Breathing new life into your home with weathered touches, aged accents and historical character is holding true to the popular belief of “what’s old is new.” Sparked from the sustainable living trend, reclaimed, recycled and repurposed wood floors have become one of the hottest green design and remodeling trends.

The popularity of this trend has grown from the demand for the unexpected rustic touches, warmth and story that reclaimed wood adds to your home. “It’s easy to change up a room to create a dramatic new style with these unique floors,” says Erinn Valencich, Los Angeles-based interior designer, style expert and design partner for Quick-Step, a laminate flooring leader. “You can add an element of sophistication to a special room with one-of-a-kind visuals and textures.”

Tells a unique story

Reclaimed wood flooring constructed from old barns, factories, warehouses or even coal mines and boxcars has a distinct distressed and time-worn appearance. Each knick, scratch and ding adds a unique story to the living space that is highly desirable among homeowners. However, even though reclaimed wood floors are environmentally friendly, beautiful and eclectic, the roadblock for most consumers is the high price of reclaimed wood. Because there is a limited amount of vintage wood in existence to repurpose, the cost of adding a reclaimed hardwood floor to a home can be quite pricey.

Reclaimed look for less

For the look of distressed and time-worn wood without the high cost, Quick-Step offers the Reclaime Collection of laminate planks that look like real, vintage hardwood floors. There are nine reclaimed wood designs from which to choose, including the newest White Wash, Calico, Sunkissed and Cellar Oak Planks that mirror the wood grain pattern, color and texture of weathered wood boards.

“The time-worn visual of this floor won’t limit your style. In fact, it’s versatile enough to work for most any type of decor,” says Valencich. Whether you’re going for a modern, rustic or eclectic look, reclaimed wood-styled flooring suits almost any design style. Consider these flooring trends from Valencich when choosing your next floor:

Whitewash

Whitewashed floors have a light, weathered appearance. If you have a dark or smaller room, using wide plank whitewash flooring will lighten up the space, giving it a fresh, soft and clean look.

Mainstream vs. high-fashion colors

The floor is the foundation of the room and can help drive the design direction of the space. Whether you select a more neutral, mainstream color or an extremely high-fashion one, choosing the right color floor creates a versatile canvas on which to build your room’s overall design.

Distressing

The distressed, textured look of reclaimed wood gives your flooring a personality all its own. Quick-Step’s Reclaime Collection provides the same design and textured look of genuine reclaimed wood, giving it a natural, worn appearance.

If you are considering purchasing a new floor, quickstepstyle.com offers the “Imagine It” room designer tool that allows you to choose both wall color and floor styles to see how they work together. On the site you can also view free design videos by Valencich on a myriad of topics.