What is distressed wood flooring?

Category: hobbies and interests woodworking
4.4/5 (119 Views . 44 Votes)
Distressed wooden flooring is a particular style that is designed to give an old and worn feel to a new hardwood floor. Distressed boards tend to come with a textured finish that enhances the grain of the wood. While the wood used for distressed flooring is rustic in its grade, not all rustic flooring is distressed.



Also asked, what does distressed hardwood mean?

This type of flooring undergoes certain processes to give it more character and an antique, reclaimed look. These processes may involve aging, wire brushing, sculpting, or handscraping the hardwood flooring planks.

Furthermore, can you refinish distressed wood floors? Depending on the shape they're in, they can be fixed with a light sanding or a re-sanding and re-scraping. With modern finishes and stains, refinishing hand scraped hardwood floors is easy to do; the flooring can be given the shade needed to fit any room.

Also to know, how do you distress wooden floors?

How To: Make Distressed Wood Floors

  1. Step 1 Sand and clean floors. Step 1 Lightly Sand. Whether you are distressing a new floor or an old one, you need to give everything a light sanding prior to starting.
  2. Step 2 Paint floors. Step 2 Paint.
  3. Step 3 Scuff sand floors. Step 3 Scuff Sand.
  4. Step 4 Apply stain. Step 4 Stain.
  5. Step 4 Seal floors. Step 5 Seal.

How do I make my hardwood floors look rustic?

Steps

  1. Study how wood changes over time.
  2. Begin by hand scraping the wood with a wood floor-scraping tool.
  3. Brush the flooring in spots with a wire brush.
  4. Let your dog, if you have one, run up and down the floors with unclipped nails.
  5. Use chains, drills, hammers, saw blades and ice picks when distressing wood floors.

35 Related Question Answers Found

Why use hand scraped wood floors?

Hand scraped hardwood flooring, also known as hand sculptured, gives a warm, classic look to modern homes that works well on solid or engineered wood floors. Hand scraped wood floors are a modern trend that can give a room old-time warmth and atmosphere.

Can you distress hardwood floors?

Distressing Wood Floors to Make Them Unique. The natural scratches and gouges in a distressed floor make it a perfect choice for homeowners who don't want to cringe every time their kids or pets leave a mark on the floor. There's also a certain amount of prestige for the homeowner to have a custom, hand-scraped floor.

How do you care for hand scraped wood floors?

  1. Vacuum the floor at least once a week to pick up dust and dirt and prevent it from being ground into the flooring.
  2. Sweep up any dry spills using a broom and dust pan as soon as they happen.
  3. Mop up wet spills right away with an absorbent towel.
  4. Wash the floors only as needed.

How wide is wide plank flooring?

Wide plank flooring starts at about 5 inches wide and can go up to as much as 12 inches wide, depending on the wood and the manufacturer. Narrow plank floors tend to run somewhere between 2 and 4 inches in width.

How do you make wood look distressed?


  1. Prepare Your Space. Start by laying down drop cloths and preparing the area.
  2. Sand and Clean the Piece. Sand the surface of the piece.
  3. Paint the Piece.
  4. Apply Wax and Top Layer of Paint (Optional)
  5. Distress the Piece with Sandpaper and Steel Wool.
  6. Apply a Stain (Optional)
  7. Protect the Finished Piece with Polyurethane.

How do you stain wood to make it look distressed?

  1. Introduction. Apply Stain to the Wood.
  2. Use Sandpaper to Create a Natural Wear. After the stain dries, use a fine piece of sandpaper to duplicate the natural wear which occurred, studying the antique to show you wear to sand off some of the stain.
  3. Apply Dents and Scratches.
  4. Apply Furniture Paste.

How do you whitewash a wood floor?

Mix the Solution. Mix together one part water and two parts white latex paint for the whitewash solution. If you want a heavier whitewash, use one part water to three parts paint. You can use a light gray paint, if you want a slightly darker color.

What is French bleed on hardwood floors?

French bleed is the term used to describe a (usually distressed) hardwood floor with darkened (usually black) chamfer points on the boards. This dark colour defines the contrast between the colour of the actual boards and the outline bevel, giving the floor a pleasingly rustic and aged appearance.

How do you paint a wooden floor?

How To Paint Wood Floors
  1. Step 1: Rough Surface: Using a square pad sander (or by hand), rough up the finish on the floor with 150-grit sandpaper.
  2. Step 2: Clean Floor: Thoroughly vacuum and damp-mop the floors, to remove all the dust.
  3. Step 3: Apply First Coat: Using a brush or roller, apply the first thin coat of floor paint.

How do you whitewash a floor with chalk paint?


Combine one quart of Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in Old White with one quart of water. (Note: 1 can covers about 300 square-feet.) 2. Maintaining an even consistency, roll one coat of paint on your floors and let dry for 2-3 hours; then, roll on another coat.

How do you sand and paint floorboards?

Rule Four – How to Paint Wood Floors
  1. sand your floorboards with 150-grit sandpaper,
  2. wash floors to remove all dust and dirt,
  3. allow floor to dry completely – the drier the better – 1-2 days,
  4. apply primer and dry overnight,
  5. lightly sand floors with 220-grit sandpaper,

Can you refinish distressed engineered hardwood?

Yeah you can refinish engineered hardwood. A compromise would be a prefinished solid hardwood that has the aluminum oxide finish for now, but solid wood underneath for when you need to refinish.

Can engineered hardwood be refinished?

Can engineered floors be refinished? Yes, they can, at least once. Floors with a wear layer less than 2 millimeters thick can tolerate a light scuff-sanding with a buffer. Thicker top layers can be sanded just like solid wood, allowing you to erase deeper scratches and dents.

How do I know if my wood floor is Sandable?

Look for exposed nail heads near the edges of the boards as an indication that the floor already has been sanded too many times to sustain another refinish. Excavate carefully around one of the nails with a chisel to see if it's driven into the tongue of the board underneath the one that's showing through.

How much does hand scraped hardwood cost?


You'll love the look. At $2 to $4 per square foot, it may be less expensive than installing a manmade flooring material.

How do you make new pine floors look old?

A dark wood stain or some brown or black paint mixed with water poured onto the floor and rubbed into the dents and dings will create the look of age.

How do you hand scrap pine floors?

Start by scraping the floor in line with the boards; never scrape across the grain. Work in a swath about 16" wide (three or four boards), and move from wall to wall across the room. Then go back and scrape the next 16" width, overlapping slightly on your previous work.