There are some predictable elements to interior design and fashion trends. One of those predictable turns is that things that were old will become popular again. Also, the characteristics borne of necessity become fashionable in time. For example, the stress that damages hardwood flooring over time has become popular for interior design elements. When the floor is damaged, it is often called distressed. There are three ways to get a distressed hardwood floor. You can buy old hardwood that has become distressed by time, you can distress your own existing hardwood floor, or you can buy new hardwood floors designed to look distressed.
Reclaimed Wood
When wood has been used for a purpose before and then recycled, it is known as reclaimed. That could mean you are repurposing old wood such as the sides of barns to be your hardwood floor, or it can mean that you are simply installing an old hardwood floor as new. There are advantages to each approach. If you want to install your flooring as quickly and easily as possible, then reclaiming an existing hardwood floor is ideal.
If you want to save money on a custom floor, repurposing existing wood is the ideal option. Since wooden siding or other types of wood are often less processed than hardwood flooring planks, they don’t cost as much to buy. The caveat, of course, is that you must have them processed into flooring planks.
New Floors
The elements that distress wood are known. Moisture causes wood to swell and shrink. Certain tannins and other chemicals can peel paint and stain the wood. The list of distressing factors goes on. That means that they can be replicated by a company who wants to sell hardwood planks. These planks will oftentimes cost less than authentic reclaimed wood. In fact, many of them cost the exact same as a plank that has not been distressed. You can often save money this way. Furthermore, you’ll have a much wider variety of options.
For example, if you are looking for reclaimed wood from old cabins, you’ll be limited by what was installed in cabins near you decades ago. That could mean that the wood or style you’re looking for simply isn’t available. If you buy them new from a hardwood company, though, you’ll have all of the options that a company can offer. Many of them will even distress hardwoods for you at your request.