In an earlier blog post, Finding The Right Finish For Your Wood Flooring, we explored the different types of wood flooring finishes available, including matte, satin and high gloss and lacquer versus oil, and the benefits of each so that you can make an informed decision about the type of finish that would best work for you and your property.

Beyond the finish that you apply to your wood flooring, the final look and feel of it is also heavily weighted in another factor...the texture.

What is texture in relation to wood flooring?

Texture, even in the context of hardwood flooring, is all about how the floor feels which also lends itself to how it looks. It’s just as important as the grade, colour, species and finish, especially if your wood flooring is in a space where you spend a lot of time, such as a living room or bedroom.

The texture will also affect how the floor feels when you walk, often barefoot, across it every day - your children may even sit and play on it, your pet may sleep on it! - so you should let it play a part in your decision-making when picking a wood floor.

What wood flooring textures are available?

There are four types of wood flooring textures available for you to choose from:

Smooth

This is not so much a texture as a lack of texture. A smooth wood flooring is pretty self-explanatory in its name where the floor has been sanded to make a smooth surface.

A smooth finish gives a uniformity to the appearance and feel of the flooring, and is typically used with high grade of wood and a glossy lacquer to produce a very “clean” looking floor. Occasionally, smooth floors can look unrealistic due the lack of knots and surface texture.

Reclaimed

As we move towards being a more eco-friendly and conscious society, this is the texture that will grow in popularity over the next few years.

Reclaimed wood flooring uses wood from old buildings or structures and repurposes it for use in new homes.
This method of recycling is not only great for the environment, but it also looks stunning and can really enhance the look and feel of any space.

The texture on this type of wood flooring is, as you would expect, a little battered and worn with dents and scratches which highlight that this wood flooring is old and has been previously used - and this is all achieved naturally.

It can work really well when renovating old Victorian and Georgian homes, especially those that use a lot of vintage furniture.

Aged and Distressed

Similar to reclaimed wood flooring, this wood appears to be old, worn and used highlighting the natural charm in the imperfections of the wood. The main difference, however, between aged and distressed wood flooring and reclaimed wood flooring is that this texture is achieved by carefully scraping and bashing the floor by hand or machines.

The wood itself may not genuinely be old, like reclaimed wood, but it appears that way and can be a great middle-ground for those who want new wood but still want to get the vintage look.

Brushed

Brushed wood flooring is where each board is treated with a wire brush to achieve deeper, more pronounced grains and making the wood a little more resistant to scratches. It exposes the natural charm and qualities of the wood giving it even more character and individuality.

This type of textured flooring works best in homes with a lot of natural woods where the aesthetic leans more towards traditional and classic.

Advantages of a textured finish to your wood flooring

The main purpose and benefit of a textured finish to wood floors is the visual appeal that it has which works well in almost any room and with any design.
It can provide your space with character, which could be considered more traditional and less of a trend look, meaning that it will never go out of style.

Textured finishes like brushed or distressed wood also look more natural and authentic than a smooth wood which could, ultimately, add value to your home.

Another major advantage is that you don’t have to worry as much about damaging your wood flooring and ruining the ‘perfect’ uniform look that you get with smooth floors. The dents and scratches that your floors will naturally incur can actually add to the effect and won’t even be noticeable on a textured wood floor.

This means less maintenance and less concern and worry about being cautious around your flooring; hence, you can live more freely in the space which is great if you have pets or children.

Disadvantages of a textured finish to your wood flooring

There are a couple of downsides to having a textured finish to your wood flooring which may play a role in your decision if you deem these to be important factors to you.

The first, and most obvious, is that textured wood flooring is more difficult to clean. The textured grain can collect and hold dirt which means that a simple wipe down doesn’t always work and you may require more time and elbow-grease to get your floors clean.

With that in mind, textured wood flooring might not be the best choice in a dining room or children’s playroom as these are spaces that tend to get exposed to more dirt and would require constant, time-consuming cleaning to keep the flooring from building up with grime.

The other disadvantage of textured wood floors is that, if you ever decide, or need, to sand down a section of the flooring (this could be due to damage or discolouring), you will be left with a smooth finish. This would lead to inconsistent texture throughout the room which could be a nuisance.

Furthermore, sanding down wood floors wears away at the layers of the wood and, in order to achieve the uniform, smooth look across previously textured wood flooring, you would need to do a lot of sanding down.
This would remove a lot of layers of wood at one time, so you will find that you don’t get as much ‘life’ out of your wood floors as you would if you only needed to sand down a layer or two each time you refinish your floors.

It’s yet another decision that you need to make before picking your wood flooring, and it can be overwhelming, especially if you have no previous experience with hardwood floors.
When choosing your wood flooring, our experts are on hand to talk you through the entire process from the grain and species of wood to the finish and the texture. We can ensure that you make a fully informed decision as we understand that it’s a costly decision that you have to live with for a number of years.