Recently, designers and homeowners have leaned heavily into the versatile style of wide plank flooring. Here’s how a flooring once considered a rustic style is now transforming interior design with a fresh, modern look.
What is wide plank flooring?
Wide plank flooring consists of planks ranging from 5 to 16 inches or more. The planks help reduce the busyness of grainier, knottier woods while also introducing a more bespoke look to hardwood and engineered hardwood floors.
Wide Plank Flooring Works for a Rustic Style
It seems like wide plank flooring found its place on designers’ radars when the modern farmhouse look took the world by storm. The unique wide boards lend themselves perfectly to the farmhouse aesthetic, blending the historic feel of the traditional farmhouse with the modern look of emerging stains and wood species.
Wide planks also came into favour when the idea of reclaimed materials entered the design landscape. Using old barn board, for example, introduced a wider plank size that helped designers move away from the old standards of 2.5 to 4-inch floorboards.
Wide Plank Flooring With a Modern Look
As the farmhouse look became more popular, designers and homeowners were introduced to the versatility of wide plank flooring. Customized stains and finishes made it far more approachable, allowing people to tailor their flooring to suit their specific design schemes.
They also discovered how well wide plank flooring works in large open-concept spaces, where narrow floorboards created a far too busy look. The wider width is easier on the eyes, making it well-suited for spacious designs focused on creating relaxing and inviting living spaces.
Wide Plank Flooring Works With Different Board Lengths
The bespoke nature of wide plank flooring allows designers to experiment with different board lengths to suit the scale of any room. The trick is in the original size of the boards, which tend to be smaller when it comes to prefinished hardwood flooring. Often, the boards are selected from a low-grade lumber that requires smaller cuts to capture the clearest areas of the wood, hence, the narrow boards.
In the case of wide plank flooring, the length and width determine the choice of lumber used, with the goal to maintain the original state and beauty of the wood. As a result, boards can be up to 14’ long and as wide as 16” depending on the species and lumber availability.
Wide Plank Flooring: Species vs. Stain
Customized wide plank flooring explores the possibilities of different wood species and stains. The wood species impacts both the look and durability of floors, offering various densities, graining, and knotting. The most appealing species include:
- Red oak
- White oak
- White ash
- Red maple
- Ambrosia maple
- Hard maple
- Walnut
- Hickory
- Red pine
- Cherry
- Red elm
- Grey elm
- Beech
The stain, on the other hand, allows you to further tailor the floor to get the exact look you desire, regardless of whether you are working with reclaimed wood or any of the above wood species. You can apply a clear stain to allow the wood’s natural tones to come through, or enrich or darken the planks with various stain layers. You can also match the exact tone of existing woodwork in the home or blend beautifully with a certain colour palette used in the space.
Wide Plank Flooring From Reclaimed Wood
There are distinct differences between new wood and reclaimed wood. Even wood of the same species becomes unrecognizable when comparing new and reclaimed lumber. The wood develops a patina based on its age and the environment to which it is exposed over time.
For example, barn board from a field in Ontario will be very different from wood sourced from an old pier in Nova Scotia. You then have the underlying appearance of the original wood, from ash to hemlock and various elms and maples to oaks. All of these factors contribute to the very distinct look of reclaimed wood used for wide plank flooring.
Texture and Wide Plank Flooring
Texture has become a highly desirable aspect in natural wood and engineered flooring products. The distinct markings left behind from nail holes, wormholes, and daily wear and tear in reclaimed barnboard are just a few examples of what designers and homeowners look for when choosing unique flooring.
One-of-a-kind markings range from the look of hand-hewn lumber to uneven edging on planks, and scraping to wire brushing. Each technique creates different effects that can be subtle and soft or high contrast and distinct. When paired with various stains, you can achieve endless bespoke looks unique to your space.
More texture tends to be the trend in rustic settings, while a smoother, more refined look is suited to modern spaces. That said, designers and homeowners are finding new ways to break the “rules” to create completely tailored, eclectic looks that feel lived in and authentic.
Engineered Wide Plank Flooring
Engineered wide plank flooring has the look of hardwood broad floorboards combined with smart construction that strengthens floors and improves durability. A top layer of real hardwood is bonded to multiple layers of plywood to create engineered wide plank hardwood flooring. You get the high-end look you desire on the wider plank size without sacrificing the integrity of the floor’s strength.
In fact, engineered planks manage changes in humidity and temperature more effectively compared to most solid wood floors, so they don’t experience the dramatic expansions and contractions that damage hardwood.
In hand with the layered structure, engineered wide plank flooring is more resistant to warping or buckling, so you can install it in basements, kitchens, or spaces built on a concrete slab. As a wood product, it isn’t waterproof, but its resistance to humidity makes it far more versatile than traditional solid hardwood.
Wide plank flooring has the staying power of traditional designs, so it maintains its appeal for years to come. Tailored engineered wide plank flooring offers a rare opportunity to achieve the exact look you desire, from the wood type to the width, length, and stain tone, as well as texture.
Reach Out to the Experts at Revival Flooring
If you have any questions about Revival Flooring’s wide plank flooring products, feel free to get in touch by calling 705-990-0548 to talk to a flooring expert today. You can also email us at revivalflooring@gmail.com, or click here to fill out our form or request a quote.
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