Textured floors are a wonderful way to bring character and rustic charm to your home. Two of the most common flooring textures you will see are hand scraped and wire brushed. Which is the right choice for your home? Here are the advantages and disadvantaged of these popular styles!
Hand Scraped Hardwood
Hand Scraped floors use traditional tools and methods to recreate old-world character. This gives the planks the appearance of having been shaped and smoothed by hand rather than run through a power sander. In some floors the scraped texture is subtle, while in others it is more pronounced.
Advantages
Hand scraped floors are a great choice for homes with pets or areas in the home with high traffic because the textured, rustic surface helps hide dents and scratches.
Disadvantages
Be aware that some floors might be labeled “hand scraped” but have actually been scraped using a machine (see above photo for comparison). Machine scraped floors create a look that’s more repetitive and less authentic. Additionally, hand scraped floors can often be difficult to sand down and refinish because of their texture.
Wire Brushed Hardwood
Wire brushed floors are created by lightly scraping a bristled wire brush over the plank to pull out the softer wood and emphasize the grain patterns. This gives the floor added texture as well as a more weathered, aged look. Wire brushed texture provides a great middle ground between hand scraped and smooth surfaces.
Bausen English Forest European Oak Thetford
Advantages
Like hand scraped floors, wire brushed floors are also a great choice for homes with pets or high traffic because the textured surface helps conceal daily wear. The surface is also more durable because the wire brushing technique removes the softer wood from the planks, leaving the harder wood.
Disadvantages
Dirt tends to collect within the textured wood grain of the planks, making wire brushed floors more difficult to keep clean.
