You know what they say, “Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder.”   Well, rustic and or hand-scraped flooring’s beauty is also in the eye of the beholder. In today’s wood flooring market this look is the “in vogue” look. The definition or perception can mean 10 different looks to 10 different people.What do we mean by “Rustic” or “Hand Scraped”? Rustic can simply be character grade flooring such as a #2 Common grade or equivalent. It can mean wide planks and long length. It can mean knot holes and discoloration from mineral streaks and stains. It can mean a floor that is worn from years of traffic. The variations within each of these descriptions can be endless.

For hand-scraped flooring the variations can be just as varied. The words mean someone has actually scraped the flooring with some kind of scraping tool. In today’s world this can also mean that a machine is used to impart the scraped look to the flooring, thus “factory finished hand scraped” flooring that is machine scraped. Also, even a factory can employ laborers to hand scrape flooring. Much of the custom hand-scraped flooring is site scraped to the particular wishes of the consumer.  With any custom floor setting customer expectations are critical. Samples of the finished product are generally needed to illustrate the look. And since the product is hand worked you must explain to the consumer all variations produced may not be shown in the sample but the sample is representative of the look. As the following descriptions show, the costs associated with this custom made product can be all over the spectrum from $10 to $20 per foot to $100+ dollars per foot. The more hand work and custom experience the higher the cost.First is the rustic floor associated with the character marked grades of flooring. Our choices are endless. There can be wide plank which includes flooring from 3” to 10” even 12” wide. Widths can be randomly distributed, a repeat pattern, or all the same width. Performance of the wider widths will be a critical issue. Most customers can understand the seasonal gapping associated with plank flooring but refuse to accept cupping. Eased edges also help to camouflage the seasonal gaps and any board to board unevenness associated with the extra wide widths. All the directives for strip flooring should be followed with great attention paid to moisture issues both of the site and the flooring itself. Proper environmental conditions and associated acclimation is critical. Moisture gain and related expansion after installation will likely result in cupping or buckling, so err on the side to allow field spacing. Also, be sure to back seal wide plank flooring after acclimation to help prevent cupping related to moisture differences between back and face.

Splits and larger cracks can be filled with clear epoxy. This not only fills the opening but glues the wood so a larger issue doesn’t develop.  For those planks with splinters and splits that can develop into splinters, these may have the rustic look but can become safety issues so we cut them out. Another issue: large knot holes that can become a tripping hazard for small heels. These knot holes can also be an extra character feature but safety is the primary issue to avoid liability. Either cut the area out or fill the hole with epoxy compound which can stand the expected traffic.