If you love wood for its individuality and natural characteristics, then choose a rustic wood floor to create a welcoming and individual interior. Rustic wood flooring can vary in its level of character; from planks with more pronounced grains and knots, to the handcrafted variety which has an aged and weathered effect for a more antique appearance. Whatever your style, at The Wood Flooring Co. we have a range of collections to suit.

What do we mean by grades of wood flooring?

When we speak about the grade of a wood floor, it’s not the quality of the flooring we’re referring to, but the appearance and surface texture of each individual plank. Wood is a natural material and therefore will always bring variation in colour and a uniqueness of nuances with every plank. Wood flooring is graded on various factors including the size and number of knots present in the wood, the colour variation across the floor, and the amount of sap present.

Grades of wood at The Wood Flooring Co.

At The Wood Flooring Co. we only use premium European Oak and our grades of wood have been specifically chosen for their aesthetic appeal and cohesive appearance across the floor. Each of our planks have been hand-selected to combine the most popular tones with the most complimentary wood grades, surface finishes and plank sizes/formats.

For example, the soft grey tones of our modern Lunar Oak Wide Plank are given added depth and interest on a rustic plank. Whereas we prefer our herringbone designs to have a more balanced overall finish with less knots and colour variation, hence we only use the more refined Nature wood grade for this style.

Surface finishes - Handcrafted rustic flooring

Our Heritage Collection is made up of truly individual planks which celebrate all that’s unique and timeless about wood flooring. Many of these have been scraped by hand using traditional planing techniques to create uneven surface textures and exquisite finishes. An example of this would be our Smoked Cellar Oak – a unique smoked floor with deep cracks and knots for a truly reclaimed appearance.

Smoked Cellar Oak

As well as handcrafted surface finishes, many of the planks in our Heritage Collection also have a brushed natural oil finish. This technique involves finishing the surface with a wire brush to intensify the naturally pleasant feel of the wood through the effect of a sand-blasted, brushed surface texture. Our popular Old Farmhouse Oak utilises this technique and is a modern take on a classic farmhouse wood floor.

Contemporary rustic wood floors

But not all rustic floors have to be traditional and are also an ideal choice for adding warmth and character to a more modern setting. Take our St Ives Oak – a mid-rustic plank with knots and a pronounced grain, yet with a fresh, modern tone. The white limed surface finish further helps to both accentuate the traditional grain, whilst creating a modern white finish. A particular favourite with our customers. Avebury Oak is another example, a warm modern grey, made from a rustic grade plank to add warmth and character to any room.

St Ives Oak Wide Plank

Plank size is also important. If you love rustic, but you want to create a modern edge, always opt for a larger plank format which will add a sense of space and a less busy, more ‘tidy’ overall effect.

If you’d like some advice on your preferred flooring, or have any questions for our team, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01905 340238 Monday – Friday from 9.30am – 5pm. Remember we shop nationwide and you can order up to 3 samples from our website - completely free of charge!