How to Distress Hardwood Floors
Distressed hardwood floors come from years of use. The gauges and scratches give hardwood floors a warm lived-in character that many homeowners desire. Distressed hardwood floors have become an intricate part of design in creating the look of Old World, country and Southwestern themes in homes. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Electric sander
- Rough sandpaper
- Metal paint scraper
- Long metal chain
- Sponger
- Dustpan
- Broom
- Floor Buffer
Instructions
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1
Sand the entire floor with an electric sander. If you really want a distressed look, use rough sandpaper. Work the sander in several different directions to get a roughed-up look all over the floor.
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2
Using a sponge, apply water to the part of the floor that you intend to scrape. Only apply the water to a small area at a time. The wet wood will allow you to clearly see how much you are scraping from the wood. Use the metal paint scraper to scrape the hardwood floor in different areas around the room. Be sure not to use the same pattern or direction or it will look like you placed the scrapes on the floor on purpose. Remember, you want the floor to look as though it has decades of traffic on it. After you have finished scraping, sweep up the wood shavings with the broom and dustpan.
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3
Walk around the room while alternately dragging and hitting the floor with the long metal chain. Hit the floor with both short strokes and long strokes until you have the desired amount of marks on the floor. Use the paint scraper again to add long, deep scratches to the floor, working in different directions all over the room.
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4
Once you have achieved the desired amount of gauges and scratches, use a floor buffer to smooth out any hard edges and splinters that may have occurred during the distressing process. You may have to use the sander for any really sharp areas.
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Apply stain to the floor following the manufacturer's directions. Be sure to get the stain deep into the scratches and gauges. Then apply two coats of polyurethane sealer to the entire floor.
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Tips & Warnings
Stand back periodically to look at your work to be sure that you are not creating a pattern on the floor. A pattern will interfere with the natural look of distressed wood that you are working to achieve.
Wear protective gloves and eyewear for this project.
Resources
- Photo Credit www.everystockphoto.com
