The Timeless Craft of Hand-Scraped Timber: A Heritage Technique

Hand-scraped timber flooring is not merely a choice in flooring; it is a declaration of appreciation for artistry and individuality in an age where uniqueness is increasingly rare. This flooring option harks back to a time when each wooden plank was a canvas, meticulously crafted by the skilled hands of an artisan. Today, the tradition continues as each piece of timber is transformed through painstaking techniques that have been passed down through generations.

The Rarity and Uniqueness of Hand-Scraping

The rarity of hand-scraped timber lies in its labor-intensive creation process, which is completely reliant on human skill and precision. Unlike machine-made alternatives, where consistency and uniformity are the norms, hand-scraped wood is inherently unique. Each stroke of the artisan’s tool is guided by the natural grain and texture of the wood, ensuring that no two planks are ever the same.

Craftsmanship That Stands the Test of Time

The process begins with selecting the finest quality wood, chosen for its grain and potential to enhance through hand-finishing techniques. Artisans use traditional tools such as draw knives, which allow them to carve into the wood with an attention to detail that machines cannot replicate. As they work, the natural imperfections of the wood are embraced rather than shunned, celebrated as marks of authenticity.

This meticulous approach to creating hand-scraped timber flooring ensures that each finished plank is a piece of art. The subtle grooves, soft undulations, and rich textural variations are not merely seen but can be felt underfoot, offering a tactile experience that is as luxurious as it is visually striking.

 A Choice of Distinction

Choosing hand-scraped timber is a statement of style and an investment in rarity. It reflects a discerning taste for decor that values the aesthetic of the hand-made and the bespoke over the commonplace. For those who seek a home that tells a story, hand-scraped wood provides a narrative of artisanal heritage, detailed craftsmanship, and the beauty of natural imperfection.

At Vienna Woods, we understand the allure of this rare and artistic flooring option. We are committed to sourcing the finest hand-scraped timber, crafted by artisans who are masters of this ancient technique, to ensure that our customers receive a product that is not just durable and beautiful but truly one-of-a-kind.  Hand-scraped timber is a bespoke product and we will order it specifically to suite your requirements.  Learn more about the Vienna Woods Special Order program here.

See Floors with Texture

Sustainable and Compliant Oiled Timber Flooring in Whitford

This recently completed a project in Whitford, showcases a rich dark oak flooring, named Pina (after the infamous cocktail) finished with hard wax oil. This case study delves into the technical aspects, sustainability, and compliance features of this installation, which makes it a notable reference for architectural and interior design professionals.  Pina is an option from The Distilled Collection, a range of timber floor options produced in Europe from slow-grown, FSC-certified Lithuanian Oak, finished to the highest standard.  The Distilled Collection carries a number of subtle superiorities such as dense, hard-wearing oak, longer-than-usual board lengths and unique grain patterns.

Product Overview
The selected oak flooring for the Whitford project is treated with hard-wax oil, enhancing the natural beauty and durability of the wood. Hard wax oils penetrate the wood, providing robust protection against wear and moisture, while maintaining the wood’s breathability. This treatment ensures a longer lifespan and easier maintenance compared to traditional finishes.

Benefits of an Oiled Floor
An oiled floor can offer a number of benefits over alternatives, but the main considerations for the client were:

  1. Option to “tint” the colour of the floor through the oil maintenance process.  If a darker hue is desired, a tint can be added to the maintenance oil.
  2. The enhanced natural beauty.  People generally sense the look and feel of naturally oiled timber if given the option.
  3. Improved durability and longevity.  With the correct maintenance, oiled floors are known to last…. well…. centuries, however most alternative require a sanding and refinishing coat to extend the life.
  4. Eco-friendly and safe.  Hard wax oils are derived from plant oils and in this case the oil carries a zero VOC certification.

Read about the differences between oiled and lacquered floors here.

 

vienna_woods_maea

Compliance with E3 Building Standards
Contrary to common belief, oiled floors can comply with the E3 Building Standard, which focuses on interior moisture management and surface finishes. The Whitford project demonstrates that with the correct application and maintenance, oiled timber floors meet these standards effectively, offering an alternative to the more common lacquered finishes. The project used the Parabond Parquet 440 adhesive, which plays a crucial role in compliance by acting as a moisture vapour barrier when used with a suitable primer, even on damp substrates.

Technical Specifications of Parabond Parquet 440 Adhesive
Parabond Parquet 440 is a high-performance adhesive designed for wood floors, providing an excellent bond and flexibility that accommodates natural wood movement. Notable characteristics include:

  1. Composition: Solvent-free, isocyanate-free, and phthalate-free hybrid polymer.
  2. VOC Emissions: Rated EC1plus for very low emissions, ensuring indoor air quality and compliance with stringent environmental standards.
  3. Suitability as a Vapour Barrier: When applied correctly, it acts as an effective moisture barrier, crucial for installations over concrete or where moisture might be a concern.

Sustainability Considerations
Both the engineered oak flooring and the Parabond Parquet 440 adhesive contribute to the project’s sustainability profile:

  1. Engineered Oak Flooring: Features a no-added-formaldehyde construction and an FSC certification, ensuring the wood is sourced from responsibly managed forests.
  2. Parabond Parquet 440 Adhesive: Carries a zero VOC rating and does not contain any carcinogenic, mutagenic, or reprotoxic substances. It is compliant with GEV-EMICODE EC1 Plus, indicating the lowest possible emission levels.

The Whitford project by Vienna Woods exemplifies how sustainable practices can be seamlessly integrated with technical excellence in modern flooring installations. By using materials like the FSC-certified engineered oak and eco-friendly adhesives such as Parabond Parquet 440, Vienna Woods not only meets regulatory compliance but also addresses the growing demand for environmentally responsible building materials.

 

Images // Jo Currie

See the Complete Distilled Collection

CHÂTEAU RANGE

FINELY AGED FRENCH OAK FLOORING

Château is an exclusive range of wide French oak engineered floorboards, finely aged with a unique wood treatment that provides a very beautiful and luxurious appearance. The Château range is finished with a natural looking Supermatt lacquer.

The extra wide boards bring a special dynamic to your interior and a generous impression of spaciousness, luxury and drama.

Available in a rustic grade of oak with medium to large knot size. A feature of this product is colour and grain variation.

Herringbone and Chevron boards are also available in the same colours, with a 3 month lead time.

 

 

View the Château Range

Quiet Floors

CREATING FLOORING FOR LIVING

We’ve searched far and wide to source innovative, class-leading acoustic solutions for our customers. Solutions include advanced adhesive that provides superior acoustic performance over concrete and premium underlay from Germany.

Acoustic Adhesive

New generation MS hybrid polymer adhesives offer a superior acoustic performance.

Best results are achieved when using Parabond Parquet 480 as a combined moisture barrier & adhesive; the thicker layer of adhesive used to ensure moisture protection dries to a rubber-like consistency, providing excellent acoustic performance.

Parabond is made in Belgium and is imported exclusively by Vienna Woods.

Acoustic Underlay

For peak values in acoustic & load.

Thanks to the innovative TwinFoam™ technology, SELITPRO® 2.2 mm combines peak values in acoustic and loading capacity. This is reflected in an optimum walking noise and impact sound reduction as well as a reliable protection of the floor under load and in use, as well as falling objects.

The SELITPRO® 2.2 mm AquaStop is equipped with an AquaStop surface and optimally protects the floor against moisture with a sd-value ≥ 200 m.

We also stock 3mm Aquastop underlay.

SELITPRO® underlay is made in Germany and imported exclusively by Vienna Woods.

Mapecem CR

This 4mm thick cork/rubber underlay provides excellent acoustic performance and is an ideal solution when a high performing underlay is required.

We typically glue the underlay to the substrate and then glue the wood flooring directly to the underlay.

Perfect for apartments where a glued down wood floor is desired.

Using Complementing Woods on Walls, Ceilings and Cabinetry

The use of complementing woods on walls, ceilings and cabinetry is for the individualist who appreciates the beauty intrinsic to wood.

With Admonter’s range of wall cladding and panels, you can easily lift your interior to an inspiring level. You may choose to use either matching wood colours (the same as your Admonter natural wood floorboards), or complementing colours combined with unique textures to encourage an organic, natural ambience.

Panels: Natural wood panels from Admonter let you give full rein to your creativity in all manner of different situations, whether you chose a classic hardwood or reclaimed and aged wood panel, Admonter wood panels have earned a name for themselves.

Cladding: A range of wall elements are available such as Galleria or CUBE. These are interlocking engineered wood panels that work in a similar way to floorboards (installed in a random/brick pattern). This special range of cladding features textures and designs not possible to achieve with floorboards.

Admonter Galleria Reclaimed Wood H2 Hacked

Admonter Cube

Of course you may also use our floorboards on walls and ceilings and many of our clients choose to do so.

Latest Timber Flooring Trends

COLOUR TRENDS / AGED WOOD / TEXTURES / FINISHES

COLOURS

Almost anything goes these days in terms of fashionable wood flooring colours; here are some of the trends we’re seeing on a consistent basis:

Light beige or light brown colours with grey under tones are popular; also mid-brown/grey, especially in smoked oak which brings a unique depth of colour to the flooring. See Imperial Oak, or Empire Oak, for example.

Smoked Oak – Admonter Oak Seta

Colours suitable for a Scandi-inspired interior are still popular; such as off-whites, cream and natural tones without too much yellow. Oak Cashmere is a good example of a neutral ‘Natural’ tone.

Nordic Inspired – Oak Cashmere

Dark and moody flooring has definitely made a strong return. An example of this is Oak Moonlight which is an oiled finish featuring dark hues and an attractive aged appearance. See also, Oak Onyx if you love extra wide boards.

Dark & Moody – Oak Moonlight

Grey tones continue to be popular, as it works exceptionally well with most other decors and provides a sophisticated foundation to your interior. Popular grey colours include Oak Karkula, Oak Constance and Admonter Oak Grey.

Sophisticated Grey – Chateau Oak Constance

AGED WOOD

There are a range of methods used to age the wood; speciality wood stains that react with the tannin to subtly age the wood are very popular. See our Chateau or Raftwood Patina ranges for examples.

Other ways of aging the wood include scraping, planing, smoking, distressing, variable band saw such as the ‘used’ texture, or sourcing reclaimed wood.

Aged ‘Reactive Stain’ oak – Patina Old Barn

Subtle Aged Effect – Planed Oak Oeral

APPEALING TEXTURES

Texture brings an interesting, natural element to the interior.

Lengthwise brushing that subtly highlights the woodgrain will always be popular, however we’re seeing more demand for unique textures such as the ‘Used’ texture, which is a subtle variable bandsaw available in Oak Prairie, Oak Marshall or Oak Whisky.

Variable Bandsaw – Oak Prairie Used Texture

The Authentic texture from Admonter is a real head turner. The wood surface mimics the organic structure of the tree itself. Authentic is available in both oak and larch.

Oak Authentic

Alternatively, reclaimed wood such as Raftwood reclaimed Dutch railway sleeper oak flooring, features a very natural and distinctive texture.

Reclaimed Dutch Railway Sleeper Oak – Raftwod Patina The Brick

EXTRA NATURAL APPEARANCE

Every year we see new releases from our suppliers, in more and more natural finishes. The aim is to provide oil and lacquer finishes so natural that you cannot see any visible finish.

A great example is Oak Natura from Admonter which captures a raw wood optic.

The Admonter Natura finish is available in two options, Oak Natura and Oak Smoke Natura.

Admonter Oak Natura

Another popular, extremely natural looking wood floor is American Oak Pureline from ESTA Parket. This is finished with an invisible Supermatt lacquer.

American Oak Pureline