What is hand scraped wood?
Hand scraped wood technique dates to the early 1600s, which was used as a method to even out the differences between planks. However, this concept is quickly making a comeback, as most homeowners are rapidly making use of hand scraped wood in their houses. Simply put, as a homeowner, you would find it hard to resist the warmth and the charm it adds to the home’s interiors.
Understanding hand scraped wood
Hand scraped wood is also commonly known as sculptured wood flooring, as it is designed to give your floors an original, yet uniquely made by hand look while keeping the modern luxuries of a high-quality finish intact. This style inherits its name from the age-old technique of using a knife over a plank’s surface to smoothen it out.
In an ideal situation, the woodworker would pull the draw knife towards himself in order to remove the shavings from the plank’s surface. This is done with an aim to add smoothness and a handcrafted look to the plank’s surface. This also adds a subtle distinctiveness to the wood’s surface, which makes it elegant and different from its counterparts.
Given the recent surge in popularity of hand scraped wood, the hand scraped look is being extensively used to add this look on prefinished flooring products as well. These days, this look is doing the rounds of the market, as the prices of these wooden flooring is well maintained and within the budgets of the house owners.
Machine and hand scraped wooden flooring
Hand scraped wooden flooring, might go contrary to its name. While in the earlier days, craftsmen used to work on these wooden planks manually, scraping each plank individually to give it the required effect and an even surface.
However, in the modern flooring world, machines have been designed to give the old, weary look to wooden planks, in order to recreate the natural look. These wooden planks can add a rustic look to a room’s interiors while staying within budget.
Hand scraped wood has become the talk of the town, as the aged and distressed look of the wooden planks is believed to have a story to narrate. The older the look, the better would be the plank’s look. In the early days, the process of hand scraping involved soaking the wooden planks in water to make the scraping easier and more effective.
This technique can be effectively carried out on solid oak flooring as well as engineered oak flooring, without incurring heavy expenses. In order to add a finished look to the surface of hand scraped floors, it is finished with a layer of urethane, which is a thick, clear substance used to provide a durable coating on the wood’s flooring.
The process of hand scraping might have been carried forward from the old times, but it has rapidly taken over the flooring world, simply because homeowners want to recreate the rustic look which used to dominate the old era’s houses.
