Distressed Hardwood Flooring

Distressed hardwood flooring is becoming increasingly popular. This is for a number of different reasons. One of the main reasons for this however is the character that distressed flooring seems to have.

There is a little history that you should know about distressed flooring. One of the most interesting facts is that before there were electric sanders many hardwood floors back then were actually scraped down by hand until they became flat. These floors that were made this way and hand crafter are being a more popular floor choice by the people of today.  These types of floors have a unique and even textured look to them that adds character and a feel of history that other floors simply do not have.

You can create distressed hardwood floors by taking flooring that is new and making them have the look of flooring that is aged. You may want to add scratches or gouges to the flooring after you have installed the floor.

There are two different methods in which distressed flooring is marked. One of the ways is by a machine and the other way is by using hand tools to make the wood distressed. The hand distressed wood cost a bit more than the ones that are distressed by the machine. You may find that this hand scrapped wood is expensive for hardwood flooring. On the positive side however each piece of wood is truly unique. If you get the machine distressed wood and you have a large area to put the hardwood down on you may find that you see the same pattern more than once on the floor.

You will find that this type of wood comes already finished in many cases. However there are some of these distressed pieces that you can get that you will be able to stain and seal on your own. If you finish the floor on your own this may be known as “hand rubbed” flooring. You should know that if you refinish the floor on your own you will have to sand and refinish it again in time. You should also know that this can result in the removal of many of the marks or scrapings on the distressed wood. If you go with the prefinished floor you will find that these only need to have a coat off sealer put on them periodically. This means that the distressed look is much better over time on wood that has been prefinished.  You can find some distressed flooring that may have warrantees that can be up to 50 years. This is a great added benefit as well.

You should also know that having distressed hardwood flooring makes a big statement to your home. It is unlike the other forms of hardwood flooring and it is sure to get great comments about it. So if you are looking to add character and a dramatic statement to y our home getting distressed flooring is certainly the way that you will want to go. It will give you the old antique look that you have been wanting for your home.