Vintage anything is big news right now. Everything from clothing, to interiors and even food is getting the ‘vintage’ makeover. Adidas is jumping on the bandwagon with their Stan Smith Originals range and we’d defy anyone not to yearn for a vintage Rolex on their left arm (or right if they fancy J!). When it comes to interiors, things like tired and battered club chairs as well as an Eames Barcelona or butterfly can turn a simple room into a real style statement.
No matter whether you have a brick-walled loft, an ancient apartment or a new build, with a bit of thought and planning you can achieve the vintage interior look that’s occupying so much space in the likes of Elle Decoration and Living etc. If you look carefully at many of the images that are so appealing they’re often made up of simple white walls, a really stylish vintage floor and a few statement pieces.
If you’re re-looking a room or even a whole house or apartment so it has a vintage look, vintage oak flooring will provide you with the perfect backdrop. There are two options open to you when you’re sniffing out vintage oak flooring. The first is that you wait patiently for what you’re after appearing on the reclaimed wood flooring market and pay the ticket price that goes with it (which can often be incredibly high), or you can seek out a reclaimed or distressed look floor that will provide you with a completely convincing solution, with all the benefits of a new floor together with a very reasonable price tag.
Two of the most interesting options for new flooring that has a vintage look are Hand Distressed Oak Flooring and Reclaimed Look Oak flooring.
Hand distressed oak flooring is either solid or engineered oak boards that have been artificially aged to look like they have had years of use. Hand distressing flooring is an art and is best achieved by striking the wood randomly with chains, hammers, scrapers and basically anything that will cause the surface to become uneven, irregular and worn looking. This is what gives new flooring its charming, heritage and sought-after look.
The alternative to hand distressed oak flooring is an oak floor that has been distressed by machine. Distressing by machine often takes place by putting the wooden boards in a giant drum (a bit like a huge tumble dryer) with a range of sharp objects that will randomly cause damage to the floor boards as they turn in the machine. While this creates a nice uneven, convincing look there is no getting away from the fact that a hand distressed oak floor is generally a more authentic solution.
Waiting for your ideal vintage oak flooring to appear on the reclaimed flooring market is a bit hit and miss. You might be lucky and find something quickly and easily, allowing you to get on with your project, but if you’re unlucky it could take months and even years to find exactly what you’re looking for. This is why so many people now plump for reclaimed look oak flooring. With clever treatment and convincing colouring, even new oak floor can look as if it has stood the test of time.
The secret to sniffing out a convincing reclaimed look oak floor is to look for boards that have slight traces of wear and tear, particularly around the edges. While the surface of this type of board mightn’t look as ‘damaged’ as hand distressed oak flooring, the slightly chiseled edge you’ll typically find on the edge of a reclaimed look oak floor will add real charm and suggest that the floor has been well used in its lifetime.
When it comes to choosing the right vintage oak flooring for your project, as with all flooring projects, you need to think carefully about temperature and moisture fluctuations as well as whether or not you have under floor heating. Once more, this is where artificially ‘vintaged’ oak flooring comes into its own. Because new ‘vintage’ flooring comes in solid and engineered options, you are safe to fit this sort of flooring in kitchens and bathrooms as well as over under floor heating.
If you’re on the lookout for a vintage oak floor solution, but are struggling to find what you’re after, why not get in touch and let us help you?
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