Wire brushed hardwood flooring is a specialty option that’s popular with homeowners who want a rugged, worn and highly textured look and feel for their floor. The grain of a hardwood plank is created by the difference in density in the rings of the tree from which it is milled. When you look at a stump, which is a cross-section of a tree, you can see these rings easily. In a plank, the concentric circles are exposed at an angle, so they look more like curved or wavy lines.

Each season, a hardwood tree creates a ring of somewhat softer material and a harder ring of very dense material. The process of scouring the surface of each plank with a wire brush strips away a layer of the softer wood material, leaving the hardest wood exposed in slight ridges. This effect really brings out the grain. It also makes the planks slightly rougher, giving a little grip instead of a satin smooth finish.

Since there are many tiny grooves in the brushed flooring, it may not show incidental scratches as much as glossy, flat planks. On the other hand, these boards can’t necessarily be sanded and refinished in the same way as a traditional hardwood floor. Be sure to consult with our flooring specialists about how a wire brushed floor can be maintained to keep it looking old but beautiful over the long term.