10mm | Caramel | $38.89 | 11.82 sq ft | $3.29 |
| Titanium Grey European oak engineered | Grey | $85.25 | 19.42 sq ft | $4.39 |
| Natural European oak engineered | Natural | $83.31 | 19.42 sq ft | $4.29 |
Prices checked October 30, 2026. Box prices and coverage come from our current catalogue; price per sq ft is box price divided by coverage, rounded to the cent.
Vinyl: Toasted Caramel Oak against Greige Oak and Stone Grey Oak
The three Riche planks share one spec: 10mm thick with a 20mil wear layer, click-lock installation and a waterproof rating as the listings state it, and an attached EVA pad per the product titles. They also share one price, $38.89 per box of 11.82 sq ft, which works out to $3.29 per sq ft. Choosing the warm caramel plank over the greige or the Stone Grey Oak changes the look and nothing on the receipt.
The match goes further than three colours. Every in-stock SPC floor we list at 10mm with a 20mil wear layer, 24 in all, is priced at either $3.29 or $3.35 per sq ft, a spread of $0.06. Nine of those 24 sit at $3.29, and of those nine, two have grey or greige in the title and two have natural, honey, caramel, amber or butterscotch in the title. If you were leaning toward grey for budget reasons, the budget argument does not hold up in this range.
Engineered hardwood: Natural against Titanium Grey
Our two engineered boards in the table are the same product in different colours: European oak, 7 1/2" wide, 3/4" thick, with a 3mm top layer, a wire-brushed finish and character grade, both listed as nail-down. Titanium Grey is $85.25 per 19.42 sq ft box, or $4.39 per sq ft. Natural is $83.31 per box, or $4.29 per sq ft, so the natural colour is $1.94 less per box and $0.10 less per sq ft. Every other spec we list for the two boards is identical.
Red tones: no single swap, one place to compare colours
We have not matched any of the five floors priced on this page to the red-tone line, so there is no same-price swap for this entry. If you are choosing a prefinished oak and want it to read neutral rather than orange, our guide to prefinished colours that stay neutral is the place to compare options. If you already like a red-leaning floor, nothing in the survey says to avoid it in your own home; it says respondents expect fewer buyers for that look.
Narrow strips: one respondent's comment
The narrow-strip entry rests on a single comment, so treat it as a signal and not a statistic. The respondent described customers moving toward 5" and wider boards. Both engineered boards above are 7 1/2" wide.
If you are extending or repairing an existing narrow-strip floor, matching what is already there matters more than any survey line. For a full new floor, the width question is open to you.
For wood board width and length, see our guide to engineered hardwood and wood flooring trends for 2027.
What the same sources say is gaining
The NWFA report sums up its findings this way: "Together, the findings point toward a warmer, more natural aesthetic." Maxx Rapaport, vice president of Rapaport Wood Floors, sees honey and amber tones gaining traction as the market moves away from cooler, gray-heavy palettes. The same report says white oak also remains a standout, with 52% of respondents expecting demand to increase in 2027. If you are weighing pale oak against a natural one, our white-washed vs natural oak comparison goes through the choice.
A second source points the same way. Anderson Tuftex's 2027 Floor Forecast is based on a custom study conducted in partnership with The Harris Poll, surveying high-net-worth homeowners and interior designers across the United States. For hardwood, it reports 37% of homeowners favoring warm natural and honey tones, and 11% gravitating toward smoky midtones with soft hints of gray, charcoal or brown.
What the swaps cost in material for 500 sq ft
Here is the arithmetic for a 500 sq ft room. Add the 5% waste allowance we use in quotes, which gives 525 sq ft. Divide by the coverage per box and round up to whole boxes, then multiply by the box price. The figures are material only; installation, removal, trim, delivery and HST are quoted separately.
| Floor | Boxes for 525 sq ft | Material cost |
|---|---|---|
| Riche Greige SPC | 45 boxes | $1,750.05 |
| Riche Stone Grey SPC | 45 boxes | $1,750.05 |
| Riche Toasted Caramel SPC | 45 boxes | $1,750.05 |
| Titanium Grey engineered oak | 28 boxes | $2,387.00 |
| Natural engineered oak | 28 boxes | $2,332.68 |
For the SPC trio, 525 / 11.82 = 44.4 boxes, rounded up to 45, and 45 x $38.89 = $1,750.05 whichever colour you pick. Confirm the live box price on the product page before you order, since the figures here are from the day we pulled the catalogue. For the engineered pair, 525 / 19.42 = 27.0 boxes, rounded up to 28; the natural colour comes to $54.32 less than Titanium Grey on the same 28 boxes.
Choosing between the grey floor and its swap
- You like grey and the room suits it: buy it. The survey is about expected demand, and the price gives you no reason to switch.
- You are undecided between grey and a warm tone: look at both colours in the room's own light before you decide, since the prices in this range are equal or close.
- You want a wide board: the engineered pair is 7 1/2" wide, so you are already past the 5" mark the respondent mentioned.
Questions about flooring looks that may fade in 2027
Which flooring looks do industry surveys expect to lose demand?
In the NWFA 2027 Industry Outlook, respondents expect demand to fall for gray tones and red tones, and one respondent described customers leaving traditional narrow strips behind. We found no other falling look in a cited manufacturer or trade-association source, so we do not list any.
Does a 2027 forecast mean my current floor looks dated?
No. A forecast describes what respondents expect people to buy next year, not whether an existing floor is good. A floor you already own and like does not need replacing because of a survey.
Do warm floors cost more than grey ones?
Not in the pairs above. The Riche caramel, greige and stone grey planks cost the same per box, and our Natural engineered board is $0.10 per sq ft below Titanium Grey.
Who was surveyed for these reports?
The NWFA report draws on NWFA members and Hardwood Floors magazine readers, and Anderson Tuftex's study covers high-net-worth homeowners and designers in the United States. Neither is a Toronto homeowner poll, so use them as a direction and not a local measurement.
Price a swap for your own room in Toronto and the GTA
Send us your room sizes and the two colours you are torn between, and we will price them side by side. You can request a quote online and tell us the room size, building type and what is on the floor now.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819