Engineered Wood Floor Styles

Instant Character, Right Out of the Box

Floors with these factory-made patinas have a vintage look that masks dents and dings.

Hand scraped: Workers use planes to shave random ripples into smooth planks, approximating the appearance and craftsmanship of hand-tooled colonial-era floors (shown).

Distressed: Mechanical drums fitted with chains, nuts, and wires roll over a board and crush the wood grain, imparting a time-worn feel. Some makers even add rectangular "Dutchman" patches, mimicking an old floor that's been repaired.

Wire Brushed: Rotating steel whiskers remove the softer wood from the surface, highlighting the pores in the grain. Mops can't reach dirt in these recesses, so use a vacuum instead. Just turn off its rotating beater bar.