Wide Plank Flooring

Wood Flooring Specialists: Handcrafted Wide Plank Floors

At ReallyCheapFloors.com, we pride ourselves on being wood flooring specialists.

That mentality is important when offering wider hardwood floors, as the wider widths are not for everyone. In the solid hardwood market planks are only available in 4" and 5" widths.

Engineered hardwood flooring is sold in much wider widths. Our Oak Flooring Collection from Somerset offers engineered floors up to 7' width. Other small boutique-type manufacturers will make engineered hardwood flooring as ultra wide as 12"!

Wide prefinished flooring needs room to breathe. And they need long boards to look their best. Putting wide flooring boards in a small room makes the room look smaller and off-balance, while short boards give the planks a blocky look. Neither of those are the look you want in your home.

White Oak and Hickory Species

In our engineered wide plank white oak we offer both Appalachian White Oak and hickory options with our Appalachian collection as well. The White Oak is offered in a Natural finish and 7" wide boards, which shows off the character and style that a euro oak species is known for. We also carry plenty of oak flooring with oak ultra wide width selections with a rare sighting of walnut in stock.

The Hickory is offered in 2 colors, Toast and Saddle, and in a 6" width. Wide Hickory planks convey a feeling of nostalgia and grandeur, and these colors exemplify that, allowing the grain to show through while tempering the lighter tones of the wood to give it a less contrasting look.

In our solid planks we offer many more options. Our Oak Plank Collection offer several go-to stain colors like Gunstock, Butterscotch, Mocha, Metro Brown, Smoke and Butterscotch, as well as the old favorites, Red Oak Natural and White Oak Natural.

We also now offer several colors of Hickory and Maple in our Country Low Gloss and Winchester Collections. Country Low Gloss is a new product for us. Available in 3 1/4, 4, and 5" widths in solid, as well as 3 1/4 and 5" in engineered, it offers the really low gloss finish that is so popular right now, while featuring an impressive array of new colors , all on Hickory. Cabin grade oak hardwood flooring options can match a rustic reclaimed barn look.

Ultra Wide Prefinished Flooring Designs for Your Home

Do I want Engineered or Solid hardwood to be my wood floor of choice?

In the wood business, wider is more expensive. It is more expensive because you can get more product from a tree if you cut a bunch of narrow boards instead of wide plank floors.

When a wide board has a small natural defect the whole board is downgraded to the appropriate grade. Technology in place today allows the sawblade to be run at the width that allows the best yield of the highest grade of wood possible, because higher grades mean more money. This puts the manufacturer in a conundrum. How to get more wide yield?
The answer is in what customers want today.

Changes in the Marketplace

Today's buyer wants wide flooring but they want a certain look. Not a Cabin look but something with more pizzazz than a typical hardwood offering. That is where Somerset really took the bit and ran with it. In these new offerings they opened up what is allowed in grading so they could both get a higher percentage of wide planks and get the higher Character floors that are in such demand. The increased grain and contrast are what set this floor apart.

Next look at a photo of any room scene featuring a natural Hickory floor. If the extra character had not been allowed, this floor would not work the rustic appeal.

Work On The Climate Control

We would be remiss if we did not tell you about the Achilles heel of wide planks. Specifically, wide solid wood planks.

Solid hardwood floors do not like water. Additional moisture added to a floor will cause it to expand. As you know, a hardwood floor that has been nailed down has no room for expansion. Sure we can leave an extra half inch around the perimeter, but that only helps with a floating floor. Not a nailed down solid. The result is an expanded floor with raised edges. And it looks horrible! How do you avoid this? By keeping the moisture levels constant throughout the year. If this is not possible you should consider going with a more narrow board, or choosing one of our engineered floors. After all, stability is why we even have engineered hardwood flooring.

Take the time to explore the the range of wood planks that we offer or visit one of our locations today. And do not hesitate to call or email for more information or even a free sample. Our cabin grade options have a reclaimed flooring look and can complement a reclaimed home decor.