Flooring trends come and go. For a time, parquet flooring was in high demand, but that product has since declined. Today, hand-scraped or weathered hardwoods are in increasing demand, available for all domestic and exotic species and also in unfinished and prefinished solid and engineered flooring. But, with products labeled “hand-scraped” and “aged,” is there a difference between them?
Essentially not. Aged floors are characterized by their texture, whether it’s a smooth, sculpted appearance or roughness like freshly sawn wood. According to popular hardwood manufacturer Armstrong, the popularity of distressed flooring has increased due to texture, which is now considered as important as color. The texture, says Armstrong, stimulates the sense of touch and sight with the floor.
Two basic styles of distressed flooring are available: classic, which is characterized by a sculptured look, and rustic, which shows more character traits such as knots, mineral streaks, and grain. However, to give the floor its weathered appearance, the hardwood is modified by scraping (wire brushed, hand sculpted or hand carved and rough sawn), finished (french bled or nailed), or aged (weathered). time or old). In many cases, multiple methods can be applied to weather hardwood.
Those looking for an even more weathered look are advised to get a custom job, in which a professional comes to hand-scrape an unfinished hardwood floor. He or she uses bleaching, stripping, banging with chains, or pinning up with old nails to achieve this look.
However, it doesn’t matter if the floor is hand-scraped after installation or before, all techniques are traditionally done by hand by a trained craftsman, such as an Amish carpenter. In fact, certain aged floors are labeled “Amish hand-scraped hardwood.” However, some products labeled “aged” are not actually used by hand. Rather, the hardwood is weathered by a machine, which presses a pattern into the surface of the unfinished hardwood. The result is a distressed wood floor that has a repetitive look.
In terms of adding a distressed or hand-scraped product to your home, decide how long you’ll want your floors to look like this and what area it will cover. If it needs to blend in with existing flooring, consider purchasing an unfinished variety, one that can be stained. If, on the other hand, you’re doing an entire floor to look rustic, opt for prefinished—it takes less time to install and doesn’t require staining. On the other hand, if you plan on having a rustic character for just a few years, consider going for a product that can be easily replaced, such as thinner engineered flooring, or hardwood that can be sanded, such as solid or thicker. engineering product.