The final appearance of wood flooring is not only down to the choice of timber, but also the various treatments applied to it. A multitude of treatments are possible including staining, fuming/smoking (both of which affect colour) and oil, wax or lacquer finishes, which affect colour, mood and sheen.
Here, we shall focus purely on the physical texture and grain of solid wood flooring, which will vary greatly depending on how the raw timber is cut, or worked, prior to these other treatments.
Naturally Wood specialise in wood flooring installation and restoration in Essex, London, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex and Kent, and we offer a wide choice of timber, treatments, textures and finishes.
The Importance of Surface Texture
Your choice of texture is just as important as the choice of wood as it impacts on the overall finished result. While staining, oiling, waxing and lacquering can be altered over the lifetime of a floor, the texture and grain will remain, and is a key element in defining the overall character of your floor.
Naturally Wood offer three main textures on hardwood floors and these are brushed, bandsawn, and distressed/tumbled. We shall describe each of these in turn below and explain how the different textures are achieved.
Brushed
Previously, the texture of brushed flooring was created by hand, using wire brushes. Now, the same effect is achieved by our state-of-the-art, purpose-built machinery which produces a steady depth of brushing over the whole floor..
With machine brushed flooring, steel or copper brushes are rotated over the wood surface. This opens up the grain, turning a smooth surface into a much more open-textured surface, with indentations that follow the grain of the wood. With softer or harder brushing, it is possible to achieve different levels of grain accentuation. The results are similar to wood that is naturally weathered outside, and is useful for creating a rustic, or aged effect.
It’s possible to emphasise the depth of grain by combining a colour effect. Choosing an coloured, oiled finish, for example, and helps emphasise the wood’s texture, as the different angles catch the light.
Bandsawn
A bandsaw is used to create saw marks over the complete surface of the wood, rather than targeting the grain lines (as with brushing, above).
Our experts at Naturally Wood can create different degrees of texture by adjusting the settings of the bandsaw, so that the effects can be subtle, or prominent. A highly textured surface creates a handmade or rustic look, rather than an aged look, but distressing/tumbling in addition to this, can add age if desired.
Our finishes are tailored to suit your specific needs. Just contact Naturally Wood Flooring to find out how we can help create the perfect wood flooring for your home or business, in the Essex region, or further afield.
Wood Flooring Essex – click here to find out more about our solid wood flooring products.
Tumbling
If you like the look of reclaimed wood, and want the same results at a lower cost, a good option is tumbling. This is where the wood is distressed, in our vast, purpose-built machine. The resulting effect is that the wood has years of wear and tear, and it’s often difficult to distinguish between distressed and reclaimed wood.
This is because our method of distressing works to soften corners and edges to create an older, more worn effect. It also produces random indentations across the surface which looks like ‘old damage’, giving the timber an overall ‘naturally aged’ and distressed effect. So rather than having the weathered appearance that you would get with brushing, with tumbling your wood flooring will look as if it has had decades of being lived with, and walked on.
Distressing adds beauty and character to your wood flooring and people will want to know the story behind it. It is suitable for both modern and period properties.
Which Naturally Wood Products Have these Textures?
Naturally Wood can produce any texture to any degree for many of our products, including any combinations of the above to produce different results. In addition to this, our textures can be as subtle or as strong as you like. At Naturally Wood we discuss the various options with you and tailor our bespoke prefinished wood flooring to suit your needs.
Our texturing service is all part of our prefinishing process and we also offer coloured and oiled floors from our prefinishing unit.
An oiled finish provides great protection for your flooring as it protects against stains, marks or water penetration, and also reveals the true beauty of your textured flooring.
Wood Flooring Essex – click here to find out more about our solid wood flooring products.
