While I prefer smooth floors and feel they are more timeless, that doesn't necessarily mean that hand scraped floors are doomed to obsolescence. They offer a more rustic look and are more forgiving of abuse from pets and children, which will always be useful. OTOH, they don't refinish as easily because you have to sand down into the grooves to get to an even plane for refinishing.

I really like the look of hand scraped floors. I'm not sure if they are timeless, but with an active family, it might be a great tradeoff. I figure by the time they would be out of style, I'd have to redo my smooth floors anyway due to the wear of kids, pets, etc.

Looks like it's a pretty even split. Thanks for the input.

SHF,

Thanks for the comment. I think we're going to go with a hand-scraped that is on the subtle end.

Lopi

@lopipopi...

I think that's a "safe bet"...
believe it or not, we were the first ones to initiate the "light hand-scraped" concept... back when everyone else was using the hand-scraping to camouflage the use of poor quality lumber.
It was my theory that distressed finished flooring didn't have to look like it was pulled out of the barn... and since then, the "subtle" more refined approach has found a place in formal & even contemporary décor.
The idea is to make the product more user friendly & livable without sacrificing any class...
Let us know if you have any difficulty finding what you need.
That's our business... CUSTOM flooring produced to specification.

Although we offer hand scraped I try to make sure clients know it is probably a fad and will not be as easily refinished as regular flat flooring. There are so many ways to get a great look w/o the hand scraped look.

I love hand scaped and I don't worry about refinishing. After years of having hand scraped, they still look as good as the day they were installed. That's the beauty of handscraped, they hide every ding. I seriously doubt that mine will ever need refinishing and how great is that to avoid that mess.

I love the hand scraped! To me it makes the wood look more "real" I would hate to spend so much money on hardwood floors and people think they are laminate.

Ann - What color (dark or light) and species did you use?

Maddy - I know what you mean - some of the real wood floor samples I've seen look like plastic! On the other hand, at my son's school they recently ripped out the traditional polished maple floors and put in a textured-ish laminate. Even though the old floor had no texture and the new one does, you can definitely tell that the new one is the fake. What a shame, I loved the old floors.

We put handscraped floors in our kitchen - the finish was called "Moroccan walnut" - it's a medium tone with some variation and a little redness to it. We put it in a modern white kitchen to add some texture and warmth. I like the look although to be honest it started off as a mistake on my part as I had not meant to order something textured. But once it came everyone liked it so we had it installed. If you love the look, I would go for it. However, for me personally, it probably would not be my choice again.

We're about to put in a hand scraped floor in our house. I'm from NC where I'm used to solid hardwood floors being finished on site. Now I live in TX and all the houses here are on concrete slab and it's crazy humid here. What I'd pick here in TX is different from what I'd pick in NC. In NC, I'd go solid, stained on site for sure. The architecture is much more traditional there. In TX, it's a much more eclectic style of architecture, and frankly, anything goes. I had a hard time with that for a while. People here love their hand scraped floors, so that's what we're getting. I've picked a floor that is hickory, made by LM flooring and it is not that artificial, shiny finish that I personally do not prefer, but again, different strokes for different folks. We're getting a mid-tone, warm color. Not too dark. My decor style is traditional with a slight bit of French Country. My vote is to take into consideration your region, resale (if applicable to you) and what type of subfloor you're on and what style of architecture you have.

Artisan quality hand scraped floors are a work of art and will stand the test of time. The copies and mass produced floors sold at the big box will go by the wayside just like all the other mass produced products that are copies of the real artisan produced product.

It's a matter of taste I also live In Texas and if you look at Anderson hardwood floors and also LM you'll find everything from smooth distressed in matte finish to down right scraped you can just about create any look with a hand scraped wood floor from contemporary which lends a rich and earthy contrast that compliments the clean and smooth of the contemporary to a country look which fits well with eclectic and rustic styles ...handscraped is versatile most importantly very forgiving. I would look at hickory as the hardness ratings are good and the products are affordable. Find a ProSource near you and tell them a rep in San Antonio sent you. We have the best deals and they can connect you with an installation Pro in your area also check out Angie's list. Good luck!

@MS Colours Inc...
You're comment (2 replies above) is absolutely correct (IMHO).
When ANYTHING is custom made... it has the personalized "signature" of the individual it was provided FOR (and by, for that matter). This makes it a limited edition, and adds value and desirability.
Conversely,
ANYTHING mass-produced has a "planned obsolescence" quality, as well as the fact that, when everyone can GET it, they do... and the end result is market saturation, and the general buying public moves on to the NEXT shiny object... but only until everyone on the block has obtained IT as well.
However, as I mentioned earlier in this thread... we've been producing a WIDE variety of hand-scraped as well as other "distressed" style floors for close to 38 years... and they were available before I got started. The concept has withstood the test of time in my viewpoint.

Like anything else, wood floors are a personal taste. I personally cannot stand the smooth shiny look. Hand scraped is the only way I would go. My preference is slightly rustic, casual cottage style. We installed hand scraped, medium brown Oak in our home and it is gorgeous. Everyone complements the floors and the decor. Bottom line is you should do what you like. Not worry about what is current or "in style". If you stick with what you love it will make you happy forever.

Just building a new home and currently have smooth hardwood in a medium (forgiving) color but I am putting in scrapped chocolate oak for the difference in texture as well as color.

@Laurelle...

Good choice, although I wish it was our product being used... haha

Ok. I have two little dogs (Westies) and sometimes they have accidents. What is going to stand up better? Hand scraped or shiny? Or am I doomed with either choice? Personally I prefer the shiny hardwood.

@Lynn...

There are 2 different options listed: hand-scraped vs. "shiny" (which we would refer to as "gloss").

They aren't mutually exclusive... the hand-scraped style will wear better over the long haul as a result of having a slightly irregular surface by design.

Another option for enhanced durability is a wire-brushed finish.

Why not have a hand-scraped or wire-brushed floor with a GLOSS finish coat?

I voted "Timeless"...after all, people have dogs living inhouse. That's a near guarantee to have custom handscraped (or claw-scraped) floors.

@Lynn-Well, there's always sealed concrete and sawdust. ;-0

We are having maple put in. Not distress and not hand scraped. Hand scraped is just not for me.

I hope it's a trend because it is making it very difficult to find anything other than the pseudo handscraped flooring. The Janka Scale is the measure of durability on a floor and a much better metric to look for when looking for a floor that is resistant to scratches, not the pseudo handscaped that will 'hide' scratches slightly better.

Just our two cents.

Happy Floor Selecting!

The handscrape look is perfect for my industrial farmhouse style house in Georgia.

Are handscraped floors harder to clean with all the dips in them?

Handscraped have been in 200+ year old barns. Why would they be a fad? Classic doesn't go out of style.

As someone said on here, hand scraped wood floors have been in barns for 200 years. That about sums it up. It probably should remain in barns

There are other options that are on the market as opposed to hand scraped that are good at concealing kids and pet marks, even wire brushed flooring does a good job. Is hand scraped flooring a fad? That's debatable, generally hand scraped is more expensive then other wear resistant flooring methods because it is uniquely 'scraped by hand'. Sometimes it can be machine scraped but machine scraped flooring is fairly easy to notice. It's hard to think of it as a fad because it will likely maintain a good degree of popularity because of its unique style.

Scraping or otherwise distressing a high quality smooth wood floor is like taking a hammer to a new or well-cared for vehicle. The dents and scratches will keep you from noticing most further damage. Some folks like the rugged "been in a barn" look of scraped or distressed floors, some like the way it hides a lot of further damage. The distressed wood floors give a house a very lived in and used look, and it's a lot of work to go back to a smooth finish. Long term, in many areas, a house with a high quality smooth wood floor will look cleaner and have more value when you're looking at resale.

Lynn: I have 2 westies & I put Superior maple hardwood in 'Cumin' in my new house. my dogs don't have accidents much but hardwood can be easily washed & looks great. The country style of hand scraped or distressed flooring is not for me.

I had an issue in the dining room with hand scraped floors. Chairs left scratches in the finish because it was so uneven. The legs had felt pads on them and still left very noticeable marks. Very difficult to buff out by hand.

I vote distressed, handscraped. I had a family member drop a glass and break it on my distressed floor. It left quite a large gash, I applied a little stain pen on it, wiped it of and never seen it again. I personally do not care for the flat "bowling alley " look. If I had that type of flooring when that glass dropped and broke, that gash would have shown up like a sore thumb. Most hand- scaped, distressed floors look classy, I have seen very few that look "barn like."

For an art history reference, floor scraping dating back to 1875:

http://m.musee-orsay.fr/en/works/commentaire_id/zoom/the-floor-planers-7073.html