A video documenting the removal of a home's "hideous millennial grey floors," revealing 100-year-old hardwood hidden underneath, has captivated users on TikTok.
The clip shared by Liana Abigayle Huber (@liana.abigayle)—a 26-year-old in Salt Lake City, Utah, who sells vintage clothes for a living—has amassed 4.5 million views since it was uploaded on November 20, sparking a lively debate about modern renovation trends.
Huber and her husband bought the home in September 2023 and the couple have been restoring its original charm, taking on the challenge of undoing updates made by previous owners, whom she described as "flippers."
The video shows the couple peeling back panels of grey laminate flooring, revealing oak hardwood floors underneath. While the discovery thrilled Huber, the floors were dotted with stains and signs of wear, requiring significant refinishing work.
"They clearly need some work," Huber wrote in the post's caption.
She told Newsweek: "When I filmed the video, my family and I were hanging out, and we thought it would be fun to really see what the floors looked like under the grey laminate." She added that her decision to pull up the floors was partly motivated by her love of vintage aesthetics and the warm inviting feel of natural wood.
According to a survey by Houzz, a home design website, median spending on renovations rose by 60 percent between 2020 ($15,000) and 2023 ($24,000). Some 51 percent of renovating homeowners spent $25,000 or more on renovations in 2023, up from 37 percent in 2020. And while over half of U.S. homeowners undertook renovation projects in 2023, the figure marked a decline of 2 percentage points compared to the previous year.
Restoring a Century of History
The couple's home, built in 1922, features several unique architectural details, including original kitchen cabinets, a medicine cabinet and even window wells hidden behind built-in bookshelves. "We wanted something with a lot of character, and when we saw our home, we knew that behind all the 'updated features,' there was a lot of character to unearth," Huber said.
"My husband is a real estate photographer and sees these types of flipped homes all the time," Huber noted. "Otherwise beautiful homes with lots of character just get destroyed by flippers who make them feel clinical and depressing."
She credited a former owner and neighbor, Dan King, for tipping them off about the oak floors. The floors' condition was a mystery until the couple pulled back the laminate. Previous renovation challenges, including glued-down flooring in the kitchen and painted-over hardwood in other rooms, had tempered their expectations.
The couple began their restoration journey over the summer, refinishing the floors in the back half of the house just weeks before the birth of their daughter. Now, with the holidays approaching, they are focused on completing the living room, entryway and dining area.
"I really value having a home that feels inviting and cozy, especially with a new baby," Huber said. "I want my friends and family to feel at home here, and I expect having the warm original hardwood floors done will make the holidays feel extra special."
Huber hopes her restoration journey inspires others to preserve and restore the historical features in their homes. "I really hope to inspire people to renovate their own homes and bring back warmth to our homes, especially through our floors," she said.
'Depressing' vs. 'Coziness'
Reactions to the flooring reveal were mixed, with many viewers divided over the aesthetic merits of the old hardwood versus the grey flooring.
One commenter, @granolaappless, humorously observed "Went from millennial gray to boomer orange." Some were less enthusiastic about the discovery, with Lexi Dare Kiss stating "I love the grey floors more," and Sepf simply saying "Put them back."
Others celebrated the hardwood's charm, viewing it as a welcome replacement for the grey laminate. CateMarie wrote "The wood floors just give the house so much more warmth and coziness. The grey is just depressing." The sentiment was echoed by the poster herself, who replied "I completely agree, it instantly made the rooms feel cozier."
While damaged, the hardwood floors appeared to strike a chord with viewers who valued authenticity over modern trends. Liv commented "IDC [I don't care] how damaged hardwoods are, they will always be better than gray plastic floors."
User whosthatgirl0325 joked "These people saying the gray floors are better scare me," while @__jeansweens added "the comments saying that the grey is better than the wood, are the same type of millennial that put that grey floor down in the first place lmao. The old floors are stunning!!"
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