Special
Producers of distressing machines / brushes
DISTRESSING IN QUANTITY IS POSSIBLE, BUT ONLY BY MACHINE IMITATING OLD TECHNIQUES WITH MODERN MACHINES: GREAT! penetration by water. And so, colour distressing is a commonly used technique, often in combination with mechanical techniques (see below). Oak in particular can be treated in several ways so that it is perfectly suitable for taking on various guises. Apart from the classic treatments with lacquer, oil, wax (hard wax), or soap, oak lends itself to various special treatment techniques (e.g. thermal or chemical modification), prior treatment with colour stains, lye, white wash etc.
Mechanical distressing
Photo – Renzo Borgonovo/FNT Trabattoni Stampi
Obviously, it’s not only enthusiasts inspired by grandma who fall for the charms of antique floors. More and more project managers are opting for them because they believe these floors give added value to the interior which they have in mind. As well as those project managers, decision makers such as architects, interior architects, and designers have also discovered that nostalgic charm. Now that antique floors and floors produced from old wood are barely available, all those adherents have no other option but to accept floors which are aged artificially. And, believe me, the techniques used for that purpose most certainly achieve their goal.
Colour distressing Wooden floors can turn darker over the years under scores of influences. The way in which they have been protected and the regular maintenance (mainly with wax), the use of colours and stains, but also influences from damp, oxidation, fluctuations in temperature, dust, and dirt mean that wood turns darker over the years. When old wood is recovered, its former use also shows up. For instance, wood which was once used for old mooring posts turns darker after years of
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Most forms of colour distressing can be carried out on modern lacquering or oiling lines i.e. on a production line. To find out more about mechanical distressing machines, it is useful to have a brief outline of the distressing techniques themselves. Strictly speaking, with mechanical distressing we have two objectives in mind. We want to create the impression on the one hand that the floorboards have been produced using outdated techniques from 100 years ago (brushing and scraping), whilst on the other hand that floors have suffered from years of use (scouring, beating, and lashing).
Mechanical operations In view of the growing popularity of ‘distressed floors’, there’s a big need for mass production. It is essential to ensure there is no hint of a repetitive pattern in the applied damage. One solution for this is ‘constant distressing’ (source: Soest). Some machines can distress planks continually at high speed without leaving a repetitive pattern. The required sort of damage and depth are easy to set.
Beating or scourging By scourging and beating, we apply damage to the floor to give the impression either that the floor is worn out with use or the floorboards have been consumed by insects or micro-organisms. By making tiny holes, we imitate woodworm, something which often found in older (damp) houses on floors in pine or pitch pine. The principle is simple; the planks are put inside a drum which is full of bolts, nails, and such like. If we rotate the drum, the loose flying objects in the drum apply random damage to give the floor a distressed look. According to some people, the main drawback with ‘beating’ is that the process is cumbersome and time consuming and may cause unwanted damage to the tongue and groove. The rear side of the plank is also damaged and the corners are rounded off.
