Somewhere along the line in the history of flooring, the shiny and smooth “piano finish” look replaced the natural look of wood. The 20th century saw the advent of engineered hardwood and laminate, both of which attributed to the inexpensive ability to create shiny floors. Since the price difference was negligible, many people flocked toward this new, glass-like look.
But much like many other trends in the world, the natural wood look is back, and in a very big way. Hand scraped hardwood has become a popular choice with people looking to capture a bit of the “real” or vintage look, as well as for people looking to replace the flooring of an old home.
But what is hand scraped?
Even as late as the 1800s, floorboards were scraped to even out the differences between planks. During this process (which predated sanders), human imperfections were created, and people began to relish these imperfections as a work of art. No two planks were the same.
Today, we have far more refined tools at our disposal, but that doesn’t mean we have lost our love of art and creativity. Today’s hand scraped hardwood flooring has the look of an older style plank, but the benefits of modern-day finishes, which serve to protect the floor.
When you shop for hand scraped hardwood, you might find yourself dissecting indentations, splits, and holes (you know, from those worms that never really did exist in these planks to begin with). You will likely have an option of how much “scraping” you’d like. Some people prefer a truly rustic look, while others just want a taste.
While hand scraped hardwood offers a beautiful vintage look, it serves a great purpose as well. These scrapes help hide minor scrapes and blemishes that occur over time. This means that this style of flooring is ideal for a room that will likely suffer from high traffic.
Many people are putting away the notion that everything needs to be shiny in order to be beautiful. Consumers today are embracing the all-natural look of products such as hardwood. If that’s where you fall, then hand-scraped hardwood may be for you.
