Why is wire brushed flooring in vogue now after many years of using clean, smooth and distressed floors? It is the new trend among homeowners in Canada, but what’s the reason for this? Simple! Most homeowners now want something unique and feel different. Wire brushed hardwood flooring is in because it offers all of these.
Quality hardwood flooring has been in demand for a long time. However, in recent times, many homeowners are shifting from smooth hardwood floors to wire-brushed floors. The major reason for this is the European feel the design gives off.
There are other reasons like it’s durability and ease of maintenance too. But the beauty and aesthetics of the flooring mean it’s easy to see why it’s the latest flooring trend. Wire brushed flooring is perfect for every setting. It never fails to live up to the hype.
With this article, we will describe some of the features that make wire brushed flooring such an attractive flooring choice for homes and residential spaces across Canada. But first, what exactly does wire brushed flooring look like.
What is Wire Brushed Flooring?
The term “wire brushed” means to scrape the surface of an object with a wire brush to make it uneven. Wire brushed flooring is a type of hardwood floor whose surface has undergone scraping with a wire brush. The goal for this is to achieve a texture that’s anything but smooth and glossy.
The process of scraping the hardwood with a wire brush pulls out the soft grain from the growth ring of the tree. This then exposes the heart of the hardwood which has an uneven texture. When you wire scrape the hardwood, you get a gently weathered, distressed and rustic looking hardwood floor.
Wire brushed flooring looks and feels similar to reclaimed wood or barn wood. However, it is more durable and also newer than reclaimed woods. This is the best option for you if you want something that’s a compromise between a distressed wood and a smooth finish.
Related Article: Buying Hardwood in Brampton: What Are The Things to Consider
Why Wire Brushed Flooring Is In Vogue
Wire brushed flooring only recently got popular but it’s already the rage among homeowners. As experts with hardwood installation and refinishing, we have inside knowledge of some of the characteristics that make wire brushed flooring different and special.
These features make wire brushed flooring stand out among other types of hardwood floors.
Rustic natural feel
Wire brushed flooring has a weathered appearance that gives it a somewhat traditional look. Some people refer to this traditional appearance as the “European” look. Apart from wire brushed flooring, you can only get this kind of feel from reclaimed woods or barn woods. However, they do not offer as much durability.
Also, wire brushed floors also have a tactile feel to them. So, the depth of the texture depends on how light or heavy the brushing is. Light brushing will produce a lighter, more even texture. But heavy brushing will produce a deeper, rough and more distressed texture.
Exposed heartwood
During preparation, manufacturers scrape the hardwoods with hard-bristled wire brushes. During this process, the hard bristles on the wire brush pull out the soft grain from the growth ring of the wood. The soft tissues often cover the heart of the wood. As such, pulling them out exposes the heartwood.
The wire brushing process helps to emphasize the wood grain. The exposed heartwood also creates more texture and character for the hardwood finish. This enhanced texture and character is also why wire brushed flooring is in vogue now.
Smoother imperfection than distressed floors
We previously mentioned that it is the perfect compromise between a distressed floor and a smooth floor. The scratches on wire brushed floors are subtle and intentional to expose the heartwood. This attention to detail means the scratches are smoother and more consistent than distressed or hand-scraped wood.
Some people often mistake wire-brushed wood with distressed wood. Distressed wood often looks as though it’s been through years of use with a lot of wear and tear. You will often find scrapes, burns, wormholes, knots and other bits of dents that give it a worn-out look. But wire-brushed woods look new and rustic at the same time.
High-quality woods
Most times, wire brush flooring manufacturers often use woods on the high end of the Janka scale. They are often products of trees like oak and hickory. These types of trees have finer grains making it’s easier to expose their heartwoods.
Yes, manufacturers also use reclaimed woods or barn woods to make wire brushed hardwood floors. They are also good choices, but they may not last as long as oak or hickory wire brushed flooring. This is why it’s important to buy quality hardwood for your wire brushed flooring.
Advantages of Wire-Brushed Flooring
When comparing different types of hardwood floors, wire-brushed floors come with a set of unique advantages.
It is durable and resistant to wear
This is one of the premium pros of wire brushed hardwood floors. It speaks a lot as to why wire brushed flooring is in vogue in recent times. It is the right option if you’re looking to add durability and longevity to the flooring in your home.
Wire brushed flooring is very unique and different from other hardwood flooring types. The rough and unusual texture also makes them more resistant to wear and tear. Sure, they may feel rather rough, but the roughness is toughness in disguise.
When you pay the initial cost of wire brushed flooring, you won’t have to worry about installing new floors anytime soon. With wire brushed hardwood floors, you are definitely getting reliable, durable and long-lasting flooring.
Gives an authentic look and feel to your interiors
Another one of the numerous benefits of wire-brushed flooring is its original look and feel. A lot of Canadian homeowners are looking to create that European feel in their homes. If that’s what you want, buying wire brushed flooring in Canada can help you achieve that.
This type of flooring helps to create an old feeling with a more vibrant touch in your home. The slightly distressed texture also adds a different dimension to the character of your floor. It all combines to give an authentic and rustic feel.
Manufacturers create this look when they scrape the soft part of the tissue away during the wire brushing process. This leaves a consistent rough pattern across the grain of the wood. In doing so, the flooring looks more original, and as said before, adds to its durability.
Not to mention that the uneven surface also changes the appearance of the floor in different light shades. You get to enjoy different hues when it’s sunny and when it’s a little dark. If the wire brushing is done by pros, this benefit will be more obvious and you’ll love it.
Hide scratches and dents better
Yes, we all have those annoying moments when someone scratches/dents the floor. It’s not always easy to replace dented planks immediately. So most times we just look for ways to hide it until we can replace it.
Wire brushed hardwood flooring helps take care of the problem. The grooves on the wire brushed floors do a good job of hiding the dents or scratches that may happen on the floor. The scratch marks often blend right in with the existing grooves on the planks.
This type of floor is ideal if you have pets or kids who can deal this sort of damage to your floor. Minor dents will blend in with the varied scrapes already on the floorboard. So, you won’t have to worry much about scratch marks or dents defacing your floors. Unless it’s major damage, minor damages will only add to the already existing uneven surface.
Offers more grip and traction than smooth floors
This is an obvious advantage that comes with wire-brushed floors. It’s even one of the reasons a lot of people prefer it to smooth floors. It provides a lot of grip and traction preventing careless slipping or falling on this floor.
If you don’t like slippery smooth floors, and you don’t want to go full distressed floors, this is the perfect option. The rough surface enables friction to occur and prevent slips that are common with smooth floors.
Ideal for all types of interior design
This accessibility regardless of budget and design is why wire brushed floors are in vogue now. If you want a floor that looks expensive but is not exactly expensive, go for wire brushed flooring.
Even if you like to keep things simple, it works great in every setting. It complements both traditional and modern settings. Regardless of whatever type of decor style you go for, wire-brushed hardwood floors will bring out the best version of it.
You can also use it in any room in your home. Except for the bathroom and toilets, you can install wire brushed flooring in the kitchen, dining, living room, and any other room in the house.
It’s ideal for moderate to large size family
Just like every other floor, you should expect that your family and visitors will get a lot of dirt on it. That’s why we recommend this type of flooring for you. Wire brushed flooring helps to conceal dirt particles between cleaning periods.
We all know that despite your best efforts on cleanliness, someone will track in dirt almost as soon as you finish cleaning. The probability of this happening is higher if you live with a moderate to a high number of people. And it can also handle the traffic as well as rough usage better than smooth floors.
It doesn’t exhibit a change in appearance over time
Over time, smooth hardwood floors begin to show signs of wear and tear. This process is even much quicker if the floor experiences heavy traffic. The floorboards weaken and the colour starts to fade. You can’t avoid this with smooth wooden floors as the effects of use will begin to show within a few years.
However, when you go for wire brushed hardwood floors, you can be sure that your floor will last a long time. The wire brushing exposes the more durable heartwood.
The heartwood has more resistance to wear and tear that occurs with years of use. And, instead of wearing out, the uneven grains will only smoothen out with use.
Lower maintenance needs
Wire brushed floors are not easier to clean than smooth hardwood floors. But the grooves are fairly shallow so it’s not very difficult to get the dirt out.
Also, you don’t have to clean the floors every time. Maybe twice a week will do. From a hygienic point of view, this is not the best advice. However, this is best if you work on a tight schedule and can’t afford the time to sweep often.
It is the best option for homeowners who cannot clean the house frequently. You can clean it whenever you have time to spare. And you won’t have to worry about obvious specks of dirt on your floors.
Related Article: How Long Does it Take to Install Hardwood Flooring?
Why You Should Choose Wire Brushed Floors
By now, you should know why wire brushed flooring is in vogue. It’s durable, gives a unique appearance, hides dents better and requires little maintenance. All these points make it pretty obvious as the best choice of flooring for you.
Not to mention its versatility, and cost-effectiveness. Yes, most wire brushed hardwood floors are affordable. Given all the advantages and features, we say it’s a pretty good value for money too.
You may think about the raised grains and conclude that it will be uncomfortable. Most people imagine it to feel like they’re walking on gravel. The reverse is often the case. You’ll find wire brushed floors feeling more comfortable and natural to your feet than smooth floors. All of these reasons together explain why wire brushed flooring is in vogue and why it’s the best flooring option for you.
When to go with wire brushed flooring
Wire brushed flooring is appropriate for all seasons of the year and the different conditions that come with them. It can handle the various environmental changes that accompany seasonal changes.
Any time is the best time to use wire brushed flooring. So you can go right ahead and install your wire brushed flooring whenever you’re ready. Your floor will do fine and there will be no problems.
Wire brushed flooring care and maintenance
Wire brushing creates more crevices on the surface of the wood. This makes the wire brushed floor a bit more difficult to sweep than smooth hardwood options. This is why it’s a good idea to regularly clean the wire brushed floors before the dirt builds up. This will minimize the occurrence of compressed dirt that is harder to clean.
Make use of a soft bristle vacuum to remove the loose particles. Then clean the floor up with a microfiber mop. Ordinary mops can’t do the job effectively. Microfiber mops can get under the grooves and pull out hidden dirt.
Wire brushed floors vs distressed floors
A lot of people often mistake wire brushed floors for distressed floors. These two types of floors may have some similarities, but they are very different. Each of them has its peculiar features and it is easy to distinguish them.
- Distressed floors often have deeper and more uneven grooves than wire brushed floors. These are products of both natural and artificial markings such as burns, blackened edges and dents. Conversely, the grooves on wire brushed floors are more even and shallower. These markings are products of scraping the surface of the wood with a wire brush.
- The main idea of distressed floors is to make the floor appear old and a bit worn with age. This is to achieve a vintage look with the hardwood floor. On the other hand, the main idea of wire-brushed floors is to achieve a slightly rough and more natural floor. This will give a more original and European look.
- Distressed floors are perfect for places with huge levels of traffic such as offices, shops etc. Wire brushed floors are perfect for places with moderate traffic levels such as sitting rooms, dining kitchen etc.
- Distressed floors hide scratch marks and dents perfectly. So much so that you can’t tell a new scratch apart from the original design. This is perfect for large families with kids and pets. Wire brushed floors also hide scratch marks well, but not as well as distressed floors. It is perfect for moderate families with fewer kids and pets.
Get In On Wire Brushed Flooring
It’s quite easy to see why wire brushed flooring is in vogue. There are so many positive features to enjoy with this type of flooring. The best part about using wire brushed flooring is that it’s hugely affordable.
You don’t have to break the bank to install wire brushed flooring in your home or offices. Here at LV Flooring, we offer different types of wire brushed flooring designs. Look through our collections today!
