There are several ways to add a touch of classic elegance to your home. But, none of the interior design options does it like hand-scraped wood flooring. Sadly, very few people know what hand-scraped hardwood flooring entails nowadays. Likewise, only a few people can understand and appreciate the reflective symbol of grace and poise hand-scraped hardwood floors represent.
In a pleasing turn of events, hand-scraped wood flooring is gaining widespread popularity in homes across Canada. Homeowners now seem to prefer the rustic feel of hand scraped wood flooring over other options. The main reason being they’re gradually learning to appreciate the beauty it adds to the interiors.
Of course, the flooring structure also has several distinct advantages, which may explain its increasing popularity. We’ll look through those benefits a little further down in this post. But before then, let’s establish a basic understanding of what hand scraped hardwood flooring is. And why you should opt for them.
Guide to Hand Scraped Flooring
To give a broad definition, hand-scraped wood flooring is any type of wood flooring with a scraped surface. However, in most cases, the surface is not only scraped; the woodworkers do the scraping using hand tools. The objective of the scraping is to add extra definition and texture to the surface of the wood panels. In addition, after scraping, the carpenters add lacquer to the scraped surface for a finish.
Hand scraped wood flooring got its name from the old way of making new wood look antiqued and distressed. As its name suggests, the wood flooring is designed to look old, worn out and distressed by scraping it with hand tools.
The hand scraping technique dates back as far as the early days of wood flooring. Then, woodworkers attempted to smoothen rough woods using crude hand tools. However, the best results they could achieve were wood surfaces that were smoother than usual but not smooth enough.
The advent of mechanical wood machining techniques enabled woodworkers to achieve very smooth panels. Hand-scraped wood panels can’t measure up to their machine-smoothened counterparts. As such, the demand for them began to reduce. But recently, more people are opting for hand-scraped wood flooring over other types of wood floors.
Nowadays, some manufacturers use machines to achieve the same rough texture of hand-scraped wood panels. So, technically those panels may not be hand-scraped. However, they still maintain the same distressed appearance, and it’s difficult to tell them apart from the hand-scraped wood floors.
The machining process gives more detail to the panels, thereby increasing their appeal. If you take a close look at hand scraped wood floors, you’ll notice all the patterns on each plank are distinct. But in a way, they all seem to blend in together with the surrounding ambience. And by integrating with the surrounding, hand-scraped wood floors bring a lot of character and charm to your interiors.
Why Should I Use Hand-scraped Wood Floors?
The better question is, why not? If you can afford to get hand-scraped wood flooring, we recommend you go for it. If you want something that’ll add character and rustic elegance to your interior design, you want these floorings. Plus, hand-scraped wood floors come in varying board widths, thicknesses and lengths. So, you get to choose what fits your space.
After scraping the surface of the plank to a satisfactory smoothness, manufacturers accentuate them using resins, inks, fillers etc. The resins not only make the finished wood look a lot better, but they also add to their durability.
Furthermore, most manufacturers use oak for their hand scraped wood floors. So, you can be sure of the durability of the wood flooring. Rustic appeal, warmth, and character are all defining features of hand-scraped wood floors. You’re sure to like them. Speaking of features, let’s take a quick look at the features of hand-scraped wood floors.
Features of Hand Scraped Wood Floor
Here are the top features of handscraped wood flooring:
Warm and Classic Appearance
During the early days of hardwood flooring, the only options available were hand-scraped planks. However, with time and advancement in technology, other options began to pop up. Regardless, hand-scraped wood floors have become synonymous with a rustic appearance and classic elegance. Other wood flooring options have not been able to measure up to this effect.
That said, the most distinct feature of hand-scraped wood floors is their rough appearance. The rough texture is a result of woodworkers using hand tools to scrape and smoothen the planks. The crude smoothening process leaves marks on the plank, giving it a rough and uneven pattern.
The uneven, worn-out-esque pattern adds a certain aesthetic appeal and charm to planks. This appeal eventually reflects on the overall interior aesthetics of a home. Plus, this type of flooring goes very well with antique furniture. The right combination of hand-scraped wood floors and antique furniture gives a complete classic feel to every room.
Carefree Durability
Durability is one of the general features of most hardwood floors. There’s hardly any design of wooden floor that doesn’t offer a considerable level of durability. However, hand-scraped wood floors take it to a different level. They have a high impact-absorption capacity, and they can easily avoid damage even from heavy impacts.
Furthermore, the uneven distressed pattern synonymous with hand-scraped wooden floors hides scratch marks better. As a result, they can easily camouflage sizable scrapes, dings and minor dents. Thus, this type of flooring is a practical choice for areas with high traffic volumes.
High Friction Levels
Hand-scraped wood floorings are also very grippy, with high friction levels on the surface of each plank. The grooves and pits caused by the scraping process increase friction on the surface beyond the characteristic level for other wood floor types. The increased level of friction helps to reduce slipping accidents and potential injuries.
Benefits of Hand Scraped Wood Flooring
We hinted at many of the main advantages of hand scraped wood flooring earlier in the post. But, in case you missed them, below’s a breakdown of the main perks of hand-scraped wood floors.
Character and Warmth
Hand-scraped wood flooring gives character to any room you install them in. It goes beyond the generic modern home interior aesthetics. It adds a distinct warmth and delivers a unique appearance that sets each room apart. The hand-scraped flooring design in your home will look different from the ones in your friend’s home. There’s always a distinct feel that these floors bring into any environment you install them in.
Interestingly, hand-scraped wood floors go with any type of decorating theme. European classics, modern-home feel, traditional, conservative or country- you name the style, hand-scraped wood floors work perfectly with all of them.
Do you know that hand-scraped wood floors can change hues at different periods of the day? When natural light hits the planks at different angles at certain times of the day, it reflects the depth and beauty of the wood at varying degrees. The dynamic hue of the floor adds to the rustic feel, which gives the environment a warm and inviting appearance.
Ease of Maintenance
Hand scraped wood floors are easy to clean and maintain. Compared to some other types of wood floors, the processes required to keep the wood panels in good conditions are minimal. The reason is that hand-scraped wood floors don’t reflect dirt like other wood floor options. They’re also able to hide scratches and minor dents perfectly.
However, you’ll also want to conduct deep cleaning of these floors periodically. This is because a lot of dirt gets stuck in the grooves and pits of the planks. You’ll need to do a deep cleaning to get the dirt out of the crevices of the planks and prevent dirt build-up. However, you don’t need to exert yourself too much for daily cleaning. You only need to sweep away the visible dirt.
Ideal for Any Part of the House
We’ve already established durability as one of the significant features of this flooring option. The durability of hand-scraped wood flooring makes it suitable for any part of the house. Of course, it’s best suited for areas with high traffic volume. However, you don’t have to restrict it to that area. You can put it anywhere you want in your home.
Also, its ability to fit perfectly with any decor style makes it ideal for any room. You can install it in the kitchen, living room, on the porch or even the bedroom. Depending on the type of wood material you select, you can also choose the colouration you prefer. But Bamboo is one of the favourites for most homeowners in Canada.
Anti Scratch Finish
Hand scraped wood floors are also coated with an anti-scratch finish upon completion. Although, we can say the anti-scratch finish doesn’t add much to the appearance of the panels. Hand Scraped wood floors already have an uneven surface with a rough, scratchy texture. A little additional scratch will make no difference, and in some cases, may add to the existing patterns.
You don’t need to bother with regular refinishing activities such as sanding and resealing. The uneven texture of hand-scraped floors hides light scratches perfectly. In addition, the anti-scratch finish helps to prevent the effects of wear and tear, enabling the floor to withstand the test of time.
There are claims that hand-scraped wood floors can last two decades without needing retouching. While the claims may sound far-fetched, it speaks to the durability of hand-scraped wood floors.
If you have kids or pets, this is the best wood floor option for you. Hand-scraped wood floorings hide scratches better, so you won’t cringe every time you find your cat clawing at the floor. You can also stop worrying about the kids banging the toys on the floor; minor dents have nothing on hand-scraped wood floors.
Related Article: What is Wire-brushed Flooring?
Species of Wood Used for Hand Scraped Wood Flooring
You can pick any type of wood you prefer for your home. In other words, hand-scraped wood floor panel manufacturers use any kind of wood they can get their hands on. It’s up to you to select the one you want for your home. You can get the recommendation of experts when picking the wood species if you’re confused.
You get a wide variety of wood species from oak to walnut, teak and hickory. Each of these woods has its unique features, which sets them apart from the others. Nonetheless, they’re all ideal for hand-scraped wood flooring designs. In addition, they are all durable wood species, so they’re perfect for someone looking for sustainable wood flooring options.
However, we’ll recommend you go for any of the domestic options such as oak, pecan, hickory or pine wood. Maple is also a good option, but they’re more difficult to work with and don’t spot a great distressed look. In terms of looks, however, Bamboo gives the best appearance for hand-scraped wood flooring.
Of course, you can also go for hand-scraped engineered hardwood instead of solid hardwood. There are hand-scraped options for both engineered and solid hardwood floors. Although, popular opinion rates solid hardwood to be the better option of the two. Engineered wood floors don’t offer as much durability as solid hardwood floors, but that’s their only flaw.
Solid hand-scraped wooden floor panels are made from single planks cut into shape. Engineered hand-scraped wood floors are made from several strips of wood glued together to form a single plank. Engineered wood floors don’t have rigid compositions like solid wood. Instead, they tend to expand under heavyweight. So they don’t usually last as long as solid wood floors.
Cost of Hand Scraped Wood Floor
The cost of hand scraped wood flooring varies from place to place, even in Canada. The amount it’ll cost you will ultimately depend on the contractor you hire to install the floors and the flooring materials you use.
On the low end, the cost to buy hand scraped wood floor materials range between $250 to $340. But on the high side, the cost of the materials ranges between $520 to $590. Installation and other service fees generally range between $125 and $190.In total, you can expect to pay anywhere between $385 and $785 to install hand-scraped wood flooring.
On average, it costs between $1,430 and $1880 to install hand scraped wood flooring on a 535-square foot floor with no extenuating repairs. Plus labour cost for an estimated 28hours time period, the amount can go up to $3450. Overall with misc expenses, you may spend as much as $5000 to install hand-scraped wood floors in your home.
How to Get The Best Deals For Your Hand Scraped Wood Flooring
- We advise you to consult with different reputable contractors and get at least three estimates from them to get the best price. The contractors should give you the estimates for free; they’ll only charge for a repair service call.
- Also, when setting your budget for the floor installation, give allowances for price fluctuations. Expect the price of hand-scraped wood floor panels and installation services to fluctuate between companies. Each company will operate under different policies and procedures; as such, the method of charging will differ.
- Visit different supply houses and try to negotiate a better deal from each of them. Don’t settle for inferior quality after visiting only one supply house. Instead, check as many supply houses as possible and hold out for the best deals you can get.
- Don’t deviate too much from your budget. It’s best practice to always keep your expenses within your budget. However, if you absolutely have to go above your budget to get what you want, try not to go too far or break the bank. You can only do this if you have enough money to spare and you have deficiencies in your budgeting.
- If you can, hold out until late fall, early winter season before going for your wood floor installation. Contractors will be willing to offer more discounts during the down season with hopes of securing more customers.
Important Considerations When Getting Hand Scraped Wood Flooring
It’s important to keep these in mind:
Understand the finishing material
Some boards are finished with aluminum oxide, which requires significant sanding to touch up. This process will eliminate most of the rough texture characteristic of the hand-scraped floor.
Invest in Quality
Not all hand-scraped wood floors are the same. The quality differs depending on several factors. You want to ensure that you’re getting the best quality possible for your money. Don’t settle for low-standard flooring.
Not all Hand Scraped Wood Floors are the same.
The processes employed by different woodworkers to create hand-scraped wood floorboards are different. As such, you may not be able to get the exact same thing as you desire. This is especially true if you’re looking to get the exact same pattern or feel as you saw somewhere. That may be impossible. However, you’ll always be able to get a distinct design that’s sure to always stand out.
Related Article: What Is the Difference Between Hand Scraped and Wire Brushed Flooring: Pros and Cons
Final Thoughts
Hand scraped wood flooring may be just what you need to complete the interior decor of your new home. We encourage you to try it out if you can afford it. Hand-scraped flooring is relatively affordable, and they tend to last long. Therefore, we believe it’s a good investment.
Are you looking to get an affordable hand scraped wood flooring design? Look no further; we have you covered. Check out our online store at LV Flooring for hand-scraped flooring and pick whichever design you like.
