Options for Installing Distressed Flooring
How much of the floor will be covered with distressed flooring? Generally, unfinished hardwoods blend better with existing flooring, but prefinished products take less time to install. If you are adding distressed hardwood to a full floor, consider a prefinished product.Because of its popularity, distressed flooring is available for nearly all species – domestic and exotic. The most popular distressed hardwoods, however, are walnut, cherry, hickory, and oak. In general, the distressed characteristics tend to be more visible with darker hardwoods – or flooring with a darker finish.
Although there are essentially two types of distressed flooring, three types of techniques are used to create this look. Brushing or scraping adds texture to the hardwood, and such products go by names “wire brushed,” “hand-sculpted,” and “hand hewn and rough sawn.” Aging makes the wood look older, and darker finish or texture may also be added to enhance the appearance. Darker finish can give the wood a rustic appearance, as well, and these products generally are sold as “French bleed.”
Typically, distressing is done by hand, but because of the popularity, a machine may be used. While each board scraped by hand appears unique, machine-distressed flooring tends to look repetitive.Flooring can also be custom distressed. In this case, a professional comes in to hand-distress your floor. After unfinished hardwood is installed, he or she alters the wood through bleaching, pickeling, beating with chains, or fastening with antique nails.