Ash wood has a wild grain pattern, similar to red oak, and is generally lighter in color than the oaks. You do get some browns, tans and blond boards in the typical site finished ash floor, especially if finished with a waterborne polyurethane.

For a custom distressed floor, you could hire someone to hand scrape solid flooring and then finish it on site. It is expensive, however, due to the labor and skill involved in producing these custom floors.

Glennsfc, I agree that the prefinished / pre distressed products look fake. What look do you want? If by vintage you mean grain variability, you might consider birch which goes from yellows to browns without the knots. A wide plank may also give you a distinctive look. Our 7 inch birch is waiting to be installed in the next couple of weeks. I can post some pictures when it's done.

constantinople, I can't wait to see your 7 inch birch floors which sound like they will be beautiful! I was thinking of going with Mirage Birch Engineered Wood floors but the cost was more than the BR-111 Brazilian Cherry so that is what I went with. I also loved the maple but felt the birch wood added more depth. I was bored of oak and wanted something different. I also never liked knots so was looking for a wood with minimal knots and not too busy of a grain. I was suprised how much grain Brazilian Cherry has in the 5" wide plank compared to how little I saw in the 3.25" wide plank.