Fun Facts About Flooring From History
Most of us don't think about the history behind the floor covering options we walk across each and every day, however... There is a fascinating history to be had when it comes to flooring throughout history. The history of flooring started... You guessed it, when our ancestors moved indoors. Flooring in the beginning was used for one thing, insulation. Flooring in the beginning was not for beauty but for survival. Who would of thought, the ancestor of the carpet you love so much played a large role in the development of man. The floors of old Viking houses were commonly dug below ground. Their houses were basically large holes in the ground with a wooden roof, and walls to cover it. It is thought they built their houses this way to keep out drafts, and maintain a constant temperature in their homes throughout the seasons.
As history moved forward, flooring did start to show great signs of wealth, beauty and yes, comfort. archaeologists throughout the world have uncovered beautiful samples of flooring with ornate features unlike anything we see today.
From "The gladiator mosaic" from the Via Casilina outside of Rome Italy to the "Gypsy Girl" from Gaziantep Turkey. And everywhere in between. In 1949, an archaeological excavation of the tomb of a Scythian prince uncovered a carpet that has been carbon dated to the year 5,000 B.C. It is considered the oldest known carpet in the world. Showing that even in the time before Christ, carpeting was an important part of life.
The term carpet actually comes from a distant historical time. In ancient Rome, carpet was made through a process of looping and "plucking". "Carpere" means "Pluck" and is the root word from which we get the word "Carpet". The fist mass manufactured hard wood flooring appeared in the 1800's and became extremely popular. Hardwood flooring seems to be a flooring choice that has withstood the test of time.
Even today hardwood and simulated hard wood flooring options are among the most popular flooring options available and have a timeless and warm feeling about them.
With this being said, just because we have had thousands of years to perfect flooring doesn't mean we have not had our trip ups from time to time.
Carpet over the last 50 years has seen some... unfortunate styles. We all know the shag carpeting of 1960s but who remembers the burn orange carpet that showed up everywhere in the 1980s or the forest green carpet that somehow was in every home and office in the 1990s?
How about other flooring styles through history that seem crazy today? Can you say, carpet in the bathroom and or kitchen? How about the Pintrest era of flooring? Epoxy penny floors we are talking about you!
The future of floor covers is bright today, with thousands of beautiful options from amazing colors and textures to flooring options that will last a lifetime. If you are in the market for new floor coverings, there is only one place to look, Goshen Floor Mart.