What Is Vintage Hardwood Flooring?

Vintage flooring, like vintage clothing is a highly sought after flooring solution today.  Vintage flooring is essentially old flooring or new flooring which has been made to look as if it is very old.  Generally speaking, vintage flooring has a worn appearance and a depth to it that new floors might sometimes be thought to lack.

Vintage flooring has become highly sought after thanks to the knock on effect of the demand for reclaimed wood flooring.  Because reclaimed flooring is in limited supply, it is common for people fail to track down what they’re looking for at a price they’re prepared to pay.  At this point these people are highly likely to consider flooring which has been mechanically aged, distressed, coloured and stained to give it an old, or vintage look.

The techniques used to make new floors take on a vintage appearance are varied and increasing all the time.  Typically, distressing a wood floor is the technique used to create the vintage look.  Distressing involves damaging the floor to make it look like it has suffered many years of wear and tear. 

Distressing can be carried out by hand or by machine.  By hand, chains, scrapers, hammers and other damaging objects are used to create the distressed, or vintage effect that is so desired today.  A distressed wood floor suggests that the floor has a long history and a bit of a story to tell.  A look which works well in both traditional and modern interior settings, it is easy to see why distressed, or vintage wood flooring is so sought after.

An alternative to hand distressing is for floors to be tumbled.  A tumbled floor is wood flooring which has a very similar looking finish to hand distressed or vintage flooring.  Tumbling involves rotating the floor boards in a huge drum where they roll about and bounce off each other causing damage to both the faces and the edges of the planks.  The end result of tumbling is arguably more random than hand distressing and it has the added benefit of distressing the edges of the boards, which serves to change the overall look when the floor is laid, giving it a really credible, vintage look.

Need Help Installing Floors in Your Home? Ask the Experts at Factory Flooring

What type of underlayment should you use? How many inches thick? How do you install it? And how do you avoid damaging your floors in the process? 
When you work with Factory Flooring, you don’t have to worry about these questions. Our team of professional flooring installers will handle all the heavy lifting for you — literally. All you have to do is relax and enjoy the savings on your energy bill. 

Need to get more flooring ideas first? Our design blog has dozens of articles to help you get started. Whenever you’re ready to tackle your insulation project, we’ll be here to help. Contact us online to get started, or call Factory Flooring at 469-583-7053