When thinking about hardwood flooring for your project, surface texture is one of the most important features as it creates the floor’s personality! Let’s look at the 5 most popular surface textures in custom-made hardwood flooring:
Wire Brushed
The wire brushing process is done using a hard-bristled wire brush which exposes the heart wood to the surface of the floor. Wire brushed texture is a good choice for hard woods such as Oak and Hickory and it generally looks best with a matte finish on them. The texture gives a distressed look to the floor which can be a great choice for rustic or farmhouse interiors. Cost of wire bushing a hardwood floor: $1.50 – $2.50 sqft (not including sanding/finishing)
Hand Scraped
One of the most traditional ways to sand a hardwood floor, the Hand Scraping method gives a true distressed look to a hardwood floor. Created using a hand scraper, draw knife and even chisels, this process leaves distinct groves and streaks on a floor, giving a room an old antique look. Hand scraped floors are a fine match to historical homes, cabins and lodges as they complement the periodic look of the space. They are also ideal for home owners looking for a low maintenance floor and don’t want to stress about scratches and dings from pets, heels and kids’ toys. This texture style is well suited for a wide variety of hard and soft woods such as – pecan, oak, hickory, pine and walnut. Cost of hand scaping a hardwood floor: $2.00 – $5.00 sqft (not including finishing)
Beveled
A beveled edge floor is in which an angle is formed between the edges of the 4 sides of the planks reducing the edges to a sloping end. A beveled look provides distinction between the planks on floor and is ideal for a rustic or traditional home. Additionally, micro beveling is another way of minimizing any sharp edges on prefinished planks. The micro bevel look is a popular choice for modern and transitional living spaces. Cost of beveling a hardwood floor: $.50 – $1.50 sqft (not including sanding/finishing)
Distressed
Like the hand scraped texture, distressed texture is used to give an old vintage look to a hardwood floor. In a distressed look however, the hardwood plank is hammered/chiseled, etc to create cracks and lines down the plank without impacting the structure of the board. Imitation distressed look is very common with laminate floors, but it has stated to gain popularity with hardwood floors as well. Cost of distressing a hardwood floor: $1.00 – $6.00 sqft (not including sanding/finishing)
Smooth Sanded
A smooth sanded floor is one of the most commonly seen textures with on-site hardwood floors. In smooth sanded texture, the planks are made perfectly smooth with a flat floor surface and an even thickness. A smooth texture sanded floor is a good choice for a space where the client does not want any “dirt traps” in the floor from edge bevels, wire brushing, or other unevenness’s. The on-site smooth sanded process requires that the floor be sanded and finished in place, so this does not work for everyone. Cost of smooth sanding a hardwood floor: $2.00 – $5.00 sqft (not including sanding/finishing)
