Wednesday 18 September 2013

The Beauty of Aged and Distressed Flooring

As the UK's leading wood flooring stockists to the trade, we at Wood Floors & Accessories find that aged and distressed flooring is a popular option. This is because it looks natural and warm and is also easy to maintain. Households and businesses alike often choose this type of flooring, which is especially suitable for anywhere which is heavily used. For instance, clients running a busy shop will find that an aged and distressed floor stands up to heavy footfall and any minor resulting flaws actually make it look better.

This style of flooring is an especially good choice for a traditional or older building such as a pub undergoing a renovation, and will go well with antique furniture. However, your customers will find that it can also create a striking contrast when teamed with more modern décor, for instance in a mainly white contemporary kitchen, or a shop selling the latest designer fashions. This type of wood finish will also go well with any type and shade of wallpaper or paint.

Wood Floors & Accessories' wide range of products supplied to the trade includes a wide choice of aged and distressed wood finishes, so we are bound to have a product which will suit your customers' requirements. Each piece of aged wood we supply has been tumbled and finished by hand.

Wood Flooring Stockists – click here to browse our range

History of Wooden Flooring

Wooden floors became popular with wealthier households from the 17th century onwards, and were stained, sanded, oiled and waxed to make them look good. This was highly labour-intensive and involved long hours for a lot of servants. Large amounts of hardwood were increasingly shipped to Britain from North America to meet the growing demand.

Rich Victorian households favoured parquet floors with the boards being cut and fitted for each house individually. Then, in the early 20th century, the arrival of tongue and groove flooring made it possible for those with more modest incomes to fit wooden floors too, as these boards could be laid directly on to concrete. With all these types of flooring, any minor damage or imperfections arising from use helped to make the wood look unique and to create a feeling of heritage.

Linoleum became popular from the 1920s and after the Second World War some people took up wooden floors and replaced them with carpets. However, since those days the beauty of wood flooring has been rediscovered, with the more recent arrival of engineered wood flooring adding to the options available for customers.

Reclaimed Flooring

Reclaimed wood has become increasingly popular over the years with households and businesses who want to re-create the feeling of an older floor. As wood flooring stockists, we sell reclaimed square pine boards and these are a great option if you have a customer who is looking for an unusual wooden floor with a character all of its own. Reclaimed flooring is also popular as a green option, in line with the increasing focus on recycling of all kinds to help the planet.

However, it isn't always possible to source reclaimed flooring which will suit your customers' exact requirements. Choosing from our range of aged and distressed flooring offers a far wider range of options and means your customers can select just the type of wood they are looking for.

Aged and Distressed Flooring

WFA's Centurywood range includes several different types of oak, ranging from distressed oak white oiled for a light finish to wood which is natural oiled and smoked for a medium shade, or smoked and dark oiled to create a deeper shade. Your customers can choose from either solid wood or engineered wood options within this range. All WFA's Centurywood products are tumbled, meaning they are turned round in a large tumbling machine together with small items of metal, such as ball bearings and screws, in order to create an appearance of natural ageing. The wood is then hand-finished. 

Once you have laid a Centurywood floor, it will only need to be oiled at intervals of between one and two years, and will not need sanding, so your customers can be assured that this kind of floor will be hard-wearing and continue looking good. Tumbling is also available as an option for most of the other woods that we supply, together with a range of oils and stains. This means your customers can choose from a wide range of aged and distressed floors, not just different types of oak.

As leading wood flooring wholesalers and distributors to the trade, WFA not only sell the flooring itself but also everything that you need to install it and maintain its appearance in the future. We are Fein and Festool wholesalers and sell a full range of tools and machinery, as well as wood floor abrasives, accessories, polishes, oils and cleaning products. We are also Osmo, Blanchon and Bona stockists and distributors.

About Wood Floors & Accessories


We are wood flooring stockists serving trade customers throughout the UK, including those in London, Kent, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Middlesex and Essex. All in-stock items ordered before 1pm can be delivered the following day.

Aged and Distressed Flooring – click here for more details.