Trends in flooring come and go. Parquet floors were in high demand for a time, but since then that product has declined. Currently, hand-scraped or weathered hardwoods are increasing in demand, available for all domestic and exotic species as well as raw and pre-finished solid and engineered floors. But, with products labeled “hand scraped” and “worn”, is there a difference between them?

Essentially no. Aged floors are characterized by their texture, be it a smooth sculpted look or a roughness like freshly sawn wood. According to the popular hardwood manufacturer Armstrong, weathered floors have gained popularity due to texture, which is now considered just as important as color. The texture, Armstrong says, stimulates the sense of touch and sight with the floor.

There are two basic styles of distressed flooring available: classic, which is characterized by a sculpted look, and rustic, which shows more marks of character such as knots, mineral streaks, and veins. However, to give the floor an aged look, the hardwood is altered by scraping (wire brushing, hand carving or hand carving and rough sawing), finishing (French bleed or peg), or aging (aged or antique ). . In many cases, multiple methods can be applied to deteriorate hardwood.

Those looking for an even more distressed look are advised to get a custom job, in which a professional comes in to hand scrape an unfinished hardwood floor. He or she uses bleach, stripping, hitting with chains, or pinned down with antique nails to achieve this look.

However, it doesn’t matter if the floor is hand scraped after installation or earlier, all techniques are traditionally done by hand by a trained craftsman, such as an Amish woodworker. In fact, certain weathered floors are labeled “Amish hand-scraped hardwood.” However, certain products labeled “worn” are not actually used by hand. Rather, the hardwood is abraded with a machine, which presses a pattern onto the surface of the unfinished hardwood. The result is an aged wood floor that has a repetitive look.

In terms of adding a worn or hand-scraped product to your home, decide how long you want this look for your floors and what area it will cover. If it needs to blend in with your existing flooring, consider purchasing an unfinished variety, one that can be stained. If, on the other hand, you are doing an entire floor to have a rustic look, opt for prefinished: it takes less time to install and no staining is necessary. On the other hand, if you plan to have a rustic character for just a few years, consider opting for a product that can be easily replaced, such as thinner engineered flooring, or sandable hardwood, such as solid or thicker. engineering product.