Some Facts About The Making Of Vintage Flooring Materials

Vintage flooring is a niche trend usually followed by only a handful of people who can afford it. As the name suggests, vintage wood flooring can be quite an expensive affair. Another reason why vintage flooring is not seem more often is because they are not versatile enough to suit any and all kinds of interiorhome decor.

However, vintage flooring is extremely stylish and a pleasure to have in one’s home because of the elegance and the rustic charm it exudes. However, today with fusion designing ruling the fashion trends even in the field of architecture, today vintage flooring is being successfully used in older homes as well as contemporary ones.
Vintage flooring that is available in the market today is either:

• Some wood flooring which is actually extremely old or
• A new wood which has been subjected to a process of ageing to make it look like old wood.

Making new wood look old
Reclaimed wood is not easy to get and hence it is not able to cater to the demands of all the customers who have an exclusive desire to install vintage flooring in their homes. Hence in order to bridge this demand supply gap, new wood is made to look old using the following steps:

• Mechanical distressing: This involves different steps each of which is done to achieve a different look like:
  • Rough sawn or hewn look which is achieved by making abrasions on the surface of the wood using an old blade having fewer teeth,
  • Insect damage look can be created by driving an awl or a drill into the wood randomly,
  • Wear damage look requires the addition of nicks and scratches by using the tip of a chisel, scratching with an awl or beating a chain against the surface of the wood.
• Chemical weathering: An old wood bears natural signs of ageing like fading of colours; oils coming out of the wood making it dry etc. This process is known as chemical weathering. But in order to achieve an authentic old wood look, the steps taken involve:
  • Adding light grey which can be done by
    • filling up a bottle with vinegar,
    • putting in it pieces of steel wool and allowing it to sit for some time and
    • then spraying the contents onto the wood and allowing it to dry.
  • Adding dark grey can be done by spraying the wood with a solution of black tea followed by the vinegar and steel wool solution.
  • Variegation can be achieved by darkening random areas first with black tea solution and then with vinegar steel wool solution.
• Finishing: In order to bring about the perfect old wood look to a new wood, the addition of a build-up of natural dirt and oils become a must. This look can be achieved by applying a paste of light wax to the surface and topping it by adding a paste of dark wax randomly in places.

Since this perfectly achieves the vintage look, it is also time consuming compared to the making of a new natural hardwood. Thus it is also expensive and can only be afforded by the select few who have ample money to spend and also have an eye for exquisite and unique designs.