Highlight the texture in your hardwood flooring
Published: April 13, 2017
Indianapolis homeowners choose hardwood flooring for many reasons. Hardwood floors are beautiful and tend to grow in beauty as time goes on. They are long-lasting and add value to the home. And hardwood floors let you bring a bit of nature inside – a look that works just as well in traditional home decor as it does in contemporary design.
Hardwood flooring really never goes out of style. Types of hardwood will become more or less popular through the years though and one trend we’re seeing hearkens back to the days when hardwood flooring was just a little less finished than it is today. Highlighting the texture that is naturally present in your hardwood floor changes the whole appearance of the floor while still keeping all the benefits of today’s hardwood manufacturing techniques.
Hardwood flooring grain patterns
Each type of hardwood has its own natural grain patterns in the wood. Sometimes those grain patterns are very small and subtle. Other times they are more pronounced including color variations, knots and whorls in the wood. If you’re looking for a mild, barely noticeable grain pattern look for maple wood flooring. If you’d like to see some grain patterns and color variations, look at red or white oak – the most popular hardwood floor choice in the United States. If you want something more dramatic with bold patterns in the grain and highly contrasting streaks of color look at hickory. There are certainly more choices than just these wood species, but they give you a sense of the range of choices available to you when shopping for hardwood flooring.
Hand-scraped hardwood floors
Many popular styles of hardwood floors have been polished and finished to a smooth high gloss. However, back in the early days of hardwood flooring this type of manufacturing wasn’t available. Back then hardwood planks were individually hand-scraped to even out the differences in width and size. A true craftsman would scrape the board to bring out specific looks not just to functionally even out the wood. As with many trends, this more distinct, historic look is coming back in style. Today’s hand-scraped hardwood flooring is designed to have the look of an older store finished by hand but is still made with the modern finishes of today to protect the floor.
Wire-brushed hardwood flooring
As the name implies, wire-brushed hardwood has been scraped by a wire brush during manufacturing to create a unique texture on each board. It tends to have a more open, uneven grain pattern giving the floor quite a bit more character. Wire brushing also brushes away the softest wood leaving the hardest wood behind, creating a more durable floor as well. It is worth noting that this type of floor is trickier to finish and clean but for many homeowners the distinct appearance is worth it.
Added bonus to textured hardwood: hide your normal wear and tear
Do you have a busy household with lots of foot traffic? Kids playing on the floor each day? Pets running across the wood flooring with their claws? That kind of activity can show in your hardwood floor over time. However, if you choose to highlight the natural texture of the wood floor – that average wear and tear is more easily hidden.
When it comes time to shop for hardwood flooring, stop by Kermans flooring store in Indianapolis. Our flooring experts will help you narrow down the many choices available in hardwood flooring and make sure you find the perfect floor for your home and lifestyle.
