From natural hardwood to clever lookalikes, the surface of your floor isn’t just a style choice, it’s also important when thinking about what’s best for your lifestyle in terms of dealing with accidental damage and everyday wear and tear.

To help you decide on which flooring texture is best for you, we’ve put them together so you’ve got everything you need to make the best choice.

Add a warming feel with a brushed surface

Brushed flooring is treated with a wire brush to create little grooves and scratches in the wood. It gives you a lovely textured finish, making the wood look as natural as possible. 

Made for homes who need that extra bit of warmth, brushed flooring is an all-time classic. The textured surface enhances the natural beauty of the wood and adds a rustic edge to the individual knots and grains buried within the top layer.

Like distressed flooring, small scratches and scuffs are a lot easier to hide with the floor having masses of texture. They’re either finished with an oil or lacquer, so you’re promised decades of durability. You can get brushed flooring in different tones ranging from light to dark, so you have the option to decorate your home how you want.

herringbone flooring with white table and wired chairs

Create an olde-worlde home with distressed oak

Distressed flooring means that the floors use a more rustic grade and the surface is made to look worn. This is done by adding big cracks, filler and big knots in the wood.

Admired in old homes and new, distressed flooring is still a popular choice thanks to its rustic appeal. It’s the perfect option for those who want to create the ‘worn look’ in their home while adding a vintage twist. It’s the perfect finish to enhance your home's original features like wooden beams or Victorian cornices.

It’ll look great in cottages and farmhouse interior styles! With distressed wood, you will often find larger knots, blemishes and imperfections as the wood has purposefully been made to look aged. The character of oak hardwood flooring will also hide scratches and scuffs caused by pet claws, kids and furniture, the perfect choice if you have a busy family and pets.

black and white themed kitchen with ditressed flooring

Go back in time with a hand-scraped finish

Hand-scaped flooring traditionally is a process still done by hand, but often the look is recreated by machinery in factories. Small notches, subtle bumps and ridges are added to make the wood look unique.

Is hand-scraped more expensive? If the wooden board has been hand-scraped by a craftsman, you should expect to pay more because there's been more time put into creating the distinctive look.

If vintage style is more your thing, consider hand-scraped flooring to add some character to your home. Hand-scraped flooring is exactly what it says on the tin, or in this case, board. The wooden board is sculpted by hand to give you that authentic look, often used on darker woods featuring coffee and chocolate tones for a rustic feel.

Trying to achieve an industrial look? A hand-scraped oak hardwood flooring will fit right in your home. Hand-scraped finishes help reflect light at different angles of the room, which helps hide scratches and scuffs. The raised texture will help stop major damage from happening too, as the oil or lacquer helps strengthen the top layer.

orange suede chair, plants, wooden bookshelf and hand-scraped wood floor

Feel sophisticated with a smooth surface

Smooth flooring is achieved by a lacquer or oil. If you love the matte look, choose lacquer for a flawless finish. But if you want something with a little shine, choose an oiled finish.

If it’s the modern look you’re looking for, then you need a smooth surface. If the less is more saying applies to your home style, a smooth and seamless floor will keep your space looking minimal and airy.

Featuring a flat surface, smooth surfaces will bring a timeless, yet contemporary feel to your home. You can have an oil or lacquer finish, but either one will look classic and sleek. It’s a popular choice for those who lead busy lifestyles as they hardly take any time to clean with no chance of dirt getting trapped in the grooves of the surface.

Did you know? Our customers with kids and pets prefer floors that have a texture because the raised grain can help disguise minor scratches caused by pets and toys.

Overall, if you're a parent or pet owner, you're best choosing a floor that can easily disguise scratches like brushed or distressed wood. If you love a modern look, choose smooth flooring for a timeless space. If money's not an issue, invest in some lovely hand-scraped oak hardwood flooring for a space to show off.

Which flooring surface do you prefer? If you have any wooden floors with a textured surface, we would love to see them! Make sure to tag us in your Instagram posts using #MyLuxuryfloor for a chance to be featured on our blog posts and social media!