Wide Plank Wood Flooring: All You Need to Know in the United States
One of the most elegant types of flooring is wide plank wood flooring. When wide plank flooring is put into place, it is typically one of the first things somebody notices when walking into a room. In addition, it is a great way to catch the eye of the viewer as a focal point. Wide plank hardwood is, however, not only an excellent choice for its aesthetic potential, but it also offers a beautiful craftsmanship appeal.
Furthermore, wide plank flooring isn’t as common as standard strip flooring in the United States. But they are designed, created, installed, and finished with high dedication and craftsmanship. If you’re looking for hardwood floor suppliers, call Nature Wood Floors.
What is Wide Plank Hardwood?
First, let’s define what exactly “wide plank hardwood” is. Unlike 2 ¼” and 3 ¼” hardwood flooring, which is usually referred to as strip flooring, wide plank hardwood is typically considered 5” wide and above. While most professionals in the industry consider 4 inches to be a strip floor, many homeowners consider 4 inches to be a happy medium between a wide plank floor and a narrow floor.
However, wide plank hardwood comes in planks that are a lot wider. A lot of manufacturers will mill from six to ten inches. Many can mill the flooring as wide as one to two feet. Generally, for hardwood floor suppliers, anything wider than five inches is usually a special order custom-made to spec for each customer. If you’re looking to add something special to your home, ordering a wide plank hardwood floor is a great way to go. You can order such flooring from a wholesale hardwood flooring store.
Wide Plank Wood Flooring
Wide plank hardwood is a classic style that remains trendy. Think back to colonial America and the types of hardwood floors they had back then. They weren’t the same as the tongue and groove strip floors we use today. The planks that were used before were wide, thick planks that were cut from North America’s abundant old-growth forests. Due to the age of the trees in these forests, their diameters were massive.
The heartwood (which is the wood taken from the inner portion of the tree) was extremely tight-grained, which meant that the lumber back then was harder and more durable than the relatively immature wood of the same species that is harvested today. This is why some of those old hardwood floors, dating back to the early 18h century, still are in excellent condition in older colonial homes today.
Choosing to put a wide plank hardwood floor in your home can bring in a high-end/old-world feel. Moreover, wide plank wood can make a room feel and look more prominent. Regardless of how large a room may already be, the more seams that appear on the flooring, the busier the room will appear, which makes it appear smaller. Wider planks will have much fewer seams and leave a natural look, which allows you to appreciate the beauty of the actual wood and its graining instead of busy lines.
