The popularity of Wide Plank hardwood floors is continuously growing and that’s for all the right reasons. They offer ingenious beauty, endless durability, and stability with no amount of frustration while installing them.

If sooner or later, you have planned to build your dream home or commercial property that looks just like the ones we often glance at in lifestyle magazines, wide plank wood floors are the best choice.

When it comes to transforming the aesthetic appeal and ambiance of any place, nothing can beat them. From a rustic, countryside-inspired charming home to an urbane and posh property, wide plank floors are capable of designing everything.

However, we know choosing the right Wide Plank Hardwood flooring can be perplexing for you with plenty of options available in the market. We thought to help you decide with this comprehensive guide. As experts in hardwood flooring, we know all the major aspects of wood plank flooring and what it takes to buy the finest type of wide wood plank flooring.

So, rely on us and walk through all the facts and facets of wood plank flooring to make the best choice.

Here, we will be exploring the indispensable factors to consider for selecting a wide plank hardwood floor for your space that aligns with your design, lifestyle, and budget preferences. Take a look!

What Are Wide Wooden Plank Flooring?

As per our experts, “Wide plank flooring typically refers to solid hardwood flooring made in planks whose width varies from 2 and ½ inches to 4 inches” These planks or wood boards make up a huge majority of the wood flooring market.

The wood plank floors are quite vintage, used since the early 1700s, and were typically hand-scraped and rough-hewed. They were sawn to an approximate size and then scraped by hand to reduce the roughness. That gives the wider large plank flooring an attractive and crude texture that is hard to find in today’s finished wood planks.

In present times, wood planks have the same beauty but with a smooth and polished texture that makes them ideal for a modern living space or commercial facility. The best wide plank flooring types are today available as reclaimed wood boards.

However, many manufacturers produce new varieties of wood planks while giving them the vintage and hand-sewn texture mechanically to leave the impression of the traditional wood boards.

No prizes for guessing that the price of wood flooring with wide planks will vary with the width of the planks. The wider and longer the planks, the more expensive they are.

5 Reasons Investing In Wide Plank Hardwood Flooring Is Worthy

Hardwoods are no doubt expensive and that makes the prices of wide plank flooring options higher. But there are many reasons rather than benefits that make wide plank wood floors a trend today.

So, in case you are wondering whether to invest in wide plank hardwood floors for your home, we will tell you why you should go for it.

1. Comes with fewer seams

The wide plank wood flooring has fewer seams, which gives them a more natural appearance. Fewer seams mean fewer interruptions in the natural wood floor surface, which tricks anyone to believe that the room looks wider and more spacious. It is for this reason wide plank hardwood flooring is a popular choice for storefronts or supermarkets as it makes them look roomy for the customers.

Also, due to the fewer seams, you get a much better view of the vertical grains of the hardwood floor, which enhances its aesthetic appeal and beauty.

2. Extremely easy to install

A single wide plank wood floor takes up the place of two or more narrow wood boards, meaning that it takes much less time for the hardwood floor installers to lay the floor of a room. They just have to take care to install the planks in a perfect alignment along the walls and saw the planks wherever required to maintain the alignment.

Regardless of how larger the rooms are, you can get the floors installed in no time with fewer planks while saving labor costs and other installation expenses.

3. Raises the property value

Due to their ever-growing popularity and expensiveness, wide plank flooring options tend to raise the property value of the house or commercial when it is put for sale.

Thus, building your property with natural wide plank wood flooring will make it a good investment with excellent ROI in the long run. Also, wide plank solid wood flooring adds both space and dimensions and so, you can justify the higher resale prices of your property.

4. Goes well with the rustic decor

Since the wide planks for hardwood floors have a vintage and classic look, they complement well the rustic home decor. The floor appears visually appealing due to its natural grain and hand-sewn texture.

In other words, the planks look a little chaotic due to the imperfections present on them that give the floors an unconventional and aesthetically-appealing look. In combination with rustic home decor, it can make your property look extraordinarily good with a touch of nature.

5. Available in extensive varieties

A notable advantage of wide and big plank wood flooring is that you can choose from countless types or varieties, available in different shades, finishes, and compositions. You can get planks for any particular hardwood species of your choice.

Also, you can make your floors look just the way you want! There are endless possibilities for wooden plank layout patterns and you can use the one that suits your room’s dimensions and decor.

Factors To Evaluate While Choosing Wide Plank Hardwood Flooring

Wide hardwood floors are known for their incredible beauty and vintage style. With wide varieties of floor wood planks available, it’s easy to find an appropriate one to give a desired look to your property. But, how do you know that a wide plank hardwood flooring option is the appropriate one for your property?

Our wide hardwood flooring experts explored here some preeminent aspects of the wide planks that will help you make a decision.

Keep these essential factors in mind before you began looking for wooden floor planks.

1. Size of your property

The first preliminary step to choosing wide plank flooring is estimating the size of your property or the square footage of the area that you want to cover with the wooden planks. This is easy if you are well aware of the dimensions of your rooms, halls, and living areas. However, don’t forget to extend the measurements by 10%-15% based on the shape of your rooms to leave space for adjustments in the planks while installing them.

Knowing the square footage area of your property is also necessary to let your hardwood supplier find out whether they have sufficient material to meet your requirements. In case they find that they don’t have enough hardwood in the inventory, they will source it immediately to start processing your order as fast as possible.

Also, make sure that your property’s conditions, especially temperature and humidity are appropriate for wide wood plank flooring.

Wood swells and expands in summer while contracts during winter widening the gaps between the planks.

Thus, the type of planks chosen matters as wide planks of solid wood shrinks or expands much less than engineered wood wide planks. Given this, it can be said that an American Cherry wood floor is a better choice than Red Oak or White Oak floors.

2. Wood species

If you have made up your mind to invest in wide wood plank floors, then be prepared to dig into the market and research the common wood species available. It is essential to learn about the specialties of different species and learn wide plank flooring and which wood best fits your needs.

No one wants to spend their hard-earned money on wood with a distressed look. That’s why most households and commercial property builders tend to go with a harder species that won’t wear away quickly. Some of such high-grade hardwood species are ash, sugar maple, white oak, cherry, and hickory which rank higher i.e., above 1300 on the JANKA hardness scale.

Naturally, these hardwood species are costly for being extremely durable, and hence, getting planks of these can be a bit expensive. If you are looking for more affordable species, be ready to compromise on their durability.

Some of the less expensive quality wood species that you can also choose for your wood plank floors are American walnut, teak, cedar, and red maple. All of them have a JANKA ranking of 1000 or below. We recommend using wide planks of these wood species for floors of residences as they are perfect for moderate to low-traffic areas.

3. Grain patterns

Before making the final choice, don’t forget to examine the grain patterns, the most attractive feature of the hardwood, which gives it an artistic characteristic. But how to know which grain pattern in wide plank hardwood flooring is ideal for your property?

The grain pattern is a visual feature of the wood, which pattern of the wood fibers that grew as the tree matures with age. As a result, when the tree is cut, the fibers show a darker or lighter pattern, commonly known as ‘grain’.

As expert wide hardwood floor installers, architects, and enthusiasts, we have come across several grain patterns, which include:

Straight pattern- where the wood fibers continuously run in a straight line along the sawn piece of the logs.

• Spiral- where the wood fibers twist as the tree grows, and hence, they reveal a spiral pattern.
• Irregular- where the wood fibers run here and there, in different directions, and also form knots.
• Wavy- where the wood fibers change directions continuously giving the pattern of waves.
• Interlocked- where the wood fibers run in a spiral pattern but they align in opposite directions that give them an extraordinary look when sawn.

With distinct grain patterns available in every type of wood, determining a pattern that suits your flooring requirement isn’t easy. Therefore, you need to ask yourself a few questions- “Is the grain texture porous?”, “Is the wood plain sawn, rift sawn, or quarter sawn?”, and “Is the pattern knotty, wavy, or straight?”.

Woods having straight grain aren’t just easy to work on but also ensure the durability and consistency of the wide planks.

Contrary to this, wood with asymmetrical and interlocking grain pattern are easily prone to wear and tear and need more care and time when installed. Apart from these, we suggest you choose a grain pattern that looks good and will give your property the look that you desire!

4. Finish and stain options

Do you need prefinished or unfinished wood floor planks for your project? This typically depends on your needs. Firstly, it depends on the type of your project and convenience. Finishing the wood floors on-site comes with a cost, i.e., the fees for hiring professional hardwood floor experts.

Additionally, there is an inconvenience factor if your residence or commercial space is on a high-rise building. On the other hand, prefinished wood flooring planks also factory-finished large wood planks have upfront costs, which make them expensive.

While some individuals have a preference for on-site finished floors because they offer a smooth, square edge without any bevel, some prefer prefinished floors as they have a slightly beveled edge along the sides of the lengthy planks.

So, with these two main options available, which one you are going to choose? Well, there’s a trade-off for each of the options. Pre-finished floors mean quicker, easier, and more seamless installation. But, it also means you will have limited or no control over the final layout and look of your floors.

On the other hand, site-finished wood floor planks provide you with greater control over the look and appearance of the floor. It preserves the novel and rustic texture of the wood and also costs less. The trade-off in this is that you have to get the wood floor planks finished on the site with the help of professionals, which is messier and time-consuming.

5. Color and tone selection

Needless to say, the color and tone of your wide plank hardwood flooring must match your existing home decor and the aesthetics of your home. This includes the color of your bed, sofa, cabinet, appliances, furniture, rugs, doors, and windows.

While many might consider exact color match ideal for homes or commercial spaces because that brings parity in the ambiance of the space.

However, that concept isn’t what we recommend because it makes the space aesthetically boring and simple. Thus, opt for complementary shades that will make your space look strikingly interesting instead of identical.

Given this, if you have cabinets and furniture of light brown shades, you would tend to choose dark brown plank wood floors that are in perfect contrast with them. The same logic goes for countertops, wall decors, and other furniture.

Tone selection of the wood planks for flooring is also a critical step because darker and lighter shades have different visual impacts. Dark wood flooring tends to make a room look smaller while light-colored wood flooring makes it look spacious. So, if you have a smaller room, using a darker hardwood wide plank flooring will be a miserable choice!

We also suggest you consider your lifestyle before choosing a wood color. Are you an artistic person? If so, choose pastoral or darker shades that give a mystic feel to the floors. Moreover, if you are a clean freak and like to keep your floors shiny and pristine all the time, never choose light-colored wooden planks but go for darker and rustic shades.

6. Installation methods

To have the best wide plank wood flooring for your dream space, learn about the key installation methods used for plank wood flooring. Once you know all the methods, you can determine which one to use for your home or commercial space depending on the type of wide plank hardwood flooring you have chosen and the subfloor on which the planks will be fitted.

The most common wood planks installation methods that we use as experts are:

Floating: In this method, the planks are laid on the subfloor and fixed onto one another instead of the subfloor. This is the easiest of all methods and is generally, suitable for all types of floor designs.

• Glue fixing: As the name suggests, the wooden planks are glued down to the subfloor using a suitable strong adhesive. We recommend using an adhesive that is solvent free and specifically designed to ensure long-lasting adhesiveness.
• Nail-down: In this method, nails are used to fix the wooden planks to the subfloor but they are not visible. The nails are put at a calculative angle through the tongue of a plank and tactfully covered by the next board.
• Staple down: It’s simpler than the nail-down method where staples were used instead of nails to attach the flooring wood planks to the subfloor.

Of all, which one to choose for installing your hardwood floors is indeed a challenging part! As it depends on type of the hardwood you are installing and the subfloor, here is our suggestions.

For solid hardwood flooring, if it is:

• Concrete subfloor- Glue fixing
• Plywood subfloor- Nail fixing
• Joists subfloor- Nail fixing
• Chipboard subfloor- Glue fixing

For engineered hardwood flooring, if it is:

• Concrete subfloor- Glue fixing or floating
• Plywood subfloor- Nail fixing or floating
• Joists subfloor- Nail fixing
• Chipboard subfloor- Glue fixing or floating

Nevertheless, you do not have to worry about hardwood flooring installation methods if you have hired professionals for your home or property. They will prepare the subfloor and meet the site requirements to ensure failsafe installation.

Considering this, choose a wide plank hardwood flooring type according to your existing subfloor and the installation method that goes with it.

7. Durability

When choosing hardwood wood floor planks, durability must be one of your top considerations. Who does not want their hardwood floors to last for the longest time to ensure maximum ROI? We bet everyone!

Keep durability in mind, what you need to consider is the Janka rating or score of the different hardwood species, and select the one with a higher rating. It measures the hardiness of the wood species and hence, their durability.

Each of the wood species is given a rating or score after testing their resistance to denting, beating, and wear and tear. The higher the rating, the more durable it is. So, your next question is definitely what Janka rating is good for your wood floor planks.

Well, there is a general rule of thumb in determining that. The hardwood species with more than a Janka rating of 1000 are considered ideal for your floors, such as teak, black walnut, and red oak.

However, if you want the hardest wood planks for your floors because it’s a commercial facility or office space that gets higher foot traffic every day and is susceptible to more wear, then choose any wood with a Janka rating of 1300 or more. Hickory, ash, maple, and white oak are a few examples of hardwood with superior Janka ratings.

7. Maintenance

Maintaining the wide and thick plank wood flooring is quite similar to any wooden flooring. Spills should be immediately wiped away, and the plank wood floors should never be cleaned with water. Also, we recommend using a damp duster and specific hardwood floor cleaner for ensuring the sheen and smoothness of the floor surfaces. So, while choosing the thickness of the floorboard for your new construction, get the ones that offer ease of maintenance. But, how to know which wood planks are easy to maintain?

After working on hardwood floor installation for years, we discovered that maintenance of solid hardwood floors is more difficult than engineered wood floors. The reason is simple. Solid hardwood is prone to moisture absorption, which results in the expansion or contraction of the planks. As a result, they need frequent sanding and staining with a proper coating to ensure they last as long as they are expected.

On the other hand, engineered hardwood floors are resistant to moisture due to the artificial backing provided to them with layers of plywood. The wood and plywood together make the engineered wood a synthetic composition that does not warp due to moisture or humidity changes. Thus, it needs less frequent sanding or finishing, which saves up your costs for maintenance.

8. Budget considerations

Not least of all, the budget should be a prime concern when deciding the right wide plank hardwood flooring for your home or commercial place. Wide planks are always costlier to buy and install than narrower planks of wood. It is due to the difficulty faced in sourcing them.

The wide planks are made from the trunks of old-growth trees, which are naturally more valuable. Milling wider planks means each tree gives fewer planks. So, more old trees are required for manufacturing wider planks, which is a prime reason they are expensive.

Wider planks are made from trees of old-growth forests, which are generally under preservation laws. That’s why the availability of wider planks is highly limited, resulting in a continuous rise in their prices.

Generally, wide plank wood floors cost between $4.50 and $18 per square foot. The cost depends on key factors, including wood species, color and grain pattern, width, thickness, geographic location, and cost of labor.

So, when comes to picking the right wide plank hardwood flooring for your residence or business space, consider your overall budget and measure the total square feet you need to cover with the wide plank wood flooring. Accordingly, you will know which type of wide wooden flooring you can afford.

Popular Wide Plank Hardwood Flooring Styles

Wide plank wood floors are a timeless option for enhancing the beauty and style of any space. The wider and longer planks used in the flooring bring a different sense of luxury and sophistication to homes and commercial facilities, which is the main reason for their growing popularity.

You might be aware of the best hardwood flooring types in one of our previous blogs. However, look here at some trendiest wide plank hardwood flooring styles that you can consider for your new property construction.

1. Hand-scraped

It is the most commonly available and preferable wide plank flooring. It is made by scraping the planks with a hand to give them a natural irregular texture. However, nowadays, a similar effect is created with machine-scraping, which makes the process more economical. Scraped wide plank flooring is great for high-traffic areas, especially with pets as the rough texture hides all the scratches.

2. Wire-brushed

This wide plank flooring style is created with a brushing process to scrape the softer grains of the wood boards. This leaves the harder grain and knots on the wood boards and makes them well prominent. Since this method highlights the texture and adds a weathered and rustic appearance to the planks, these are ideal for building artistic spaces.

3. Saw-cut

In the wire-brushed hardwood planks, the additional texture is provided which looks like saw-cuts to give the planks a distressing look. The saw-cuts are provided using a machine in the mills. Doing so adds random lines across the grains of the wood, which creates a rustic appearance to the planks. This is considered one of the popular types of wood plank flooring because it hides wear and tear or scratches, which makes them more long-lasting.

4. Rustic and distressed:

This type of wide plank hardwood flooring defines the natural characteristics and texture of the weathered wood. It is known for its age-worn beauty and retains the knots, grain patterns, and stains that add a touch of nature to any space. Rustic and reclaimed wide planks are available in a wide variety of hardwood species, including oak, walnut, hickory, and cherry.

Best Wide Plank Hardwood Flooring To Buy For Your Dream Space

While considering the above factors will help you pick the best wide plank flooring, here are some premium wood flooring options that we offer at European Flooring. Have a look.

1. Amantea

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It is one of the finest collections of wood flooring we have got! Its wide planks are extracted from European White Oak, which is a solid and mature hardwood and ensures extreme strength of the floors.

This flooring type is handcrafted by artisans according to Legno Bastone’s specifications. Later, custom fabrication is done by Legno Bastone in European mills by highly experienced local craftsmen to give the texture, groove, and an appealing finish. This flooring has a Baltic Birch substrate which ensures moisture resistance in the flooring along with better dimensional stability.

Its superior soft tone and natural beauty add elegance to any space along with assuring exceptional quality and durability. Its wide plank can be fully customized to give perfect interiors whether you are looking forward to creating a rustic, vintage, or modern space.

Specifications:

• 260mm width (10.25”)
• 20mm thickness (3/4”)
• 6mm wear layer
• Minimum of 75% full-length boards of 1950mm or more
• Glue-down, floating, or nail-down installation methods required
• UV-cured all-natural hard-wax oil finish
• Baltic Birch substrate
• Radiant heating factor
• Micro bevel on side edges and square edges at the head end
• No formaldehyde-100% natural product

Color: Extremely light brown with tints of grey.

Character: Straight grain pattern with swirls in between.

Durability: Janka rating of 1360, which makes Amantea a highly durable wood flooring type.

2. Vienna Oak Flooring

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Our Vienna oak flooring defines luxury and class. Manufactured from solid old-growth oak trees, they add timeless beauty to any space. You can feel the depth of its texture in the first look and that proves the incredible craftsmanship of European artisans.

The wide planks are carefully crafted with attention to fine detailing. This falls under the exquisite variety of hardwood flooring for its unique grain pattern and characteristic hues that add a natural charm and warmth to any space.
Ingenious Vienna oak flooring is capable of creating a visual experience that anyone desires in their dream space.

The planks are hand-scraped and wire-brushed by European craftsmen to give them a novel, rustic, and antique appearance. From light and warmer tones to dark brown hues, you can choose from a wide variety of color options to match your interiors. Apart from its unmatched beauty, it is also the finest option we have got in terms of stability, durability, and versatility. Among your vast collections, this one is a remarkable option to embrace for any space.

Specifications:

• 260mm width (10.25”)-in stock
• 20mm thickness (3/4”)
• 6mm wear layer
• Lightly brushed or shaved
• 100% European variety
• UV-Cured all-natural hard-wax oil finish
• Minimum of 75% full-length boards of 1950mm or more
• Glue-down, floating, or nail-down installation method

Color: Light brown with shades of darker brown and grey in between.

Character: Straight and rough grain patterns with swirls and knots in between.

Durability: Janka rating of 1360 makes Vienna oak flooring remarkably durable.

3. Lagos

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We thought to include this in our category of best wide plank hardwood flooring because of its rustic texture, consistent smooth finish, and extraordinary beauty. Its beauty comes from the darker undertones with perfectly contrasting lighter tones surrounding them. With its intrinsic appearance, Lagos can provide a rich and posh look to any space, be it a residence or a commercial facility.

Lagos is handcrafted from the European white oak variety to give a weathered grain pattern along with steady straight lines and knots. We prefer the dark grey tone of Lagos for urban houses that goes brilliantly with white furniture, cabinetry, and countertop. The majestic and smooth finish retains the natural look of the Lagos that will last for years, resist scratches and wear, and eliminate the costs required for frequent refinishing and replacing the wide planks.

Specifications:

• 260mm width (10.25”)-in stock
• 20mm thickness (3/4”)
• 6mm wear layer
• 100% natural European oak
• Lightly brushed or shaved
• UV-cured all-natural hard-wax oil finish
• Minimum of 75% full-length boards of 1950mm or more
• Glue-down, floating, or nail-down installation method
• Baltic Birch substrate

Color: Dark grey with slight patches of light brown.

Character: Rough grain pattern along with consistent straight lines and knots.
Durability: Veinna oak flooring has a Janka rating of 1360, which ensures enough hardiness and resilience.

4. Noce

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This wide plank hardwood flooring is hand-crafted from the Black Walnut species and is one of our precious collections! It is near to perfect flooring that everyone dreams of and is capable of giving your interiors a mesmerizing look. It’s neither matte nor shiny, which makes it the most unique of all. Noce flooring is available in darker shades contrasting with a few planks of lighter tone to bring in a balance in the rooms.

This wood flooring is well-recognized for its unique grain patterns that are preferred by designers worldwide. It has a winding circular grain pattern that forms eye-like knots. Parallel to the winding patterns, there run straight lines in perfect coordination, which makes the floors look consistent throughout the surface. It is a timeless hardwood flooring type that is sure to grow in popularity in the years to come.

Specifications:

• 220mm width (8.66”)-in stock
• 20mm thickness (3/4”)
• 6mm wear layer
• Minimum of 75% full-length boards of 1950mm or more
• Glue-down, floating, or nail-down installation methods required
• UV-cured all-natural hard-wax oil finish
• Baltic Birch substrate
• Radiant heating factor
• ü Micro bevel on side edges and square edges at the head ends

Color: Dark brown with slight patches of light brown.

Character: Evenly circular grain pattern along with consistent straight patterns and eye-like knots.

Durability: Noce has a Janka rating of 1360, which makes it a highly durable wide plank flooring option.

5. Franchino Classic

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If you have an artistic bend for everything and want your floors to reflect that, then this priceless variety of European white oak flooring, Franchino Classic is just for you. Its wide planks come in an extremely soothing light brown shade with fine details.

This is suitable for creating sophisticated places, be it homes or commercial spaces. The planks are meticulously hand-crafted by trained European artisans to produce distinctive grain patterns that make this hardwood flooring suitable for both traditional and modern living spaces.

The Franchino Classic is also a rare hardwood flooring type that suits perfectly in spacious as well as small compact spaces. To retain its elegant and original appearance, it is provided with a transparent finish. You can see its authentic beauty shine through and radiate in your space once installed. This is perfect for hall areas, common entrances, lobbies, and storefronts as it makes the place look stylish and leaves visitors captivated.

• Width– 180mm and 200mm
• Thickness– 13mm
• Length–Minimum of 75% full-length boards, 1950mm or even more, although it depends on availability.
• Wear Layer– 4 mm
• Substrate– FSC Certified 7 Ply Baltic Birch
• Moisture resistance and greater dimensional stability.
• Allows radiant heating

Color: Light brown with nutty hues in between.

Character: Weather appearance and consistently straight grain pattern with circular patterns running in between to form knots.

Durability: It has the Janka Rating of 1360, which makes us count it among the highly durable hardwood flooring category.

Professional vs. DIY Installation: Which One To Go For?

Whether installing the wide plank hardwood floors by themselves or hiring professionals is better? – It’s a never-ending dilemma for homeowners or property owners when their project is on the way!

DIY method of hardwood floor installation is cheaper and may be a fun experience but it does not guarantee foolproof installation of the planks. Also, flooring is a foundational characteristic of your home or commercial property, which needs to be as sound and strong as possible for everlasting longevity.

To help in your decision, two factors that you should consider.

1. Cost of Installing Wideplank hardwood flooring

Of course, doing it yourself will cost you much less than hiring trained hardwood floor installers for your project. However, without proper expertise, you might get stuck anywhere in the process or unknowingly make some mistakes that will need professionals to fix. So, there’s a hidden cost associated with the DIY method.

There are no such costs when you are hiring specialists for installing wide plank hardwood flooring. Needless to say, make your decision depending on your budget.

2. Skill level Required

The DIY method provides you with the opportunity to utilize your valuable constructional skills. However, at the same time, the floors of your dream home or commercial property are not something you want to be imperfect or flimsy.

Have you installed wide planks of any type of hardwood floors before? Do you have any expert helping hand in your family or friend group? Whether you are going to install solid hardwood or engineered wood planks? Installing the engineered wood is easier! Evaluate your skill set in every way before deciding whether you should do it yourself or need professionals.

Does Wide Plank Flooring Offer Lots of Choices?

An added benefit of choosing wide plank hardwood flooring for your space is that there are endless options to choose from. From less durable wood species like teak, black walnut, and white ash to sturdiest species like hickory and cherry, planks are available for almost any type of wood.

If the cost is not a major concern for you, then you can choose to wide plank of reclaimed wood and exotic wood species like Acacia and Santos Mahogany.

What Is Reclaimed Wood Flooring?

Wide plank wood floors mostly come from reclaimed wood because they need vast-sized trees to produce the required number of wide planks demanded by the industry. That’s why the destructed, decayed, and unused old-growth trees are reclaimed to create the wide planks and hence the name!

Wood from old barns, factory beams, and sunken trunks are salvaged for the purpose. The trees that fell off by storms or were removed because of deforestation during urban expansion are today increasingly utilized for making wide planks.

What Are Exotic Wood Flooring Types?

Typically, the woods that are not domestically available in the USA and are sourced from distant tropical regions around the world are considered exotic wood species. To name a few, Rosewood, Purple Heart, Brazilian Cherry, Brazilian Walnut, Tigerwood, Acacia, and Australian Cypress.

The exotic wood flooring types are the ones that are made from reclaimed wood and offer a striking pattern and texture, in rare shades. Even, many of the reclaimed flooring planks of wood from exotic species are taken down from old buildings.

Exotic wide plank hardwood flooring is a premium choice today that adds a touch of luxury to any home or commercial property. Exotic wood flooring planks not only ensure higher durability due to their extreme hardiness but also make your space distinctly appealing with their timeless beauty.

When it comes to choosing the wide planks of exotic and domestic wood species, of course, exotic ones are better than domestic species because of their superior hardiness and density. However, availability is a big issue for exotic species, which makes them a lot pricey. Also, you may not find planks of all sizes and widths due to their limited availability.

Hand-scrapped & Distressed Wood Flooring: What’s Unique About Them?

While choosing from a variety of wide plank wood floors, you may come across hand-scrapped and distressed wood planks. Both types of wide wood planks are great choices for homeowners or property owners who want to specifically add an antique and rustic feel to their spaces.

These wood flooring planks are mechanically made in the mill to look hand-scrapped or distressed to give them the weathered look of older wood. They are truly capable of uplifting the aesthetics of the interiors with their character-filled and aged appearance.

Hand-scrapped hardwood flooring is created by distressing or scraping the surfaces of the planks by hand. Needless to say, skilled craftsmen are required for making this type of wide plank hardwood flooring. They use specific hand tools for creating different impressions while scraping, such as dents, spirals, and grooves. The process gives the planks an ancient and worn-out appearance and makes the floors look artistic and ingenious.

Distressed hardwood flooring types are replicated forms of reclaimed wood or antique wood. The woods are manufactured through many mechanical procedures to cause them to age artificially and give a distressed look.

These include scraping, wire brushing, adding nail holes, and creating saw marks. Many manufacturers of distressed wood even use chemical treatment procedures to fabricate the distressed impression on the wood planks. The result of all the processes is large wood flooring that appears traditional and used for ages.

Finished or Unfinished: Which One To Choose For Your Hardwood Flooring?

The wide plank hardwood flooring types are available in finished as well as unfinished versions. The one you should choose for your project is fully a matter of choice. If you don’t want to face any hassle of finishing your floors on-site by yourself or hiring professionals, then definitely go for the finished wood plank floors! On the other hand, choose unfinished wide plank flooring if you prefer to apply a particular finish to your floors or want to finish them later.

Both choices come with a set of pros and cons.

Finished hardwood flooring-

Pros:

• Adds to the durability of the floors.
• Saves costs.
• Avoids the mess of applying finish on-site, such as the release of smell and vapor.
• Prevents the color of the wood to fade away.
• Resists scratches or dent marks.
• Can be used immediately.

Cons:

• Sanding, the process required before refinishing is laborious.
• Fixing a section of the floor becomes difficult as you need planks with the same color, pattern, and finish.

Unfinished hardwood flooring-

Pros

• Allows you to fully customize the floors catering to your needs.
• Let you add specific touches of borders, colors, inlays, or any other features to make floors more beautiful.
• Easy to resand and refinish.

Cons:

• Finishing the hardwood floors on-site is both time-consuming and laborious.
• Increases the costs of your hardwood floors.
• Leaves smell and vapors of VOC (Volatile organic compounds) after the finishing is complete.
• Becomes ready to be used only after the floors are dried, which may take up to a week.

Is It Possible To Control The Wood Movement?

If you are concerned about the warping of your wood flooring wide planks due to temperature and humidity fluctuations and want to control the wood movement, you can do it.

Here are some of the tips we can suggest to you.

1. Regulate the temperature and humidity of your place:

Try to minimize temperature fluctuations by controlling the air conditioning system during summer and winter. Similarly, the use of a humidification system in the coolers during summer or drier days will be helpful.

2. Choose an appropriate wood grain variation:

Wide planks of old-growth woods with compact and denser grain reduce the shrinking or expansion of the wood. Since they are extensively processed and dried, they won’t contract or expand easily. For this reason, we recommend you choose reclaimed woods over conventional/new-growth woods that did not develop denser grain.

Can You Consider Engineered Hardwood As A Reliable Alternative?

Engineered wood, which comprises a top layer of solid wood attached with several layers of plywood beneath it. It is usually as stable as natural hardwood but is less durable and resilient. Needless to say, engineered wood flooring is less expensive than natural hardwood flooring.

Engineered wood also moves with climatic changes! They shrink or swell minimally, ensuring less damage and replacements for your floors. For all these reasons, the use of engineered wood floor plank is being increasingly used today.

However, refinishing the engineered hardwood floors is a meticulous experience as you have to assess various factors of the existing floors. It also requires following a step-by-step process, which must be done by experts.

Get Premium Quality Wide Plank Hardwood Flooring!

With several varieties of wide plank wood flooring available, choosing the right one for your home or commercial space is undeniably challenging. From wood species and finishes to grain patterns, colors, and installation methods, it needs careful consideration of many vital factors! When you choose to install the best wide plank flooring by evaluating all these factors, it enhances the beauty, timelessness, durability, and value of your property.

To make an informed decision and get wide board hardwood flooring that perfectly caters to your requirements, take cues from this extensive guide by our experts. At European Flooring, we specialize in Legno Bastone wide plank hardwood flooring that ensures flawless fit in every residential and commercial space. You can also consult our hardwood flooring installation specialists, who have gathered sufficient knowledge of the different wood species and their respective characteristics over the years. With our superior expertise and knowledge, we ensure to get unmatched hardwood flooring installed in your dream home or commercial space.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Is wide plank hardwood more expensive?

Wide plank hardwood floors are more expensive than narrower planks because several reasons.

• They need larger and wider wood boards and hence, have higher material costs.
• Wide-plank floors are generally made from high-grade wood species with fewer knots to maintain a consistent appearance across the planks.
• They are manufactured using specialized milling equipment and processes and require additional craftsmanship, which raises their production costs.
• Wide plank wood floors are built from old-growth trees, which are not readily available.
• Installation of wide wood plank floors requires additional labor or work than the narrower planks, which includes proper subfloor preparation.
• They are aesthetically more appealing for their weathered look, distinct grain pattern, and texture, and reveal the natural beauty of the wood species.

Q2. Are wider planks better for flooring?

Any day, wider planks are better and suitable for wood flooring because of their ageless beauty, extended durability, stability, rustic style, and capability to make rooms look more spacious and airy.

Q3. Is wide plank flooring still in style?

Wide plank natural wood flooring is being used for ages and it is considered an unbeatable trend for its rustic character and capability to fit in both modern and traditional homes. It is still one of the top flooring options in the USA, which is not going to disappear.

Q4. What is the most popular wood floor width?

The standard or most popular width available for large plank wood flooring is 4-5 inches. You might wonder whether the width grows or will grow with time. The chances are rare because any width within this range fits effortlessly in any space.

The post How To Choose The Right Wide Plank Hardwood Flooring? appeared first on European Flooring.