Wide plank hardwood
floors are making an enormous comeback after
years and years of standard skinny
strip flooring popularity. For those that may
have much older colonial style homes or
converted farmhouses built in the18th and 19th
century,
older more prized heart pine, eastern
white pine, and other variations can be found.
Wider planks provide more
of a country motif. Older more prized floors are
not your standard 3/4 inch thickness either. In
earlier days settlers just wanted functional
flooring and thicker stock was the norm. Lumber
was rough sawn because electric power and
milling technology hadn't reached the building
trade or interior design of the time.
Reclaimed Wide Plank
Today many wide plank
floors can be obtained from reclaimed lumber, at
much higher costs. Prices are high because of
supply and demand. In addition, reclaimed lumber
and specialty flooring mills utilize every
aspect of hardwood that has been saved from
older buildings. They may saw large 10 x 16 inch
beams into today's more standard 3/4 inch
thickness. Transportation costs are high. Many
of these specialty flooring manufacturers may be
thousands of miles from the source, opposed to
being practically in the forest.
Newer milled solid 3/4
inch wide plank products can be obtained in
widths up to twenty inches in several hardwood
species. When it comes to cost of any hardwood
floor, the greater the width the higher the
price will be. Variations are available from the
more expensive and harder to find clear grade to
what seems more popular, rustic varieties.
Manufacturers often place their own grade name
because of the variances opposed to common
graded hardwood.
If you're considering wide
plank flooring it is important to know the
characteristics of such. Some wider plank floors
can be more problematic because of their
properties. Manufacturers that utilize material
such as straight grain (type of log cut) will
not react to seasonal movement as standard lower
priced wide plank flooring.
Engineered Wide Plank
Floors
In recent years, many of
the more common hardwood floor mills have begun
producing wide plank engineered flooring and
selling them prefinished. Engineered in that
they have a stable cross ply base with a
veneered surface. Veneer thickness will vary,
but many manufacturers only provide a 2 mm
veneer. Specialty mills on the other hand, are
now making unfinished engineered with thicker
veneers, or ones that can be successfully
refinished if need be at a later date.
Short Boards, Long
Boards
For those preferring a
factory finished wide plank, prefinished
engineered may be the way to go, but don't
expect the real authentic look. Mass produced
prefinished products generally have lengths that
don't exceed 42 or 48 inches, but there are a
handful that go near six feet and longer.
Conversely, mills that specialize can offer
lengths up to 16 feet! Naturally with the longer
lengths, costs will increase, much the same as
getting into wider width planks.
Random width products are
more common in the 3, 5 and seven inch format in
both prefinished and
unfinished flooring. This does not rule out
other possibilities as custom mills can provide
anything to your desire, but will take longer to
receive. Typically minimum orders are only
accepted.
Bevels, No Bevels
Depending on what look
you're trying to achieve, prefinished
engineered hardwoods for the most part will be
beveled or micro beveled. Also, few if any,
larger wide plank floors will not offer a
seamless appearance unless absolute climate
control is followed. Still we have our doubts.
Top Nailed Antique Look
Nearly all excessive wide
plank floors will have to be top nailed
strip flooring popularity. For those that may
have much older colonial style homes or
converted farmhouses built in the18th and 19th
century, 
unfinished flooring. This does not rule out
other possibilities as custom mills can provide
anything to your desire, but will take longer to
receive. Typically minimum orders are only
accepted.