skip to main content
FOTON
HITTA EXPERT
Visa alla experter
Visa alla tjänster
MAGASIN
ARTIKLAR PÅ HOUZZ
HOUZZ UNDERSÖKNINGAR
FORUM
DISKUSSIONER PÅ HOUZZ
Houzz Logo Print
Explore Discussions
FlooringDesigndilemmanVardagsrum
dough71

YOUR THOUGHTS: Wide Plank Flooring Width

dough71
6 år sedan

Hi Folks! I'm trying to decide if I want one width wide plank flooring (e.g. 8-inch French cut white oak) or a random width wide plank (e.g. 6-8-10 or 5-7-9)? The entire main floor (2300 sf) will have this wood floor. When you come inside the house from the front door, guests have a view all the way to the back of the house. The back of the house is lined with floor to ceiling windows providing a view of a large prairie. The flooring gets intense sunlight, as it is south facing. I'm going for wide planks so that I have fewer seams to look at in such a large space.


I'd love to know your thoughts as to which is better...one width or random plank sizes.


Thanks in advance!

Utvalt svar
  • PRO
    Berlin Flooring Inc
    6 år sedan

    Tough choice, but either way will look great. Single width is less busy and more contemporary; random width a little more "rustic". We have installed 3/4" solid, 8" wide unfinished white oak in Colorado, over radiant heat, and it performs great. It was the same as the "French cut", which has rift & quarter sawn cut on the sides so it is a more stable floor than traditional plain sawn oak.

    8" Live Sawn White Oak · Mer info

    Kommentarer (33)

    • prairiemom61
      6 år sedan

      One width will look less busy.

    • User
      6 år sedan

      If you live in an area with wide humidity swings, wide plank will present issues.

    • SJ McCarthy
      6 år sedan

      I LOVE the look of random widths. It feels 'authentic' and can be considered a higher level install.

      Are these solid or engineered? Sophie is correct. Those MASSIVE widths (8" is very wide...anything over 5" is considered wide plank and require extra materials to install them = more expensive install) are going to require very very very special indoor living conditions (very expensive Humidity and temperature control throughout the house and throughout the year - regardless of occupation of the space or not).

    • PRO
      Construction by Design, LLC
      6 år sedan

      If you decide to go with the 8" wide planks (love the look) make sure that your contractor not only glues or nails the wood but that he does both (nails and glue) and make sure to use a good contractor that will guarantee his install. I agree with Sophie Wheeler that if you live in an area with a lot of humidity you might want to stay on the 4" to 5" range but most houses in the US have heating and air which helps a lot. Here are some pics of an install we did with 9" rough sawn pine and combined two different stains to give it this old barn look.

      dough71 thanked Construction by Design, LLC
    • PRO
      WeShipFloors
      6 år sedan

      If it is a solid, I would not install anything but quartersawn in that kind of width.

      dough71 thanked WeShipFloors
    • dough71
      Författare
      6 år sedan

      It will be solid and finished on site. We live in Colorado, so it is very dry. We have a whole house humidifier to help in the winter months.

    • PRO
      Uptown Floors
      6 år sedan

      Some boards could shrink considerably, but that'll give it more of a rustic look with gaps between the boards. Sorry, that wasn't the question but worth investigating. Do you want gaps here and there? Have moisture testing of the material before the installation. It's vital you get the moisture content (MC) of the hardwood down to the average living conditions unless you can live with the gaps.

      For instance if you can keep the relative humidity near 30% the hardwood should be at 6% before any installation take place This will depend on the source initially. Some may manufacture at 8 and 9% Then it could be stored in a warehouse for months at 60% where the MC is over 10%

      Advantage with live sawn, aka French cut is the mix of plain sawn, quartered and rift.

      Understanding wood movement

      dough71 thanked Uptown Floors
    • User
      6 år sedan

      The house had better be conventional foundation with museum quality humidity control attached to your HVAC. Otherwise you will get splits and gaps. Low moisture readings for wood are just as bad as high moisture readings. You’d a have much guarantee of success if you halved to size of the plank. Old houses used 2 1/4” planks for a reason.

      dough71 thanked User
    • PRO
      Johnson Flooring Co Inc
      6 år sedan

      I've always felt that having multiple widths is a little more casual than one width but a lot would depend on the product.

      dough71 thanked Johnson Flooring Co Inc
    • Blueberry Abode
      6 år sedan

      For that much open space I would stick with one width. We have a wide open floor plan that we just did a year ago. Our first and second floor (3100 sf) is white oak 1/4 sawn and rift mix, 5" width planks (we get gapping with even 5" wide planks). You may have already thought of this as well, but with that much space I would make sure the length of all your planks are between 4 - 7 feet. Shorter than that will make your floor look choppy, your builder may need to order more floor to ensure length. Good luck, sounds like a beautiful view :)

      dough71 thanked Blueberry Abode
    • dough71
      Författare
      6 år sedan

      Great advice! Thanks Blueberry Adobe!

    • PRO
      Hull Forest Products - Wide Plank Floors
      6 år sedan

      Plank widths are really a question of personal preference - and budget - since single plank widths are generally more expensive than a range of widths. Take a good look at floor photos to see which style you prefer. Also keep in mind that if you choose random widths, they will be less obvious when using a character grade floor than on a select (clear) floor. And if you are seeking to minimize seams, plank length is just as important as plank width - be sure to go for the longest average plank length you can find as this will help avoid the "patchwork" effect caused by an abundance of short planks.

      White Oak Wide Plank Flooring · Mer info
      This photo shows a floor with a range of plank widths - these are 9-14 inch wide live sawn white oak planks.


      Wide Plank Oak Flooring · Mer info
      This photo show a floor with a single plank width - these are all 10" wide select white oak plain sawn planks. Plank lengths are 4-10 feet with a 7+ foot average.

      dough71 thanked Hull Forest Products - Wide Plank Floors
    • dough71
      Författare
      6 år sedan

      This is exactly what I needed to see...photos of the various sizes. Thank you so much for posting! We've been told that the lengths will be 2-feet to 10-feet, with an average length of 5-feet. Perhaps I should ensure that this is stated in our contract.

    • Mrs. S
      6 år sedan

      I’ll be honest with you. My aesthetic concern would be more about plank LENGTH than width. No way would I pay so much money and get ANY two foot planks. Look at the lovely photos above, those are all long planks.

      But even more important than that is what Sophie and the others say about wide widths in your weather. You should think that through.

    • PRO
      Patricia Colwell Consulting
      6 år sedan

      IMO 8” wide is too wide and creates many issues, stick with 5” the same everywhere and I agree I would not be happy with a bunch of 2” boards. As for that sun that comes in the windows you will have to control that or your floors will be a mess in no time. I usually use solar shades for clients since the control the UV and the heat but allow you to still have the view.

    • Blueberry Abode
      6 år sedan

      2' to 10' make me nervous - that is a big range. I feel like that should be narrowed down to less of a range. You can imagine what it will look like to have a 2' foot plank next to a 10' plank, if that is the case, right in the middle of your gorgeous expanse of floor. These are all (for the most part) 4 - 7' planks with a few shy of 4, and some almost 8' at 5" wide.


    • User
      6 år sedan
      Ändrades senast: 6 år sedan

      All it takes to have only long planks is truly serious upgrade to your budget. Beyond just the $15 a foot wide plank budget. Because you are going to need to buy double and site cull with a craftsman who will not be some cheap floor guy. And don’t forget that never ever varies humidity control. Summer and winter.

    • SJ McCarthy
      6 år sedan

      I worry about 8" wide planks in Colorado. That is a SERIOUS amount of HVAC control. If you are someone who loves to open the windows and doors during the summer to enjoy the breeze, then these planks are going to have BIG issues. Big. Big. Big issues.

      As Sophie has already stated, you will need to maintain MUSEUM QUALITY air conditions...that means sealed in for life. Please TRIPLE CHECK the quality of your HVAC system to add and REMOVE humidity. This won't be 'for the winter' this is going to be every day of the year for 80 years.

    • dough71
      Författare
      6 år sedan

      Hmm...how is it that folks who actually lived on a farm and had wide plank floors seemed to manage just fine without a whole house humidifier? So the floors aren't perfect, isn't that the point? I've seen many 2.5"-3" width planks with a LOT of cupping. And, it's worse because you have THOUSANDS of seams.

      I would like everyone's thoughts on smooth (no bevel) vs. open grain/wire brushed (with bevel) on a wide plank floor.

      You have all been a tremendous help! Thank you for your time.

    • Blueberry Abode
      6 år sedan

      It's hard to say - what look are you going for in your home? I think smooth lends itself better to a more modern feel in a wide plank. Open grain/wire brushed feels more casual relaxed. With beveled you will see the seams more, right? Based on your description of your home, floor to ceiling windows, can see the back of the house from the front, I vote smooth ... if this is a voting situation ;)

      dough71 thanked Blueberry Abode
    • dough71
      Författare
      6 år sedan

      Here is a photo of the living area that you see when you come in from the front door (excuse the horrific decor). To the left is the kitchen, with additional windows on all sides. The house has no "style" at the moment, so the floors can dictate.

    • Michael Stiller
      6 år sedan
      If you have OCD random widths will work for you as you can somewhat controll the center lines at doors, and what ever else you are picky about. If you want to be unique, I worked on a job where a 8 inch plank was given a concave meniscus form. meaning the floor planks had high and low elevations in each board. I liked it as it massaged the barefoot.
      dough71 thanked Michael Stiller
    • Blueberry Abode
      6 år sedan

      this is yummy.

    • dough71
      Författare
      6 år sedan

      Blueberry Adobe, What size planks are those?

    • PRO
      Berlin Flooring Inc
      6 år sedan

      Regarding your other question, I would go without the beveled edge. Beveled edges are a trap for dust, dirt, crumbs, etc. It's definitely a more rustic, farmhouse look. Sanded flat (smooth) or wire-brushed is more of a "modern farmhouse" design. We've done wire brushed flooring too. That is a truly unique, stunning floor. We've done wire-brushed with and without the beveled edges and both look great. If I had to choose, I would go with single width, wide plank, wire-brushed face, no beveled edge.

    • dough71
      Författare
      6 år sedan

      YOUR THOUGHTS PLEASE: All the experts I have asked tell me that you need to have some 2-foot planks for ends and closets. Is it not enough to trust a company's "average length" when ordering hardwood floors? The average length on the 8" wide planks are 7-feet, but we'll get planks from 2 to 10-feet long.

    • SJ McCarthy
      6 år sedan

      @dough71 - It "sounds" nice to hear that you need 2' lengths for closets. But long planks will be CUT throughout the job, leaving a pile of shorts. Those shorts are then recycled to finish rows or go inside closets. A dealer who speaks of average lengths and then mentions the 2' shorts is trying to shuffle in the low-low end stuff so HE isn't left with waste.

      I would ask the PERCENTAGE of 2' lengths you can expect to receive. Houzz has seen DOZENS (if not hundreds) of posters complain that their "promised" 8' planks arrived as a bunch of 4' planks making up 50% of the load. And not enough overage to "cull" the shorts.

      As for your question about seeing homes with wide planks that look great, you are correct. But I'm going to add a caveat to that statement. Those old, wide boards have reached an equilibrium and are now in harmony with it's house. That can take 20+ years to achieve. And then they have probably already received a sand/refinish with "knocked down" the crowning/cupping to make the whole floor look flat and happy.

      Let's just say that the "growing pains" of those old, wide planked floors are WELL behind them and they now LOOK happy...but they started out a complete mess...for many decades. Then a sand/refinish occurred and NOW they look awesome!

      That's how old wide planks in old unconditioned homes "look great". They've already finished their rebellious years.

      dough71 thanked SJ McCarthy
    • PRO
      Johnson Flooring Co Inc
      6 år sedan
      Ändrades senast: 6 år sedan

      I was just going to comment about the lengths because I disagree with the advice rendered above. You absolutely do need shorter boards to start and end rows. If you were doing only one room and it was 30' x 30' then I might agree to a longer minimum length with the knowledge that some would be cut into 1', 2' and 3' pieces to start the staggers at rows and make cuts at the other end of the room. If you have closets and halls, the need for shorter boards increases and there is the ability to save money by ordering a shorter minimum length. I recently priced a 7" White Oak in 3' to 10' and 5' to 10' lengths and the longer was only 64 cents per foot more. At that price difference it would be hard to make a case for the shorter lengths so if you're doubting that 2' to 10' would suffice, price some options.

    • User
      6 år sedan
      Ändrades senast: 6 år sedan

      That house has MCM or 80’s Contemporary architectural design style cues. Which would lean more towards terazzo or cork flooring. Not extremely modern and unstable wide plank. If wood were done in a MCM, it would be parquet or narrow strip flooring. Not wide planks that would end up with giant gaps in them. That type of rusticity is directly at odds with the clean and sleek mid century look. Or 80’s Contemporary. The hallmark of those is the indoor outdoor connection and use of natural materials. Preferably locally sourced natural materials. Stone. Wood. Brick. Found from local companies, who harvested and created locally.

      dough71 thanked User
    • Blueberry Abode
      6 år sedan

      No more than 5" wide smooth no bevel.

    • njordan56
      2 år sedan

      Curious how this job turned out and what lessons you learned or successes you had as I’m now trying to install wide plank flooring in my home. Every tip helps! Thanks :)

    • dough71
      Författare
      2 år sedan

      Hi njordan56, we had 8" wide Muscanell Cathedral Cut White Oak installed. It has a 4-side bevel and is wire brushed. The lengths are 2' to 10'. We didn't fill the knots, as I didn't want my beautiful floor to look like it had polka dots. Looks amazing and very pleased with it. We had it professionally installed. They used trowel glue and staple installation and sand and finished with Pallmann Power water-based finish. Next week, we are having our kitchen finished with the same flooring. Hope it matches up, as our living room wood floor was installed in 2018, and I can only imagine has faded a small bit due to the intense south-facing sun it receives every day. Good luck with your project.

    Sponsored

    Reload the page to not see this specific ad anymore

    Sverige
    Skräddarsy min upplevelse genom att använda cookies

    Houzz använder cookies och liknande teknik för att anpassa min upplevelse med relevant innehåll och det bästa Houzz produkter och tjänster kan erbjuda mig. Genom att klicka 'Acceptera' accepterar jag detta, så som det vidare beskrivs i Houzz Cookie Policy. Jag kan avvisa icke-essentiella cookies genom att klicka 'Administrera preferenser'.