There is just something so pure about farmhouse wide plank flooring. We know that sentence sounds very dramatic, but you can’t argue that the aesthetic and feel of these floors is more natural and authentic than other flooring options. The knots and rustic texture of the wood bring a cozy vibe to a home. The wide, stable planks give your home a down-to-earth feeling. All to say: we get it – farmhouse wide plank floors are seriously romantic. However, there is still quite a lot to consider when choosing the farmhouse wide plank style for your home. No need to worry, though. We’ll cover everything you need to know right now.
What’s The Difference Between “Wide Plank” And Other Types Of Hardwood Floors?
What Exactly is Wide Plank Flooring?
When considering board dimensions, a “wide plank” is considered any type of flooring with boards 5 inches in width or greater. Though the lower end of the wide plank spectrum is much more common, wide plank hardwood flooring options spanning up to 12 inches wide have been used. This differs greatly from typical hardwood flooring which uses narrow planks that are typically only 2 to 4 inches wide.
Performance
In terms of performance, we’ll need to make the distinction between wide plank hardwood floors and wide plank engineered hardwood floors:
As would be the case with any width of hardwood flooring, wide plank hardwood flooring isn’t the most practical choice for high-moisture or high-humidity environments due to its propensity to buckle or bow. However, the wider the plank, the greater the degree of warping, so narrow plank hardwood floors have a tendency to perform better than their wide plank counterparts. This is because the larger the surface area of a piece of wood, the greater the effect of moisture-related expansion and contraction on the overall dimensional shape of the wood. With that in mind, it’s typically best to stick to wide plank wood options with boards that are 5 to 6 inches wide, as anything wider greatly increases your chances of experiencing warping of some kind.
In comparison, wide plank engineered hardwood flooring is all of the beauty with virtually none of the same concerns as solid hardwood flooring options. Wide plank and narrow plank engineered hardwood options will perform very similarly over time because stability and longevity are built into every square foot of the plank, no matter the width. Additionally, depending on the flooring you choose, you might even have the option to refinish your floors in the future. If wide plank hardwood floors are your style, we recommend that you get the best performance out of your investment by choosing an engineered hardwood option.
Cost
In general, the wider the plank, the more expensive the hardwood flooring. This is for many reasons ranging from the size of the tree used, to the effort required to mill larger pieces of lumber, to a higher rate of discarded lumber if the appearance is not satisfactory, to the costs associated with packaging and shipping larger, heavier items. This is true for both solid hardwood and engineered hardwood options, as they both require a solid piece of hardwood – though that piece is much thinner on an engineered hardwood board.
Narrow plank floors, on the other hand, are more affordable because it’s much easier to get multiple planks out of a single milled log, processing small boards of lumber is easier than processing larger boards, the weight of each plank is reduced, and each box of flooring requires less packaging.
Narrow vs Wide Plank Visual Affects
You might be surprised to learn that there is a common rule used to determine whether a wide or narrow plank floor should be used: the bigger the room, the wider the plank. Alternatively, the smaller the room, the narrower the plank. This comes down to the effect of proportionality. If you have a huge, open room and teeny, tiny wood planks, your floor is going to feel busy and chaotic. For example, imagine you installed penny tiles on your living room floor. The effect would be simply dizzying. A similar effect is felt when you use wide planks in a very small space.
That’s not to say that if you install wide plank floors in your bedroom that you should then switch to narrow floors in your closet – it simply means that if the majority of your rooms tend to be smaller, consider a narrower plank option for your home. The rule matters a bit more when someone is using a different flooring type in different rooms of their home. Others prefer to use the same flooring throughout as constantly switching floors from room to room can also be a dizzying experience.
What Are The Different Types Of Wide Plank Wood Floors?
Solid vs Engineered Wide Plank Products
There are many different species of wood that can be made into either wide plank solid wood flooring or wide plank engineered hardwood flooring. These include birch, cherry, maple, white pine, oak, hickory, and walnut, among others. Each species has a particular color and wood grain associated with it and each species will react to finishes, like stains, differently. We recommend that you use engineered flooring for installations that use boards wider than 5" as the chances of you having cupping or buckling issues due to moisture are much greater.
Wood Flooring Grade Information
Wood flooring comes in various “grades” which are sometimes proprietary to the manufacturer or brand, but generally include higher “select” and lower “character” grades. The grading corresponds to whether natural defects, such as wood knots and wormholes, are present in the finished product, along with the degree to which the wood grain comes through. Higher grades of wood will have less of these markings and show less of the unique wood grain while lower grades of wood with have heavier wood grains and various knots and wormholes.
Higher grade woods are more expensive because they require a different processing technique for the logs that it is made out of. More of the lumber has to be discarded which means that less of each log can be used for the flooring (although the discarded wood is likely used in other ways). When considering that it’s already somewhat difficult to create a relatively long, wide plank in terms of manufacturing, adding to the need for the board to be without natural defects only adds to the challenge. This makes higher grade wide plank floors more expensive than lower grade floors.
The good news is that lower grade floors also have more character and are typically excellent options for both your wallet and your home if you’re seeking a farmhouse look for your wide plank flooring. We’d recommend lower grades, such as cabin grade, blue label, and builder grade flooring as these will naturally have more knots, a heavier wood grain, and a low gloss finish.
How To Achieve The Farmhouse Style With Your Wide Plank Wood Floors
If your goal is to achieve a farmhouse look, the texture and finish of the wood you choose is important. The more texture a board has, the more rustic your flooring will look and feel. You can even choose flooring types, such as a “wirebrush” finished flooring if you desire more texture than a low grade floor will have, naturally. Or better yet, you can even achieve the look of rustic wood, yourself, by using things like chains, wire brushes, hammers, even a propane torch to add defects in the wood to make your floors look as if they’ve been there for 100 years. Taking daily stresses out on the wood is simply an added bonus for this method.
Whether you choose to distress the wood, yourself, or purchase them defect-ready, a low-gloss finish can help you complete your farmhouse wide plank flooring look. We would recommend a matte or satin finish to bring out all of the character of the wood while maintaining its rustic feel.
Can You Still Get The Farmhouse Wide Plank Flooring Look If You Want To Use Luxury Vinyl Plank Floors?
Absolutely! The benefits of going the luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring route instead of the hardwood route are numerous. Not only will this option work better for those with a smaller budget, but you can also use LVP floors in high-moisture areas like bathrooms and kitchens without worrying about whether your floors will warp or buckle. Additionally, you can achieve the farmhouse look without any added effort. That’s because LVP floors come in a huge selection of finishes and textures, including those styles with something called an “embossed-in register”. Embossed-in-Register is the texture added to the top of a luxury vinyl plank during manufacturing in such a way that it aligns perfectly with the image of the wood.
Embossed in register allows for every wood grain swirl, wood grain knot, or wood grain etching to feel real. This helps create an extremely realistic texture and appearance that can match real farmhouse wide plank wooden flooring.
Conclusion
Wide plank wood flooring can be achieved in a variety of ways with many finishes and styles available on the market, today. Depending on your goals and budget, you might choose wide plank solid hardwood floors, wide plank engineered hardwood floors, or wide plank embossed-in-resgitser LVP floors. Additionally, you have the option of purchasing flooring with or without natural defects. Intentionally distressed wood floors are available for a more rustic, farmhouse look, or you can distress them yourself before finishing. Alternatively, LVP floors can give you the look and feel of distressed hardwood floors without all of the upkeep or cost of hardwoods.
