The last few years have seen a sharp rise in popularity of prefinished handscraped hardwood flooring. The “Old Worn Look” of this product is the reason for homeowners to use it for their homes. This distinct appearance is found in old farmhouses, European castles and rustic estate. In the beginning, homeowners hired skilled contractors who used hands to actually do the job of scraping themselves and get the look. However, these contractors were not enough and it was difficult to get a talented one to recreate the appearance.
How Handscraped Hardwood Flooring Made
The sharp rise in popularity of the handscraped hardwood flooring has led manufacturers to re-create this antiqued look in their factories. A common method applied to get this look is to use automated machines. As the wood is milled, the surface of the wood boards is skimmed and rows of depressions made within the surface of the wood. According to the manufacturer’s specifications, the gouging and/or sanding wheels of the machine were made to vary in rotation, size and depth. The scrapping surface is then enhanced using staining and finishing process.
However, there are many manufacturers who prefer the basic method of using skilled workers. These artisans actually scrape the floor by hand at the site of manufacturing. Tools like metal gouges, hand planes, chisels, etc are used to create the appearance of scraped wood by hand. Each floor becomes distinct due to individual techniques of the craftsmen. The final step involves staining and finishing process to enhance the scraped product. The method gives a more natural appearance to it, but the cost could rise for a more custom authentic look. As the process adopted by each manufacturer is unique, the style of the final products of these manufacturers will be different. Hence, consumers should expect their delivered flooring to have different looks and not the small sample seen at the retail showroom.
There exist engineered wood products with a thick layer and which can be sanded well and refinished few times if the need arises, and which last to over eighty years. However, the number of times the engineered wood product could be sanded and refinished depends on the thickness of that particular floor. However, if there is a need for sanding and refinishing later, it is recommended to use just a light sanding and then using hand to recoat it to retain the look for many years.
Cleaning handscraped hardwood flooring is similar to any other similar products. There are many cleaning products available for regular cleaning, though vacuum cleaning of dirt and dust is the regular method. The product does a good job of hiding a lot of use due to the texture, but small scratches can be fixed using touch up kits.