Description of Hand-Scraped Hardwood Floors

Description

• The planks of a hand-scraped floor are individually scraped by hand to give the floor a handmade, primitive or rustic appearance. The floors replicate the look of floors in vintage homes with beveled edges that create a worn look. Hand scraping gives depth and character to floors while hiding bumps and flaws. Hand-scraped floors are suitable for use in most American home styles, including French Country, American Colonial, Old World European, Rustic Western and traditional homes. Although the floors are more expensive than traditional hardwood floors, the finish lasts a long time, showing minimal wear.

Technique

• Although some floors are scraped by machine, true hand-scraped floors are crafted entirely by hand to create one-of-a-kind floors. The scraping is done using a heavy-duty steel tool, similar to a paint scraper, with a highly sharpened blade. The floor is scraped in small sections, with the tool going either across or with the grain of the wood. After scraping, the floor is screened with a sanding screen on a rotary floor buffer to remove splinters and rough areas. The floor is stained, and a protective finish is applied. Floors with darker finishes show the effects of hand scraping more than more natural finishes, since the finish pools within the scrapes, causing shadows.

Pre-finished Floors

• Floors can also be hand scraped and finished prior to installation. With these floors each plank in the floor can move independently with changes in temperature and humidity. If floors are scraped and finished on site, the finishing bonds the planks together and they may split apart as the floor expands and contracts with temperature and humidity fluctuations. Hand-scraped floors are available in either solid-wood or engineered-wood flooring. Engineered-wood floors are generally scraped and finished prior to installation.

Other Options

• Pre-finished hand-scraped floors are available in a choice of woods and finishes. If you choose to have your floors finished on site, you are able to select the stain and finish that you want, including matching the finish to other wood in your home. Other options are also available for a rustic, primitive look. Distressed floors have dents and markings in the planks, applied by machine to give the floor a worn appearance. You can choose dark staining and contouring of the boards. Hand-hewn floors have saw marks visible on the surface. Wire brushing is a technique that highlights the wood’s grain. You can have your existing floors hand scraped, as well, but only if there is enough wear layer present on the floor.