To the untrained eye, the differences between salvaged, reclaimed, and distressed flooring is subtle. All three types of wood will give your home a distinct rustic feeling. But each type of wood achieves a different look. The process involved in giving new wood that old wood aesthetic is very different for these three types of wood.
Classic wood floors
Reclaimed wood is structurally sound wood saved from old buildings and structures set for demolition.
If you don’t want to wait for your new floors to age and get that beautiful patina that we associate with hardwood floors, there are ways to get this look from the get-go. Of course, with the popularity of the aged wood floors, there are a variety of wood flooring types that will accomplish this look. Here’s how you can spot the subtle differences between reclaimed, salvaged, and distressed flooring types.
Reclaimed wood
Salvaged wood is old wood that has never been used. It allows for a new floor look, without sourcing any new materials.
When old structures are torn down or abandoned, instead of destroying the entire structure with a wrecking ball, the wood flooring industry has found a way to minimize waste and reclaim structurally sound wood and repurpose it into beautiful hardwood floors. Because this wood is often decades – if not centuries – old, it comes with that aged charm and the unique patina that we’ve come to love about reclaimed hardwood floors. The antique lumber that is reclaimed from old structures often comes from old-growth lumber that isn’t harvested in the modern market.
Salvaged wood
At first glance, reclaimed and salvaged wood may seem like two ways to talk about the same thing. But salvaged wood is new wood that has been collecting dust in the back of warehouses and buildings. Often the wood is uncut, just waiting for a purpose. Salvaged wood will look newer than reclaimed wood because it has never been used before. Salvaged wood is a great way to get new floors, without sourcing new materials, giving it the same environmental benefits as reclaimed wood.
Distressed wood
Distressed floors are made from new wood that has been manipulated to take on the appearance of relcaimed wood floors.
Distressed wood is new wood that has been manipulated to look like reclaimed wood. The worn and weathered look of distressed wood is manufactured to look aged. Often times, distressed wood is a more economical option, and you can get distressed wood with various degrees of roughness and patina, depending on your style. Just be sure that you are getting hand-scraped distressed wood. When the wood is distressed by hand, you get a variance on each board giving your floors a more organic and natural look. If the wood is machine-scraped, each board is a carbon copy of the next and won’t give you that same aged wood charm as hand-scraped distressed wood.
For questions about types of hardwood flooring for your Colorado home or business, schedule a free consultation with a hardwood flooring expert at T&G Flooring in Denver.