Laminate Flooring Trends 2026: What Customers Are Actually Choosing

Laminate flooring trends in 2026 are moving towards natural colours, matt wood finishes, wider planks and distinctive patterns such as herringbone. Based on what we are seeing in our Gauteng flooring showrooms, grey laminate has slowed considerably while light oak, natural oak and medium-to-light brown tones continue to sell strongly.

At Laminate Floor World, we work with laminate flooring every day. Because we supply and install floors across Gauteng, we see which colours customers ask for, which samples they take home and, ultimately, which floors they actually buy.

This guide looks at current trends from that practical perspective. If you are still deciding which type of floor is right for your home, start with our main laminate flooring guide for information about thickness, AC ratings, water resistance, installation and product selection.

What Laminate Flooring Is Popular in 2026?

The biggest change we have noticed is a move away from obviously artificial-looking colours and finishes.

Customers increasingly want laminate flooring that looks closer to natural timber. In our showrooms, the strongest choices currently include:

• Light oak laminate flooring
• Natural oak colours
• Medium-to-light brown wood tones
• Matt and natural-looking surfaces
• Wide-plank laminate flooring
• V-groove plank designs
• Herringbone flooring

These choices suggest that customers are becoming less interested in short-lived colour trends. Instead, many want flooring that feels natural and will still look current several years from now.

1. Grey Laminate Flooring Is Slowing Down

Grey laminate flooring was extremely popular for several years. However, we have seen demand for grey colours slow considerably.

This does not mean nobody buys grey flooring anymore. It simply means that, compared with previous years, fewer customers are selecting it as their first choice.

Natural wood colours have taken its place in many homes.

Medium-to-light brown floors, natural oak and light oak designs are now among the colours we see customers choosing most often.

2. Natural Oak Colours Remain a Safe Long-Term Choice

Flooring trends change, but natural wood colours have remained popular throughout our years in the flooring industry.

That is one reason we often recommend natural oak tones to customers who want their home to remain current rather than following a colour trend that may disappear after a few years.

Natural flooring colours are also easy to combine with different furniture, wall colours and interior styles.

If a customer asks us for a floor that should still look modern years from now, a natural oak or medium-to-light wood colour is usually one of the first styles we suggest looking at.

3. Wide-Plank Laminate Flooring Is Becoming More Popular

Wide-plank laminate flooring has become an important part of the modern flooring look.

One of the reasons we like using wider boards is the visual effect they create.

A wider plank can make a room appear larger and less busy. There are fewer plank lines across the floor, which can create a cleaner and more open appearance.

We regularly demonstrate this difference to customers when comparing standard and wide-plank samples.

Wide boards are also an area where Laminate Floor World can offer something different. We have access to competitively priced wide-plank options in both 8mm and 12mm laminate flooring, allowing customers to achieve this appearance without necessarily moving into a much higher price category.

4. Matteo 12mm Shows Why Wide Planks Do Not Have to Be Expensive

A good example is our Matteo 12mm laminate flooring.

Matteo is a wide-plank, V-groove AC5 laminate with 72-hour water resistance. At around R320 per m² at the time of writing, it gives customers a wider contemporary appearance without the price normally associated with some premium flooring ranges.

Price should not be the only reason for choosing a laminate floor. However, products like this show why it is worth comparing the complete specification rather than simply choosing between 8mm and 12mm based on thickness.

You can compare more ranges in our laminate flooring shop.

5. Wide Planks and Long Planks Are Not the Same Thing

This is an important distinction that customers do not always consider.

We like the visual effect of a wide plank. However, making a plank extremely long can introduce different installation considerations.

From our installation experience, laminate boards around two metres or longer can have more noticeable movement or wobble if the subfloor is not exceptionally well prepared.

A longer board spans a greater section of the floor. Therefore, variations in the subfloor can become more noticeable.

This does not mean long-plank laminate is a bad product. It means the subfloor becomes particularly important.

We never recommend choosing flooring based on board dimensions alone. The product, locking system and condition of the subfloor all need to be considered together.

6. V-Groove Laminate Creates a More Realistic Wood Look

V-groove laminate flooring remains one of our preferred styles because each plank has a more clearly defined edge.

This creates the appearance of individual timber boards rather than one continuous printed surface.

We also find that the defined edges can make the natural expansion and contraction between individual boards less visually noticeable than on some traditional square-edge floors.

Many modern water-resistant laminate ranges also use engineered edge and locking-system designs as part of the complete product construction.

However, customers should remember that a V-groove alone does not make laminate waterproof. Water resistance depends on the complete product specification and locking system.

7. Matt Laminate Is Replacing High-Gloss Flooring

Another noticeable change is the move away from high-gloss laminate.

Customers are increasingly choosing matt, textured and natural-looking finishes.

We prefer these finishes as well.

In our experience, high-gloss laminate shows scratches more easily. For that reason, we generally discourage customers from choosing a very glossy laminate when a more practical natural finish is available.

A matt wood texture can also make laminate look closer to genuine timber because the surface does not have the artificial shine associated with some older laminate designs.

8. Herringbone Flooring Is Being Chosen for the Wow Factor

Not every customer wants a conventional straight-plank floor.

Herringbone has become increasingly attractive to customers who want something different.

When customers choose herringbone, it is often because they want the floor itself to become part of the design of the room. The pattern immediately attracts attention and creates a very different appearance from conventional straight-plank flooring.

We often describe this as the wow factor.

It is particularly appealing to homeowners who have already seen standard laminate installations and want their new floor to look unusual or more distinctive.

9. Natural-Looking Floors Are Replacing Artificial Finishes

The broader trend behind light oak, V-groove and matt finishes is simple: customers want laminate to look more like real wood.

Modern laminate manufacturers can reproduce grain patterns, knots, colour variation and surface textures far more realistically than many older products.

However, the appearance of a sample is only one part of choosing quality flooring.

We also look at the locking system, board construction, thickness, wear rating and intended application.

Our laminate flooring suppliers guide explains more about the brands and suppliers available through Laminate Floor World.

10. Water Resistance Is Becoming More Important

Water resistance has become an important feature in modern laminate flooring.

Many of the 12mm ranges we sell now offer at least 72-hour water resistance, while selected products offer longer protection.

However, this has also created one of the biggest misunderstandings in the flooring industry.

A water-resistant laminate plank does not make the entire installed floor waterproof.

Water can still enter underneath a floating floor through leaking sliding doors, plumbing, external paving, walls and other parts of the building.

We have uplifted water-resistant laminate where the surface appeared dry but the concrete underneath was wet.

Our guide to laminate flooring water damage explains what we find during real moisture-related flooring inspections.

11. Modern Laminate Needs a Properly Prepared Subfloor

Better flooring technology does not remove the need for good installation.

In fact, modern locking systems make correct subfloor preparation extremely important.

A quality water-resistant laminate installed over an uneven floor can still move when walked on. Repeated movement places unnecessary pressure on the locking joints.

This is one reason we insist on correcting a subfloor when screeding is required.

Customers replacing an old laminate floor sometimes assume that the concrete underneath must already be level because the previous floor was installed there. That is not always the case.

Our article explaining why laminate flooring creaks looks at some of the problems we have found when investigating movement and noise after installation.

12. The Best-Looking Floor Still Needs to Suit the Home

Trends should never be the only reason for choosing flooring.

Before recommending a product, we normally ask the customer several practical questions:

• Which room is the flooring going into?
• How will the area be used?
• Are there children in the home?
• Are there pets?
• How often are liquids likely to be spilled?
• What level of wear is expected?
• What is the customer’s budget?

A fashionable colour is not useful if the flooring specification is wrong for the application.

That is why we prefer helping customers choose the product first and then narrowing down the colours within the suitable ranges.

13. Flooring Trends We Are Seeing Across Gauteng

These observations are not based only on manufacturer catalogues or international design predictions.

They come from what customers are actually asking for and purchasing through our Gauteng flooring stores.

Laminate Floor World currently operates locations in Randburg, Roodepoort, Midrand, Johannesburg South and Benoni, giving us exposure to customers across different parts of the province.

Across these areas, natural wood colours remain consistently popular while grey flooring has slowed.

You can read more about the products, installation conditions and flooring choices we recommend locally in our laminate flooring Gauteng guide.

14. Should You Follow Flooring Trends?

Trends are useful for inspiration, but flooring is different from changing a wall colour or replacing a cushion.

A good laminate floor may remain in the home for many years. Therefore, we encourage customers to think beyond what happens to be fashionable at the moment.

This is one reason natural oak colours remain so popular.

They have continued selling through different interior trends and work with a wide variety of furniture and decorating styles.

If you want something more distinctive, the plank format or installation pattern can create the visual impact. A wide plank, V-groove or herringbone pattern can add character without relying on an unusual colour that may date quickly.

15. How to Compare Laminate Flooring Before You Buy

Once you have selected the style you like, compare the technical specification as well.

Look at the thickness, AC rating, locking system, water-resistance specification, plank dimensions and suitability for the room.

Then consider the complete installation cost.

A slightly more expensive board can sometimes make sense when the difference is calculated across the complete project. You can compare current costs in our laminate flooring prices guide.

We also regularly run promotions and end-of-range deals. Our flooring offers page lists selected specials currently available.

Frequently Asked Questions About Laminate Flooring Trends

What laminate flooring colours are popular in 2026?

Based on what customers are currently choosing in our Gauteng showrooms, light oak, natural oak and medium-to-light brown wood tones are among the most popular laminate flooring colours.

Is grey laminate flooring still popular?

Grey laminate is still available, but we have seen demand slow considerably compared with previous years. More customers are now choosing natural wood and brown oak tones.

Is wide-plank laminate flooring a good choice?

Wide planks can create a clean, modern appearance and may make a room feel larger and less busy because there are fewer plank lines across the floor. Product quality and correct subfloor preparation remain important.

Are very long laminate planks better?

Not necessarily. From our installation experience, boards around two metres or longer can show more movement when the subfloor is uneven. Longer planks therefore require careful subfloor preparation.

Is matt or gloss laminate flooring better?

We generally prefer matt and natural-looking finishes. High-gloss laminate tends to show scratches more readily in our experience, while matt finishes create a more natural timber appearance.

Is herringbone flooring still popular?

Yes. We are seeing continued interest from customers who want something different from conventional straight-plank flooring. Herringbone is often selected specifically for its distinctive pattern and visual impact.

What laminate flooring colour will not go out of fashion?

No flooring colour can be guaranteed to remain fashionable forever. However, natural oak and natural wood tones have remained consistently popular throughout our experience in the flooring industry and tend to work with changing interior styles.

Is water-resistant laminate flooring waterproof?

No. Water-resistant laminate can provide additional protection against surface spills according to the product specification, but the complete installed floor is not automatically waterproof. Moisture entering underneath the boards can still cause damage.

Our View on Laminate Flooring Trends

After years of supplying and installing laminate flooring, we have seen colours and styles become popular and then disappear.

The strongest long-term trend is not a particular shade or plank size. It is the move towards more natural-looking laminate flooring.

For 2026, that means natural oak colours, medium-to-light brown tones, matt surfaces, realistic V-grooves and wider plank formats.

Grey has slowed. High gloss has lost much of its appeal. Meanwhile, natural colours continue to sell well.

Our advice is simple: choose a colour you can live with for years, then make sure the flooring specification and installation are suitable for your home.