Wood Floor Hand-Scraping Techniques

Choosing the Spots to Distress

• Distressing is rarely uniform in nature. Wood board will age in different ways and no two boards will be alike. Keep this in mind when selecting spots to distress. Use the natural character of the wood as your guide. Spots underneath whorls in the wood are excellent for distress marks. Other areas include the edges of the boards. Make your marks slightly off-center to give a random appearance to the damage you are creating.

Varying the Depth of the Scrape

• Just as the damage should be random, the depth of the scrape should also be random. Instead of using uniform pressure as you scrape the length of the board, vary this slightly. Start with a large amount of pressure, ease up, and then bear down again. This provides not only an interesting pattern to your hand scraping, but also keeps the look very authentic. Some areas should have deep gouges while others have barely any damage at all.

Combining Scraping With Other Distressing Techniques

• You can combine your scraping techniques with other methods of distressing wood for a truly authentic look. Scrape the wood first and then cover over the scraped area by beating it with a heavy chain or a bag full of heavy rocks. This gives authentic dings and makes the scraping look more natural instead of intentional. Always vary your distressing amounts. Some boards can be heavily damaged, while others have hardly any damage at all.

What to Avoid

• Remember, distressing cannot be undone. When you are scraping the boards, avoid making huge gouges that compromise the integrity of the board. The scrape should only be on the surface level and should not extend deeply for more than a few inches at a time. If you go to deep, the board will crack and will be useless to you. Practice on a few boards before you start with the flooring to get an idea of your strength and how much force you should use.