Interesting Facts on the History of Hardwood Flooring
Wood flooring was first said to be a design element for an interior in France in the late 1600s.
However, back then only the richest people could afford solid wood floors, this was due to the fact they were hand crafted and extremely expensive.
In the 1700s and 1800sр planks were huge – 7 – 8″ thick, at around 8” long and 2-1/2″ or even 3-1/4″ wide. Some were 16’ long.
They had to be big back then, because subfloors were not thought of, and the planks had to be nailed to the joists.
Modern, machine crafted hardwood flooring was first seen in the 1880s, with the creation of a side matcher. This was the start of strip wood flooring.
In the 1920s the electric sander was invented, which meant hardwood floors could be easily leveled and sanded, which meant a wood floor installation service could install them more efficiently and with better quality. Previously, hardwood floors were scraped by hand by using scraper blades.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?