Were wood floors always shiny and smooth? How was the wood cut and formed into planks? Was it always used in homes before the 19th century? When we think about historic interiors, we likely envision beautiful hardwood floors covered with oriental rugs, but this wasn’t always the case.
The first wood floors in America were much more durable than the wood of the same species today. The first wooden planks were thick cuts of heartwood that was extremely tight-grained. Since circular saws were yet to be invented, pit-sawing logs into planks was the most common method. The planks were finished with plain, square edges and face-nailed into the floor joists.
Even though the floorboards were installed right up against one another, changes in humidity and temperature often caused large gaps. This problem was fixed years later by planing the long edge of the plank so adjacent boards could be interlocked.
Decorative interiors didn’t become popular until the 18th century, when wood floors were first painted with shapes and patterns. Floors that weren’t painted were intended to be covered and this is where we get the idea of old floors covered with oriental rugs.
When did polished floors first start appearing? It wasn’t until the late 19th century where they began popping up in public rooms such as the living room and kitchen and then spread to bedrooms and other more private areas shortly after. With advancements in technology, the installation process became easier and we have more choices for hardwood flooring today than ever before.
Ready to refinish your current wood floors or have new ones installed? Contact the experts at Hall Flooring today! Labels: hall flooring, hardwood floor history, hardwood flooring fairfield, hardwood flooring long island, hardwood flooring queens, wood floor history
