The evolution of flooring is an interesting journey through the footsteps of humanity and the unfolding of our history. As we delve into the past, we see that flooring remained the same across most of the globe for several thousand years at a time and marks significant advancements in technology and culture each time it changes. The landscape of flooring history even marks the rise and fall of civilizations as we’ll find when we explore the medieval period.
From good old packed earth to bricks and mosaics, onto the more modern use of wooden floors and up until the present day, join us as we chart the history of humanity through the humble and unassuming evolution of flooring.
Pre-history: The Very First Floors
It may come as no surprise to find out that our earliest ancestors didn't use much more than the earth below them for their flooring. Homes were huts made of mud, wood and fibres and had no doors or windows, just an entrance which was open to the elements. This suited our early beginnings as we transitioned from hunter-gatherers into farmers around 12,000 years ago. Our days were filled with tilling the fields and managing our crops, our lives were hard and dirty and our floorings were very much reflective of that.
We would often use packed earth for our floors in the same way we used packed earth to create the structure for our houses. To deal with the dirt, debris, and moisture, either sand or straw was added to offer a bit of insulation and a relative level of cleanliness. The straw and sand were routinely swept away and replaced when the floors became too dirty.
It's a far cry from where we find ourselves today, but for our ancestors, it was enough, and as much as we would never like to return to such beginnings, we should give respect to our humble origins for the flooring that is to follow.
The History of Stone Floors
It would be another 7,000 years before we began to make improvements to our flooring. The advent of farming allowed communities to settle and grow into the beginnings of towns and cities and the start of true civilization. It was at this point that we discovered a new technology that marked the beginning of the Bronze Age. The Bronze Age is defined by the advent of metallurgy and the working of copper and tin into the alloy known as bronze. It was with the advent of new tools that the working of stone became possible and so we began to find that wealthier households were able to use stone and clay tiles for their flooring.
This had the advantage of being more robust, and easier to clean, but most importantly denoted status among individuals, where the wealthiest and most powerful were able to afford the work done on such materials.
It was another 2000 years before our technology advanced again and we had developed the ability to smelt iron into workable metal. It was through the improvement in our ability to build hot enough fires that opened the way for this wonder material that has shaped civilization ever since. Smelting iron meant creating iron tools which were much stronger, sharper, and more durable than the soft bronze tools we had been using up until this point.
We could now work natural stones into specific shapes and dimensions and in places like Ancient Egypt stone became a prolifically used material for monuments and architecture. Whilst over in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) the advent of new tools and technology allowed us to develop from using mudbricks to clay bricks fired in a kiln. And here we begin to see not only the wealthy have access to stronger and more durable flooring, but the common people too.
At the same time in history, if we look to Ancient Greece, we see that pebbles worn smooth by rivers and sea were tiled together into rudimentary mosaics and used as flooring in public buildings. This proved to be popular and the invention of iron tools allowed stone and clay tiles to be worked into more intricate patterns and thus they invented ‘Tesserae Mosaics.’ These are the intricate mosaic art pieces you will be more familiar with and that were spread far and wide by the industrious Romans.
Stone flooring became the popular choice moving forward for the majority of the population from this point onwards.
Wooden Flooring: Everything Changes
It was strange to me to think that it took so long for wooden floors to become popular but you won't find much evidence of wooden flooring before 1000 BCE, which is a thousand years ago. With wood just as abundant as stone, what was stopping people from using wood for the first 11,000 years of human history?
It comes down to shifts in technology, as well as economic and social factors. Whilst the invention of iron tools allowed us to shape stone easily enough with hammer and chisel, the invention of woodworking tools such as saws and planes took much longer to develop.
Many things in society are driven by necessity or prosperity. Either we invent something because we have to, or economic success gives us the means, time, and ambition to go beyond where we are.
After the Romans moved across most of the world, especially Europe and into Britain, they brought all the advancements of stone flooring, heated baths, and public hygiene with them. But once they receded, they left a period of lower economic prosperity and social instability we know as the Dark Ages or Medieval times.
During this time things pretty much returned to pre-iron age poverty and many people were left with dirt floors to sweep once again.
But as Europe recovered and we approached the Renaissance, the royalty and aristocracy of the time set their sights on showing off not only their own wealth but the beauty and craftsmanship of their citizens.
This increase in economic prosperity roughly 500 years ago saw a marked change in the aesthetic principles of the time and encouraged finer, more intricate flooring to show off the wealth and artistry available at the time.
With the new set of woodworking tools firmly established, artisans and carpenters got to work decorating the homes of the wealthy with a combination of wooden planks and stone slabs, using the various colours, grains and patterns to show off the most extravagant flooring.
This was the period during which everything got worked out. How to make wood floors, how to care for them and how to maintain them. And as the tools became more popular and the style more popular, the demand went up, the supply increased and the availability of tools and skills proliferated across the continents.
And soon wooden flooring was available to most households from all backgrounds from around the 1700s onwards.
And we have been happily using wooden flooring ever since.
What about Modern Flooring?
The journey of modern flooring has been an interesting one too, spanning even more styles and materials in the last 300 years than humanity explored in the previous 12,000 years. What a weird and wonderful species we are! It just goes to show you how far we have come and how each of our achievements has been built on the previous breakthroughs to suddenly catapult us into the wonders of the modern day.
The first modern advancement was in Linoleum, made from compressed cork and other materials, which appeared in 1860. This became a popular choice due to how easy it was to maintain; how durable it was and how cheaply it could be produced.
The next breakthrough came from Vinyl Flooring in the 1920’s. With advancements in chemistry, we were able to produce plastics in a consistent and relatively cheap manner, paving the way for waterproof and easy-to-clean flooring. So naturally this became the next big thing and is still used to this day.
In the 1970’s we moved onto the trusty Laminate flooring; a synthetic material made from layered sheets compressed together. Laminates' big benefit was its ability to mimic the aesthetic appeal of wood whilst being cheaper to produce, easier to maintain and simpler to install.
We then jump to the 1990's when Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) was first introduced. A Luxury Vinyl Tile, or plank, mimics the look of natural materials with ease, such as wood and stone. And whilst we want to be rid of the difficulty in maintaining materials such as wood and stone, their hardness underfoot and their cold feel, the aesthetics have always had a place in the human heart. Luxury Vinyl Tile allowed us to have the best of both worlds.
And now, here we are in the 21st century, post-millennium, and the greatest improvement in flooring comes from Stone Polymer Composite (SPC). This takes the benefits of Luxury Vinyl Tile and creates a more rigid core for even greater durability whilst maintaining a waterproof exterior and an easy-to-maintain finish. On top of this SPC flooring is perfectly suited to not just mimic the look but also the texture of stone and wood, once again offering beautiful aesthetics without any of the drawbacks and at a lower price.
Conclusion
Well, I’m not sure about you but I’ve certainly been fascinated learning about the history of flooring. It tells us so much about the development of civilization and marks important changes and shifts in the evolution of humanity.
But most of all, boy, am I glad to be living in the modern era. I think it is a wonderful testament to the human drive, spirit, and ingenuity to take our humble beginnings and develop them into such a perfect blend of modern technology and natural aesthetics.
Nütile takes pride in using the latest technology to keep the flooring underfoot grounded in the long journey of humanity and brings some beautiful offerings with its Nüforest and Nüstone SPC flooring range.
If you want to take a journey through history, just look to your flooring and remember every step you take is a journey through our past and a step closer to our future.
