St. Louis, MO, June 15—-The National Wood Flooring Association reports that while many homeowners are familiar with common wood flooring species such as white and red oak, one of the hottest trends in wood flooring right now is rustic species.
The association said that rustic wood flooring species lend themselves to casual decorating styles, which are very popular right now. These species tend to have a rich and varied grain, with abundant knots, mineral streaks and even ingrown bark. The color palette of rustic species ranges from medium to dark, depending on the stain and finish used. Some of the more-popular rustic species available include hickory, pecan, mesquite, antique heart pine, walnut, and Australian cypress.
No special care is required to maintain rustic wood flooring. Simply place scatter rugs at all doors to minimize the amount of dirt and grit being tracked onto your floor from outdoors. Then, sweep your floor regularly with a soft-bristle broom or dust mop to remove surface dirt that can cause scratches. If your floor contains beveled edges, use a vacuum with a soft bristle brush attachment to remove dirt and debris from between the floorboards. Then, every few months, clean your floor with a commercial wood floor cleaning product that has been recommended by a flooring manufacturer or your installer.
To learn more about rustic species and how to maintain them, visit Types, Styles and Species under the Why Wood Floors section, and the Wood Floor Maintenance section of the NWFA's consumer web site, http://www.woodfloors.org
