It seems like everything today is “trending” as technology and social media drive and promote what’s popular. And why wouldn’t we all want our homes to look like we are paying attention to what is on trend at the moment? For many of us, following trends is impractical and, to be honest, exhausting. Not everyone has the desire or ability to keep up. We would rather choose something that looks like it’s been around longer than the internet. One such choice is Rustic style.
The rustic style focuses on highlighting the beauty of natural materials. It frequently incorporates wood or stone, or materials manufactured to look similar. But we are not talking fussy. In rustic style, you can expect to see wood floors with more knots, scrapes, imperfections and color variations than other styles. In a rustic stone floor, you’ll find rougher edges and more naturally occurring patterns. This style communicates that it’s been here a while and isn’t going anywhere. If you are choosing a rustic style floor, here is some guidance.
Rustic Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood flooring is the most obvious choice when it comes to the rustic style. It is one of the oldest forms of flooring, and if your home already has hardwoods, a rustic look would be relatively easy to achieve. If not, you can consider having hardwood flooring installed, which is truly an investment in your home, or choose engineered floors, which mimic the look of natural materials but are less hassle and more affordable than hardwoods. Engineered floors are made of a thin layer of real wood, over a plywood core. They snap together with tongue and groove technology, rather than glue and nails. As an added plus, engineered floors tolerate moisture much better than traditional hardwood floors, making them suitable for a variety of applications where traditional hardwood floors wouldn’t be appropriate.
Rustic Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring is also similar to engineered wood and laminates; each piece connects to the rest of the pieces to create one continuous floor. Vinyl flooring is completely waterproof, is entirely made of inorganic materials and is suitable for use throughout your living space, even in kitchen or baths that can get wet. It has an image and a wear layer like laminate flooring but the advantage of vinyl over the others is that it comes in a wider variety of options. You can choose vinyl plank, which looks like wood, or vinyl tile, which mimics different tile types or stone. Whatever you choose, your new floors can be installed relatively quickly and with little to no mess.
Rustic Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring, which is made from a core, a realistic image layer and a wear layer, is a durable and realistic option if you are looking for the look of hardwoods that you can use throughout your living space. Similar to engineered floors in that the planks snap together with similar tongue and groove, laminate floors “float” and can bring the look of hardwood to your space with a more modest price tag.
There are plenty of options for rustic wood floors, whether you opt for traditional hardwood, engineered floors, laminate, or vinyl floors. Whether you are already decided, or still need more help, reach out to our professional staff at All Floors & More. We can talk through your options, make suggestions, and even schedule a professional to install your new rustic floors!
