Hand Scraped Hardwood Floors

Hand Scraped Hardwood Flooring

Hand scraped hardwood flooring is rich looking, distinctive and classy. These floors are reminiscent of a more elegant time and will add a cultured touch to any area of your home or commercial property. Hand scraped hardwood flooring comes in a variety of hardwood species and finishes. You can find hand scraped bamboo flooring, hand scraped hickory flooring or hand scraped oak flooring among others. You can also find hand scraped laminate flooring.

Before you dismiss laminate flooring as an unacceptable option for real hardwood floors check out some of the newer laminate products. The modern laminates are attractive with a hardwood look and feel, easy to install, water proof, and unlike wood flooring almost impossible to dent or scratch. Another plus – laminate is easy to clean and does not need to be waxed. The biggest drawbacks to laminate are it is not wood it is a manmade substitute for wood and will not add the value to your home or property that a hardwood floor will add, it is not re-finishable and if damaged it must be replaced, and the hand scraped look is created by a machine not hand done by a craftsman.

Hand scraped hardwood flooring is definitely more expensive than laminate and more expensive than the machine scraped hardwood flooring products however each plank is truly unique. If you use machine scraped laminate or hardwood the pattern will repeat across the floor while with hand scraped flooring each board has a different look and feel.

You can find these handmade hardwood flooring products sold prefinished or unfinished. Custom staining is difficult and the prefinished or hand rubbed option not only shortens the time for installation it also has the advantage off allowing each plank of the flooring to move independently of the other planks as the wood shrinks and expands with humidity. Finishing the planks after they are installed results in the planks bonding together and the finish often splits or cracks with the natural expansion and shrinking of the wood. While these cracks are typically not a problem they do not occur as frequently in the prefinished floors.

Hand scraped hardwood flooring can be dented or gouged by hand creating a rougher more primitive look, sanded unevenly to created a well worn look or scraped to create a hand hewn look. Skilled craftsmen can create a hardwood floor complete with wormholes, knots, splits and other natural looking markings.

Real hand scarped hardwood flooring will cost around 50% more per square foot than machine scarped but if you have the budget to install hand scraped hardwood flooring you will not regret the additional expense. Real hand scraped hardwood flooring will create an authentic look that will add a sense of classic elegance to any room.

When choosing a contractor to install you hand scraped flooring chose carefully. The quality of the scraping will vary greatly based on the skill of those doing the work. The traditional Amish craftsmen are the acknowledged masters of this ancient craft.

Ask contractors you are considering to provide references and show you floors they have previously installed to get a firsthand look at the quality of their work.